how much fuel have you run thru the engine... I'm working on my 4th gallon almost finished and engine is bone dry especially around the front bearing... Have you checked that its not leaking around the carb... I know its a stretch but worth a look.... there was a response from cen a while back about leaking front bearings and they didn't seem to think it was a big deal.... More likely just more work to clean after running.... I'm wondering however, if your bearing went bad, hopefully your crank isn't bent....