Instructions sent. Walt Conner

Hey thanks Walt! I am hoping it's head gasket versus piston/rings. I will order the head gasket. Unfortunately, I have another issue to fix first. When I was taking off the flywheel to take a look at the oil breather reed valve, I used a backyard method to pulling the flywheel (instead of using a puller). Well I ended up stripping the last 3 threads on the flywheel bolt, which is no problem becauase getting another bolt is cheap. The problem is that I slightly damaged the 1st 3 threads into the crank. Do you have any suggestions as to what to do at this point? (other than buy a new crank $167 from Briggs). I was thinking about possibly using oil and a new bolt to see if it will turn in. I can still see threads in the crank but the 1st three look a little damaged but I can still see their grooves. The bolt, however, was totally destroyed at the last three threads (no grooves). I'm thinking that the bolt is softer and will strip before the threads in the crank to prevent idiots like me from stripping out the threads in crank, when they are too impatient to wait until the next day to buy or borrow a puller!

Dot

OK, since I haven't figured out how to post multiple images to a single post (without going through a separate host website) I combined 2 sketches into a single image. Both sketches illustrate the same concept but maybe one or the other will convey what needs to be done to incorporate a low oil PRESSURE shut down circuit into an engine that has a pressure LUBE system. Lest someone be somehow misled into supposing the magneto kill function (described in the sketches) can somehow be wired up to an existing OIL LAMP circuit, let me say right now "HECK NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT"!!!!!!!!!!!! Trying to do that would send 12VDC current to the magneto, and that would KILL the magneto permanently (as in: Go buy a new magneto). The oil pressure switch can be bought at auto parts stores, just make sure it is in the pressure range of 4 to 6 PSI (or whatever your local metric equivalent of that happens to be). The momentary OPEN push button switch MUST function so that the switch provides continuity through it when the button is not being pressed down. This allows for manually over ruling the oil pressure shutdown so you can start the engine. Once the engine is running, release the push button and the system is ready to stop spark ignition if oil pressure falls below the switch threshold limit. Now, in operation................any drop of oil pressure that closes the oil pressure switch.............will result in the magneto being grounded, stopping the spark. You may encounter an operating "situation" that causes the shutdown to momentarily try to kill the engine, but does not last long enough to actually stop the engine (because the oil pressure comes back up while the engine is still spinning). If you find yourself doing things that incite this to happen.......you need to stop doing that, whatever you are doing........because that is telling you you may be operating outside of safe parameters for your engine (regarding the lubrication system). ABOVE ALL other considerations......DO NOT think this system protects against LOW OIL LEVEL, it does not. In all fairness, having a low oil LEVEL to begin with will increase the likelihood of having a low oil PRESSURE event during operation, but this system is not aimed to be a substitute for checking the oil level before each run of the engine, and after refilling the fuel tank if your operation requires refilling the tank before continued use.