anyone know how to get inside the crankcase of a Briggs and Stratton 14.5 hp engine?

Question

the block is cracked and a friend says it can definately be welded but there is no inspection port to remove the connecting rod from the crank. It's a vertical shaft engine for a Murray lawn tractor. Also it is the L-head style.

Answer 1

Most will have either one side of block that comes off, or the bottom of block will come off.
Look for bolts that hold a plate of some sorts on the block.
I believe it will be on the flywheel side of the engine block.
Just read rest of question lol. With a vertical shaft engine you may find that the block is in two parts bolted togeather.

Answer 2

You got thrown rod or either something hit that case and cracked it.

There are two remedies to this.
If the case was cracked externally you can use JB Weld to apply on the outside of it and it hardens and will work to prevent oil from escaping.
The other is to remove the sumpt plate.

Once your engine had been removed from the body there are 1/2 inch screws that hoild that plate on. Remove them all and the tap the plate loose and it will come off.

You can also just buy a shortblock and replace it. The options are yours.

In my profession when a case gets cracked I normally short block it. It's cheaper.

You get a whole new engine, but you put your old parts on it.

Answer 3

motor has to be removed from the mower then take off the pully which has a 5/8ths bolt holding that on to the crank then you have 7/16ths bolts at the bottom of the crankcase to take out to drop the crank case to get to all internal parts but be sure the to check the crank for deep scratches where the piston rods are connected and the cylinder walls

Answer 4

Go to the library and get a repair manual for small engines. You will need it anyway for reassembly. It will also give the specs for the pistons, cylinders and torque values. You can also go to outdoordistributors.com and type in the engine model number and get an exploded view of your engine.