Another Lawn Boy repair question

Hi guys. I bought 3 non running mowers recently and have been robbing parts already. I'm trying to get the newest of the 3 running. It had no spark but had good compression. Put in new coil and now getting spark. Took carburetor off and cleaned it. I noticed the bottom reed valve isn't sealing up very good on one side. I thought I would take the reed valve out of another engine that the piston and cylinder wall was messed up on. My question is about sealing up the engine. I got a tube of anaerobic gasket sealer. Do you coat the entire mating surfaces with the gasket maker and how thick do you apply the goo?
This is a 1993 model 10415 push mower. It is just about the dirtiest mower I've ever seen. It looks like it set in a very damp place. Everything is really corroded
and the green paint is peeling off in big flakes. Thanks for any help with this.
Jerry

Hi Jerry,

When you say "I noticed the reeds are sealing good on one side", there should be a .015" gap when checked with a wire type feeler gauge. If you're swapping reeds, it's important the smooth edge of the reed gets installed against the machined face of the reed plate. Use Loctite on the reed screws. Don't think you need a lot of sealant, a thin film 1/16"? would be plenty IMO.

Regards

Jeff

Hi Jeff.
The top reed looks normal like the other lawn boys look like but the bottom one has probably a .030" gap. I didn't know if this would cause a problem or not.
This will be a be a project for my spare time, no rush. Mowing season has started now. Thanks for your reply.
Jerry

Hi Jerry,

Yeah, a .030" gap would cause problems.

Regards

Jeff

Reed valves aren't expensive, they make a difference in how well it will run. Incidentally .015" is the maximum spec, ideally you'd want to basically no clearance, as when they are new. Use loctite on the screws securing the reeds to the plate.