Know about small engines? (1 Viewer)

[e9999]

I have an L-head B&S 5HP 200cc horizontal shaft. 1995 or so. Power washer. Slowly fixing it up.

I put the crankcase cover back on without a gasket. I'm seeing no end play at all on the crankshaft. Specs call for a few thousands (like 2 thous and up). How critical is that you think?

Wondering cuz I feel the engine is not exactly freewheeling with the plug off. There is a definite resistance to spinning. Don't know if that's normal. Could something be overly tight in there (bearings etc) due to the lack of endplay?

TIA

 

[D'Animal]

The right thickness gasket should give you the right endplay.

 

[e9999]

Yes. I'm trying to figure out how critical that endplay is because I'd rather not have to source a gasket and especially not open the thing back up if not really necessary. Is not having any endplay likely to damage something, you think? Engine is running fine, but that does not mean it's all good inside, of course.



added: finally got through Briggs and Stratton customer support. Very unhelpful. No tech to talk to, the woman could not even find my model number, seemed hapless. Keeps telling me to contact their dealer. Disappointing, I was expecting better from such a big company.

OTOH, had a good conversation with a repair tech at an outfit in a nearby town. He told me that, yes, the endplay is really important and that without any, there could be added wear on the block due to binding. He also says that without the plug the engine should really freewheel and spins freely, which is not what I'm seeing.

Conclusion: better put in a gasket. Dang, got to open that thing up again.

 

[e9999]

Long story short, I put in a gasket and now got about 9 thous endplay, can readily feel it. Within specs. The nice thing is that now it is much easier to rotate the assembly even with plug on. So, having some endplay made a big difference for the better I think. It probably was indeed binding. Should decrease wear much. Glad I did that.

Suggestion 1: If you pull the bearing on the crankshaft to see the timing marks, figure out its location first. May come in handy and eliminate some trial and error later on. Don't ask how I know.
Suggestion 2: If you pull the bearing to see the timing marks, make another mark on the tip of the tooth so you can see it next time without having to pull the bearing. Don't ask how I know.


added:
Suggestion 3: you may want to disregard Suggestions 1 and 2 cuz i just remembered that there may be another timing mark on the counterweight someplace for some of those engines, which means you don't have to move the bearing after all to check the timing. (But may want to in order to adjust the endplay if need be...)