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Strange problem, the oil seal on the crankshaft blew out and covered the belts on a Grasshopper 220 with oil so bad it quit moving. I thought no big problem just a seal. But now no oil pressure and it's full of oil. Removed the oil pressure sender for the light to make sure and nothing. So pulled the crankcase pan and found this. The answer as to why no oil pressure! What puzzles me is why the seal blew out at the same time it lost oil pressure. Second thing is if the rods and crankshaft are ok, how do I keep a new pickup tube from falling off like this one? THANKS for all the help in advance!

user4579 said:

Strange problem, the oil seal on the crankshaft blew out and covered the belts on a Grasshopper 220 with oil so bad it quit moving. I thought no big problem just a seal. But now no oil pressure and it's full of oil. Removed the oil pressure sender for the light to make sure and nothing. So pulled the crankcase pan and found this. The answer as to why no oil pressure! What puzzles me is why the seal blew out at the same time it lost oil pressure. Second thing is if the rods and crankshaft are ok, how do I keep a new pickup tube from falling off like this one? THANKS for all the help in advance!

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Just below the ring that inserts into the oil pump there is a bent finger protrusion that is suppose to lock the pickup to the pump. The hook is broke off of your pickup which is the reason it fell out.

Another fine design made from plastic to save the cost of a 5-cent washer head screw.

First, Thanks for the replies! Yes indeed mine is missing that "little" clip on the end. So, is this a once in a lifetime thing or something common? Maybe epoxy the new one in addition to that small clip? Next the rods and crankshaft look just fine so I must have shut it off in time. What I found is the torque for the rod caps is only 100 in lbs. Seems pretty low compared to how tight they were when I took them off. Last question, why would that make the crankshaft oil seal blow out? I'm glad it did, it's what let me know there was a problem. Maybe the two things are not related, sure seems strange timing to me. Again, Thanks for the help!

ILENGINE said:

Just below the ring that inserts into the oil pump there is a bent finger protrusion that is suppose to lock the pickup to the pump. The hook is broke off of your pickup which is the reason it fell out.

Amazon.com

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First, Thanks for the replies! Yes indeed mine is missing that "little" clip on the end. So, is this a once in a lifetime thing or something common? Maybe epoxy the new one in addition to that small clip? Next the rods and crankshaft look just fine so I must have shut it off in time. What I found is the torque for the rod caps is only 100 in lbs. Seems pretty low compared to how tight they were when I took them off. Last question, why would that make the crankshaft oil seal blow out? I'm glad it did, it's what let me know there was a problem. Maybe the two things are not related, sure seems strange timing to me. Again, Thanks for the help!

The 2 things may not be related. I have seen the seals on the Command series engines just get loose and fall out. Usually happens after a few hundred hours.. Even the new seal going in doesn't fit all the tight sometimes.

user4579 said:

how do I keep a new pickup tube from falling off like this one? THANKS for all the help in advance!

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The clip breaking off the pickup tube was a rare occurrence and almost unheard of. If you can get a new tube and install it carefully you shouldn't have any issues IMO.

Thanks for the reply! I have a new one ordered (Kohler) This one lasted 494 hrs. so I guess that's not to bad.

user4579 said:

Thanks for the reply! I have a new one ordered (Kohler) This one lasted 494 hrs. so I guess that's not to bad.

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Yeah, depending on how you look at it. It really shouldn't have happened on a commercial grade engine. For a lot of professional lawn folks, 494 hours is only about half a cutting season.

user4579 said:

Thanks for the reply! I have a new one ordered (Kohler) This one lasted 494 hrs. so I guess that's not to bad.

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Looked at a parts breakout.....is there perhaps an opportunity to safety wire the tube to the body of the pump? There is the nice lip on the tube but can't tell if there is an opening above to slip the wire thru. I'd avoid any kind of chemical restraint such as epoxy, unknown how long that would last. Mechanical would be better.

Yeah, I didn't think of that. I think it could be done pretty easily on the pickup tube, but I'd have to go most of the way to the top of the pump to do so. No doubt it would work. Thanks for the info!

At the very least I recommend you polish the crank journals and verify there is no aluminum transfer from the components running dry. If there is metal transfer/ embedded aluminum on the steel crank journals, this engine is not long for this world.

Without oil circulation to cool the components, internal crankcase heat built up rapidly and the seal simply popped out of the machined area designed to retain it.

At the very least I recommend you polish the crank journals with some fine mechanic sanding cloth and verify there is no aluminum transfer from the components running dry. If there is metal transfer/ embedded aluminum on the steel crank journals, this engine is not long for this world.

Without oil circulation to cool and lubricate the components, internal crankcase heat built up rapidly and the seal simply popped out of the machined area designed to retain it.

This may be much more than just and oil pickup coming off inside the case.