That grayish tint on the dipstick, when you ran it low on oil, the rings scarred the cylinder walls. The motor is screwed.
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Just a blown head gasket or worse ?
- Thread starter Bricklinguy
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Export threadThat squeaking noise is the aluminum connecting rod seizing to the cast iron crankshaft. These small engines have no bearing inserts. It will most likely weld itself to the crank soon and the connecting rod will snap. Or it could have possibly broken one rod already, which would account for no compression on one cylinder. They will run on one cylinder and you may not be able to hear much difference in the exhaust note. Pull the spark plugs to see if one piston is not moving.
Ass others have said ,head gaskets are relevant at this point and they never lose enough compression to actually cause them not to run because they will be a mosquito fogger way before that.
The gray metallic in the oil will only be seen in an engine when it's brand new because of everything polishing and burnishing itself together from the initial wear in but it won't be nearly as extreme as when one is run low on oil.
I tell customers all the time to keep your Briggs and Stratton v-twins. Completely all the way to the full mark! I tell them even slightly over full is better than being slightly under full. Just keep it no more than 3/16 of an inch which is basically don't go above the tip of the arrow but above the full line is fine.
I don't even feel comfortable at one of these engines running at the minimum the safe mark because these engines will snap a rod in a heartbeat when they're low on oil.
They will do it old they will do it new.
Low performance little turds as I call them that are typically very forgiving but since they skimped out and didn't put actual rod bearing inserts in there to wear and take the abuse and save the crank at least some, as soon as they get low on oil and lose their cushion film, the aluminum starts to weld itself to the crank and smears off and gets all gummy and quickly locks up so it snaps the rod in half.
You can use muriatic acid to eat the aluminum off the crank but don't let it touch anything else on the block or basically anything else but plastic or concrete you want to clean but you can clean up a crank this way and even polish it with fine sandpaper or even wet sanded and usually we use it with no problems.
When you take both spark plugs out and watch with a flashlight or use a straw or a wooden dowel to stick in there or just put your finger over the spark plug hole and spend the engine over by hand or with the starter... what you will likely find is only one piston is going up and down.
If you're doing the work yourself and only if you can save the crank is it worth fixing financially.
Otherwise buying the crank, the rod and the gasket that you'll probably need if the old one tears at all will cost more than you could just go buy a used good engine off another mower for or even by a hole mower that just won't start and run because the carb is clogged up or one that runs but has a bad transmission or won't drive.
That's the only cost-effective way to fix a mower that has an internal engine problem UNLESS you have a bunch of old engines and old Parts sitting around that you can scavenge the parts you need from.
The gray metallic in the oil will only be seen in an engine when it's brand new because of everything polishing and burnishing itself together from the initial wear in but it won't be nearly as extreme as when one is run low on oil.
I tell customers all the time to keep your Briggs and Stratton v-twins. Completely all the way to the full mark! I tell them even slightly over full is better than being slightly under full. Just keep it no more than 3/16 of an inch which is basically don't go above the tip of the arrow but above the full line is fine.
I don't even feel comfortable at one of these engines running at the minimum the safe mark because these engines will snap a rod in a heartbeat when they're low on oil.
They will do it old they will do it new.
Low performance little turds as I call them that are typically very forgiving but since they skimped out and didn't put actual rod bearing inserts in there to wear and take the abuse and save the crank at least some, as soon as they get low on oil and lose their cushion film, the aluminum starts to weld itself to the crank and smears off and gets all gummy and quickly locks up so it snaps the rod in half.
You can use muriatic acid to eat the aluminum off the crank but don't let it touch anything else on the block or basically anything else but plastic or concrete you want to clean but you can clean up a crank this way and even polish it with fine sandpaper or even wet sanded and usually we use it with no problems.
When you take both spark plugs out and watch with a flashlight or use a straw or a wooden dowel to stick in there or just put your finger over the spark plug hole and spend the engine over by hand or with the starter... what you will likely find is only one piston is going up and down.
If you're doing the work yourself and only if you can save the crank is it worth fixing financially.
Otherwise buying the crank, the rod and the gasket that you'll probably need if the old one tears at all will cost more than you could just go buy a used good engine off another mower for or even by a hole mower that just won't start and run because the carb is clogged up or one that runs but has a bad transmission or won't drive.
That's the only cost-effective way to fix a mower that has an internal engine problem UNLESS you have a bunch of old engines and old Parts sitting around that you can scavenge the parts you need from.
Bricklinguy
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OK, I finally had some time to start pulling all the bits off the top end to see what I can see.
And what I see ain't good at all .
Went so far as to remove the rocker covers and pulling the plugs.
First thing that ain't right is, the rockers don't move at all on either cylinder. Second thing is, only one piston is moving.
Sooo, one rod is definitely broke, and I don't know what to say about the valves not moving.
Either a broken cam shaft or a timing gear ??
Not going any further, as obviously there's serious damage and probably not worth fixing.
And what I see ain't good at all .
Went so far as to remove the rocker covers and pulling the plugs.
First thing that ain't right is, the rockers don't move at all on either cylinder. Second thing is, only one piston is moving.
Sooo, one rod is definitely broke, and I don't know what to say about the valves not moving.
Either a broken cam shaft or a timing gear ??
Not going any further, as obviously there's serious damage and probably not worth fixing.