Rod bearings and Oil pan

[rrkpitt15]

2006 Briggs 44P777
550 hours

First time working on small engines. I appreciate everyone's help in my previous posts. Got the engine out. I have a missing push rod that I found in the oil pan.

Two questions.
1. While I have the engine out I'm checking on everything else. The rods have no movement up and down but they move slightly side to side along the crank. Is this normal?

2. Any tricks on removing old gasket material? It is so stubborn to get off. Trying brake cleaner and a razor but I'm scratching it pretty good.

2a. Should I replace the crank seal where the crank leaves the oil pan and the pto pulley mounts to?

 

[ILENGINE]

Question 1 Yes
Question 2 I don't know of an easy way to get the old gasket off other than keep working at it and try to do as little damage as possible. I actually went to a carbide scraper a couple of years ago, which seems really dangerous and it it but also allows a totally flat scraper edge to try to maintain a flat removal process.
Question 3 Yes Just easier to replace the seal after the sump is reinstalled rather trying to work the old seal around the crankshaft at the same time you are trying to reinstall the sump.

Also make sure you check the height of the valve guides inside of the springs in the head that had the missing push rod. When the heads overheat it will cause the valves guides to migrate out toward the valve spring keeper to the point it interfers with the valve opening which bends the push rod and in the V twin briggs disappears inside the sump.

 

[bertsmobile1]

WWhen you refit the sump gasket put a very tin layer of wheel bearing grease ( bentonite type ) on the crankcase side and another thin layer of blur hylomar on the sump side
Then if you ever need to do it again the gasket will split cleanly off the engine and soaking with metho will allow the gasket to strip cleanly off the sump .