Now the mower will not crank!

[lbrac]

Tons more is not better? But it's the American way.. way over the top!
Happy mowing and be safe!

If a little is good, then more is better. It's the American way. Applies to many things, like sealant, grease, oil level, premixing oil and gas, sharpening a mower blade, tire pressure, tightening a bolt, etc. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks.

 

[Auto Doc's]

By design, engine running centrifugal force and a small spring retract the cam compression release mechanism.

 

[slomo]

OK, all this about what kind of gasket maker to use is more confusing to me than helpful.

I told you what I use. It is non hardening. As in EASY to remove NEXT TIME. Saves the next guy from cussing his brains out.

I pulled off the gasket cover and had no trouble removing the Permatex gasket material

Totally stunned and believe your story. Normally when I see RTV, there are tools laying all over the place trying to remove a small valve cover for example.

So my question is – why should this NOT be used on a riding lawnmower, single cylinder engine valve cover?

You can, use red. It will work. Issue is there are more specific formulas of RTV glob to use in an oil sealing environment.