Help with oil plug B&S 31P777

[bertsmobile1]

Well, I find it strange that an internal combustion engine manufacturer does not recommend changing the oil, as it deteriorates, loses its lubricating characteristics, whether due to mileage, downtime or hours of use.
As for gearboxes, without contact with fuel and the outside environment, it is more than logical.
As for the level, regardless of the combustion engine or gearbox, it must always be inspected and topped up during its useful life...because if the volume is insufficient, lubrication is impaired and the engine's useful life is reduced.

Simple
They did a Vox Pop and found out that most home owners hate doing oil changes, so they eliminated it
Back in the days when a mower could last 50 years if maintained properly, maintenance was important.
Now days when 2 years is considered a reasonable service life and by 5 years they are worn out or in Cal no longer EPA compliant why bother to change the oil.

People conflate car & truck engines with mower engines
They only similarity is the parts have the same names
IF your car needed an oil change every 50 to 100 hours you would be doing it almost weekly
Most mowers will happily fun for several years on the original oil without mush in the way of adverse effects
Unlike pressure fed lubrications systems, full splash does not allow contaminants that can cause excessive wear into the journals because there is not the space for them to get in.
This is why the old side valve engines would run with treacle in the sump.

And yes they would run better but mower engines are very low stress engines
My 125 cc 2 stroke premix motorcycle has 14 Hp and will push me along at 60 mph on the flat all day long running at 6000 rpm
My 250 cc 4 stroke full splash 1927 motorcycle will do the same running at it's top speed of 4,500 rpm
Yet my 500cc mower engine stuggles to cut the grass

 

[Forest#2]

Do as scrubcadet10 says.

Get a 3/8 NPT pipe nipple 4 inches long, galvanized or black iron, a 3/8 pipe CAP and a roll of teflon tape 1/2 or 3/4 inch wide. Put 3 layers of teflon tape on the pipe threads (wrapped opposite direction from the way the threads turn into the block) Take a pair of pliers or channel locks and gently snug the pipe nipple into the ALUMINUM BLOCK. If you tighten the pipe nipple too tight YOU WILL CRACK THE ALUMINUM BLOCK because it's a taper threaded pipe and block and wedges or expands the aluminum as it gets tighter. Then install 3 layers of teflon on the pipe nipple and install the cap. The 4 inch long nipple will allow you to drain/change the oil into a catch pan by removing the cap instead of letting the oil spill onto the mower frame.

As they say you are over thunking.

 

[Bange]

The issue has now been resolved... see #16 onwards...DIY...

 

[bertsmobile1]

Reported
But perhaps we should allow all of the idiots who wan to kill themselves self medicating with methotrexate ( which is highly toxic ) fill themselves as the world would be better off without them

 

[sheenist]

From what I see in the pic, it looks like a special fine thread. Take the unit that screws into the threaded hole to your local friendly machinist and he will measure the male thread and tell you what it is. It is NOT water pipe threads, I can guarantee you.
Sheenist