Crankshaft Oil Seal Installation Issue

[firedawgsatx]

You are making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Take the sump along to your local bearing supplier alone with the measurement of the crankshaft
Ask them for a seal to fit.
If you ask them nicely a lot will actually push the seal in
As mentioned earlier the seal goes just below the very end of the hole
From your photo it looks like the sump has a larger hole , which is where the seal would go then a step then a smaller hole then an even smaller hole for the crank shaft to run on.
People do all sorts of strange things to engines for all sorts of reasons so unless you have owned this one from new anything could have happened.
IT was not uncommon for machinists to buy junked engines that have siezed then machine the cases for a bush.
Of junked sunps plates and machine the opening larger for an oversized seal because the sump plate was damaged.

I am probably making a mountain out of a molehill. I posted my issue hoping someone had come across this same issue in the past. I do appreciate all the tips and information provided.

 

[firedawgsatx]

Thought I would post a followup to my issue so it can possibly assist others in the future. I was finally able to figure out how to properly install the oil seal. I had contacted Briggs & Stratton, posted on numerous forums, called small engine repair shops, searched the internet for hours and was still totally unable to find the answer I needed. In the end it turned out the solution was extremely simple. I kept studying the illustrated parts diagrams to see if I could figure out what I was missing. I kept seeing a part #1102 (p/n 691255) called a pilot-guide. What is confusing is that on the parts diagram #1102 is not shown to be where the oil seal is shown. I searched and searched the internet for a photo of this pilot-guide but I could not find one photo. So, I narrowed down #1102 to be the steel ring/insert I have in the bore of the oil sump. I used a small pry bar to remove the ring/insert (pilot-guide) and my problem was solved. It actually popped out quite easily. So, I lubricated the new oil seal and bore and got it started uniformly in the hole. Then I used the ring/insert to push the oil seal down to the proper depth and ensured the pilot-guide was fully seated. Apparently this pilot-guide's only purpose is to install the oil seal to the proper depth. It is amazing to me I was unable to find one photo, one article, one service manual instruction or even a mention of this since at least 150 engines use this part.