lawn mower repair; bent shaft.?

You have two options.

1) Purchase a new crankshaft with piston and do the work yourself.... About $200.

2) Or buy a new mower.

mmalky:

There's not much to be done but to replace the crank and the lower bearing and seal. If it's leaking oil, you should first make sure the crank case is not cracked. If it is, the engine is a goner. You can buy a replacement on the net.

There will be a product label somewhere on the engine. Find it and see who the engine manufacturer is. It is unlikely that it's Toro, probably Briggs & Stratton. The same label will have a model and serial number. Go the the manufacturer's website, look up the exploded view of your engine and identify the parts you need. (sometimes the bearing and seal are the same unit)

If you're fairly mechanical, the job should occupy an afternoon. Good luck.

Sounds to me like he bent the shaft, knocked the seal loose, dropped the oil and the motor locked up. YOU got lucky and get it running.

You can buy a new shaft, seal and bearing (if required online) but you have to take the engine apart. Also what the condition of the block, it may have cracked. If it were me you can by a china made motor from Harbor freight that are decent for less that 200 bucks complete drop in. With warranty

is this a push mwer or rider?if its a push mower,trash it and get a sparkling one.a sparkling mower is greater affordable than attempting to repair a tendency crank shaft.if its a rider you are able to order new areas on line relying on the make of mower you have and how previous that's.

Waiting on more replies before I share my view