Looking at the pictures, I'd say a bad head gasket seal on the exhaust side of that jug. This won't cause oil consumption on a flathead like this but will cause low compression. You can see the black sooty marks on that side. I bet when you crank this engine over you could have heard it puffing compression out that cylinder.
What does the breather look like? If it hasn't been updated with the newer reed-style plate, it probably has a bad umbrella seal/valve.
I would suspect this situation has multiple factors. Low compression, poor crankcase sealing, high hours on the bores/rings/pistons.
With limited tools at your disposal, you could reseal the engine and reinstall/retest. I would be surprised if you pulled the flywheel and that front main seal wasn't at least somewhat compromised. It's hard to tell by the pics, but it certainly looks to me like there is an external oil leak in the engine bay somewhere. The grass and debris may be soaking it up so it doesn't show as much as it should. Still, at the rate you claim it consumed oil it should be giving a sign somewhere.
|