I'm working on a B&S two cylinder engine 44K777-0125-G on an Exmark zero-turn. The exhaust valve seat came out of one of the heads. The valve got stuck open. That allowed the push rod to pop out of position. It ended up twisted and mangled inside the engine which also destroyed the camshaft.
I installed a new OEM camshaft and tappets. I got the valve seat pushed back in. I also tapped around the exhaust valve seats on both heads with a center punch to create small divots in the aluminum to keep the valve seats from coming out again. That is a procedure recommended by mechanics I follow online. I installed new head gaskets, push rods, rocker cover gaskets, sump gasket and sump oil seal. The valve clearances are set at .004
When I tested it out, It did not go well. The engine was making some sort of a popping noise, not really backfiring. When I drove the mower around, it seems sluggish. When I engaged the blades, the engine completely died. It has no power. Compression test shows 52 PSI on both sides. I checked the flywheel key. It's fine. I double checked the valve clearances. They are still at .004. My only guess right now is that the aftermarket head gaskets I used could be bad. Does anyone have any other ideas?