OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Lower Crank Seal - Sprint 35

I assume the lower crank seal can be replaced without any issues from the outside on
a Sprint 35 motor? I guess it will pull out with a self tapper and a slide hammer?

Easy as, there are no issues with this operation.

Thanks Bigted, I couldn't see any problem but thought I would ask, you never know with some of these things

B&S 375 Sprint, weeping from lower crank seal. There's 2 or 3 mm up and down movement of the crank. Same procedure to remove and replace seal?

If you got 2-3 mm you got some serious wear. And I remember correctly this is L-head engine. An normally if this a rubber coated seal they are unually fairly easy to replace.

Hi AVB, how's things going in your world over there, always seems chaotic to us over here?

MM, I wouldn't worry about the end float, lots of them are like that, just push on with it

The motor is running very well, sounds perfect right through the rev range, not blowing any smoke and it is only a weep. Used a tank of fuel yesterday and the oil level dropped very little. Yes I will just keep pushing on. If it gets worse I'll have a look at replacing the seal.

Hi MM,

One way I change seals when it's not worth buying one as I'd have to wait days to to get one in here is I just swap
the bottom of the Briggs motor with a bottom part from another motor with a seal that's not leaking if you have a few
spare motors ,I don't even worry about the gasket getting damaged when I swap parts as I just use high temp silastic
on the mating surfaces but if you had to buy the silastic the seal would be cheaper to buy.


The common way to remove the seal is

Drill one or two small pilot holes (1/16" bit) in the metal edge of the seal face.

Be careful not to go deep — you don’t want to hit the crankshaft.

Thread in a self-tapping screw a few turns — enough to grab

Use pliers or a claw hammer to pull the screw — the seal will pop right out.


I don't like to drill the seals as you get metal filings and the chuck will most likely rub on the crank
so I just sharpen a small nail on a grinder and make 2 small holes in the seal by hammering the
small nail in then use a slide hammer with a self tapper on the end and pull one side then the other.


Cheers
Max.