Craftsman lawn mower is dumping its oil

[TBm]

Hello again, Robert and others. :biggrin:


Same mower, different problem...(shakes head) This is it:

I was able to repair (rather than replace) the gear box thanks to the help you provided in THIS GEARBOX THREAD from two months ago. THANKS

I had to flip the mower entirely upside down to work on the gear box. I tried to empty all the oil prior to flipping the machine, but a lot more drained out while it was upside down (it seemed to be coming not from the fill spout but from the top of the engine, under the plastic pull rope cover(?).

When the repair was complete, I refilled the oil and gave the gearbox a ten-minute test run. No problems, BUT...I've been finding oil on the garage floor ever since...


Today I put the mower out in the yard and just let it run, to empty the remaining gas in the tank and carberator for Winter. When I went out to check on it (while running) it was smoking quite a bit. I noticed a LOT of oil had collected in the circular depression in the sheet metal (like a moat) around the motor.

Lots of oil had collected in this sheet metal "moat":

While it was running, I unscrewed the oil filler cap/dipstick. It almost blew off! 'Not sure if that's normal or not...I never took the oil cap off a running engine before.

I had filled it with oil after the gearbox repair, but now the dipstick indicates "ADD".

It appears the oil is coming from high on the engine, up under the plastic covers:

Any ideas on what's up with this thing?

Could some BLOCKAGE have been caused by me flipping it upside down and leaving it that way for a couple of weeks?

Very frustrated here,
Tom :confused2:

 

[KennyV]

There is a crankcase breather that may be open and allowing oil to be pushed out... (some disassembly required) remove the top cover and look around, clean things up and you will find the problem under there... :smile:Kenny

 

[JDgreen]

There is a crankcase breather that may be open and allowing oil to be pushed out... (some disassembly required) remove the top cover and look around, clean things up and you will find the problem under there... :smile:Kenny

I've got the same model and engine...it has always leaked oil badly where the dipstick/oil fill tube enters the block. Try using some kind of sealant there, clean the metal well first.

 

[TBm]

Kenny and JD ==

Thanks. It's getting C-C-C-C-C-COLD here, but I'm encouraged enough by your comments to go ahead and dive in anyway. I disassembled a bunch of the upper assemblies two years ago for something else. If I can solve this problem with that level of knucklebustin' I'm up to it.

 

[TBm]

Another question before I begin:

While the mower was running (burning the remaining gas as prep for winter storage), I removed the oil fill cap/dipstick: it kinda POPPED up, under what seemed like a LOT of internal pressure, and oil spatter was exiting of the fill tube.

Is that normal, or is it an indication of Kenny's suggested crankcase breather issue, or perhaps some other specific issue?

 

[rekees]

I've got the same model and engine...it has always leaked oil badly where the dipstick/oil fill tube enters the block. Try using some kind of sealant there, clean the metal well first.

Ditto ... I've also had an oil leak where the fill tube enters the housing. Fixed the problem by ordering a new rubber washer that slips around the bottom of the fill tube. I think those washers dry out over time and loose their seal allowing oil to leak out, accumulate on the deck and then dip down on the floor. The part number should be in the owner's manual.

 

[KennyV]

I removed the oil fill cap/dipstick: it kinda POPPED up, under what seemed like a LOT of internal pressure, and oil spatter was exiting of the fill tube.

Is that normal

That will be normal... there is a lot, LOT of air moving around in the relatively small crank case on a small engine...
There are not a lot of places that will leak oil, a clean up and look will find the source quickly... :smile:KennyV

 

[Mean Machine]

It sounds like something may not be quite right with your crankcase. Is your dipstick or dipstick tube properly seated? The engine breather assembly could possibly be defective, as well.

 

[JDgreen]

Ditto ... I've also had an oil leak where the fill tube enters the housing. Fixed the problem by ordering a new rubber washer that slips around the bottom of the fill tube. I think those washers dry out over time and loose their seal allowing oil to leak out, accumulate on the deck and then dip down on the floor. The part number should be in the owner's manual.[


My mower was on clearance at Sears, someone returned it, most likely becuz of the oil leak. Since it was a clearance price, there was no manual included, I didn't know there was supposed to be a gasket under the tube, so I just used sealant.

 

[TBm]

I uploaded a scan of the manual's exploded diagram.

I don't see any washer, seal or gasket where the oil filler tube enters - but I might be missing something...

HERE'S A LINK TO THE IMAGE FILE (too big to post it here in this forum)
Internet Explorer will (usually) shrink an image so the whole thing fits on your screen. This one's a BIG image, so try clicking on the image. That will (usually) force Internet Explorer to return it to its true, original (big) size.

Please let me know what you guys think. And if you can, point out the OIL BREATHER.

My fingers are crossed that it's NOT part 20, the rubber oil seal at the top of the shaft...

Tom