Just a blown head gasket or worse ?

[Bricklinguy]

I have a Craftsman 42" lawn tractor with what I believe is a 24HP B&S 441777 motor in it.
Was running it last night, when motor started making weird "squeaking" sounds and losing power.
Unfortunately, and I'm ashamed to say... I left it run low on oil causing Lord knows what catastrophes .
Letting things cool down and refilling with fresh oil, the motor turns over freely but without compression and still has that "squeaking" sound.
My motorcycling experience would suggest a blown head gasket.
Checking the oil after spinning the motor over , it showed a slightly grayish tint to it on the dipstick.
That would suggest a connecting rod bearing failure, but not sure.
I have not tried to investigate further, as I have never worked on these newer OHV type motors.
Basically wondering whether I should even bother; if the repairs costs will equal what I could buy another good used runner for.
What have other folks encountered under these circumstances ??
TIA for your advice.

 

[Rivets]

Try this quick test to possibly confirm your thoughts. Unscrew the dipstick and allow it to freely rest on the tube. Start the engine and watch the dipstick. If it starts jumping around you’ve confirmed that you have a blown head gasket. Replacing a head gasket on OHV engines for those with moderate mechanical ability and good reading skills. Let us know what you find and be sure you include all three enginE numbers, model, type and code.

 

[Bricklinguy]

Hi Rivets,
Thanks for the reply. I posted this while at work, so was writing from memory.
Will try your suggestion with the dipstick when I get home tonight as well as jot down pertinent motor numbers.
I'm self a self employed machinist with wrenching on vintage British motorcycles as one of my bad (masochistic?) habits.
So I like to think I have moderate mechanical ability and experience with replacing head gaskets on OHV motors. Just not THESE.
And I only read after I make a mistake and need to figure out what went wrong. LOL
Will report back tomorrow.
Cheers

 

[Bertrrr]

If there's no compression the head gasket is the least of your problems

 

[Bricklinguy]

That's what I'm afraid of. But we'll see what we can see....

 

[Rivets]

That all depends on how bad the gasket is blown. I’ve seen 0% compression due to a bad gasket.

 

[Bricklinguy]

It's that "squeaking" sound I hear when spinning it over. That's characteristic of a bad head gasket, at least in my experience anyway.
I will investigate a bit further tonight.

 

[Bricklinguy]

OK Mr. Rivets I did the dipstick trick, and as you predicted.....it bounced around as the motor was spinning.
So, that would indicate that the crankcase is being pressurized by at least one piston. I hope both.
Also, the motor spins freely with no knocking.
You asked for the motor ID numbers....
Model-445677
Type- 0827 E1
Code- 070502TG

 

[Rivets]

I see if I can find a service manual for you?

 

[Bricklinguy]

Rivets, thanks for your help.
If you know where there is a downloadable PDF version of the manual, that would be a real time saver.
How about a parts book or at least diagrams ?
Also, would there be a gasket set available ? I looked on evilbay, but not sure which set would be applicable.
I really don't want to junk the mower and run around trying to find another, if it's just a head gasket.