1969 Briggs 5HP Horizontal shaft
M- 130202 T- 0140-01 C- 6908217
I just finished a complete rebuild/restoration of this engine. After installing the (new) sidecover and .015" (standard) sidecover gasket then torquing the sidecover bolts I could barely even turn the flywheel (struggling) with both hands and there was ZERO crankshaft endplay!
If I loosened up the sidecover bolts a few turns I could rotate the flywheel easily. I then added a .010" sidecover gasket, buttoned it up and it was better, but not quite right, and still no discernible crank endplay. I opened it up again , removed the .010" gasket and replaced it with another .015" gasket. After torquing the sidecover bolts it rotated properly and the crankshaft end play was now within specs.
This experience was a first for me. In all of these years I have never had to add another sidecover gasket, much less a .015" thick one to get proper crank endplay. Maybe I have just been lucky? The ONLY thing unique to this build was the NOS Briggs sidecover. Is this to be expected when using a new sidecover? To you old timers out there that worked on the old Briggs flatheads back in the day, has this ever been your experience? Maybe I just learned something new today, which is not a bad thing by any means...
Michael