Hi fella's!
I have just got back home from a trip of a few days (700 miles all in the rain) and so I will have a chance to tear down the engine the rest of the way in the next few days. I will let you know what I find of course.
As for the cracks that are being discussed, I think it is a bit of an optical illusion due to the photograph and a reflection off the crank itself. However, I believe the crank is not cracked but instead what is being observed as a crack is actually a circular clearance created when the counterweight was drilled for the crank pin to be pressed into place. Which was later machined and so the circular line is left evident.
FYI, I purchased this engine in February 2006 for the price of $750 from an ebay seller who imports hobby products from China. Even if it still has a warranty, I will not be boxing it up and sending it back to the Sanye Factory in China. And I would not know how to get the warranty coverage anyway because I did not buy it from an authorized distributor.
Besides, I can repair it better myself, although I will have to pay for the parts. Since I am completely disassembling it, I will be blueprinting it upon reassembly so it should be one of the better running FS400's when I am finished with it.
