Cannot find oil drain plug

[ILENGINE]

We're all overlooking the "elephant in the room"... If it's a Quantum engine, it's not meant for you to change the oil. If you RTFM, it will probably tell you to just check the oil, and add as necessary. The ( useless ) theory being that as the motor wears, and starts to use oil, the oil that you add will supply the necessary additives for the engine. Briggs assumes that the rest of the product will be done before the engine grenades from the worn out oil. Planned obsolescence, and, a marketing ploy.. Never needs an oil change!!

That has been happening since the beginning of time. There is a fair amount of the consumers that never change the oil in the mowers, long before Briggs even discussed it. The add oil as needed has been happening since day one, and people are getting upset over something that has always been true.

 

[Air4Dave]

You never even had gas drip out with the oil when you set it on it side...?
You must be god..

Boy, you’re a real piece of work! First you say “…along with the oil comes the gas”. Then you reply “…had gas DRIP out …”. I’ve done this and, maybe, a couple drops of gas comes out, but… the oil comes out quickly enough - assuming you pre-warm the oil - and this leaves a little of a mess but so does changing the oil in your car!

 

[Earthquake Landscaping]

That has been happening since the beginning of time. There is a fair amount of the consumers that never change the oil in the mowers, long before Briggs even discussed it. The add oil as needed has been happening since day one, and people are getting upset over something that has always been true.

You're right .. But, it's not about how a consumer may or may not treat their equipment, It's about the manufacturer making it that difficult to perform maintenance easily. There's no legitimate reason for not putting in a 10 cent drain plug. It just let's them claim that it never needs an oil change.
When I bought my John Deere, the manual stated that the warrantee was 2 years or 120 hours, which ever came first. That blew my mind.

 

[bobL]

I believe I read somewhere that the EPA was supportive of the no drain oil plug scenario as it was done to prevent people improperly disposing waste oil. The point being that the machine had a six year projected life and not changing oil would not shorten that in most cases.

 

[Earthquake Landscaping]

I believe I read somewhere that the EPA was supportive of the no drain oil plug scenario as it was done to prevent people improperly disposing waste oil. The point being that the machine had a six year projected life and not changing oil would not shorten that in most cases.

I'd believe that. But, all that has accomplished is making it more difficult to get the oil out. At the end of the day, when someone tosses out a product with a 4 stroke engine, do they ever take the oil out before it goes to the dump?

 

[PTmowerMech]

What happened to the drainplug on the bottom of the engine, where the blades are?

 

[bodean]

Your best bet is to just buy an oil suction pump either at HF or Rural King. I’ve used my HF version several times for everything from removing transmission fluid and engine oil to transferring the fuel in the tanks on my vintage Harley.

 

[PTmowerMech]

Hey @bertsmobile1 , how big (or small) of a pump do I need to pull oil from a sump?

I pulled some oil out of an engine that had a lot of gas in it. That gas weakened the plastic container of the extractor. So now, when I hook the air compressor up to it (to suck out oil) it collapses.
So I got me an big empty fire extinguisher I'm going to use to hold the old oil. But I need a pump just big enough to pull the oil out.

I remember you saying something about a medical pump?

Would this work?

Specifications:
Model: Z512-604-3000N
Color: Black+silver
Material: +Aluminum
Working voltage: DC9V~14V
Rated voltage: DC 12V
Rated current: 500mA
Rated power: 6W
Suction: 5L/min
Vacuum degree: 65kpa
Maximum pressure: 120kpa

 

[StarTech]

Hey @bertsmobile1 , how big (or small) of a pump do I need to pull oil from a sump?

I pulled some oil out of an engine that had a lot of gas in it. That gas weakened the plastic container of the extractor. So now, when I hook the air compressor up to it (to suck out oil) it collapses.

That is why you need to go with pneumatic HF oil extractor. It has a 5 gallon metal tank. I do recommend using a screen filter on the pickup if emptying drain pans.

 

[LawnWizard]

I must be the stupidest person around, but I cannot seem to find the oil drain plug for my B&S engine.

I own a B&S engine type 124702-0166-01 which is mounted to a Billy Goat leaf vacuum. I'm posting here since the engine has also been used on mowers, so please forgive me.

I cannot seem to find the oil drain plug, even after consulting Jack's Small Engines. No square lug is visible. I'm hoping someone can help me locate the drain.

Thank you very much!

I will reply knowing full well I will be attacked by the small engine God's on here.
The owners manual on the mower I bought 2 years ago states that the new B&S engines DO NOT require periodic oil changes. They are designed to slowly consume oil through normal operation. You should just monitor the oil level and add accordingly.
TO BE CLEAR:
I am NOT suggesting anything, merely stating what B&S recommends.