Small Engines (Lawn Mowers, etc.): briggs engine on my power washer, john nolan, head gasket

Question
Hi Mark, The engine on my power washer was  running rough. After checking  the oil  it seemed thin  and looked  black.  I changed the oil and ran  it for  a while and the oil was  black and seemed thinner. I  removed the the head  and  the gasket looked  ok, and  the wall  of the cylinder wall looked  a little , very little scarred.  My  question  is  do  you  think  it  could  be  a  head  gasket  or  a ring, valve problem.  Thank you very much, John Nolan

Answer
Hello John,
If the engine seems to run rought it could be any of these problems. The rings however are not broken be cause the engine does not smoke or burn oil. The cyclinder when the engine was running on that old black oil could have experienced some combustion chamber problems. If the cylinder wall has deep scars you should take disassemble the engine and bore out the cyclinder to get those bumps out of the cyclinder. This is a tough question but more information would do some good.