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My mom's Toro Recycler 22" self propelled walk behind mower is leaking oil. I believe this is a Tecumseh 6.5hp, but I am not 100 % sure. Initially I was having some trouble with the starter as posted here:

Bad Battery ? Thread

Anyway, here's a pic from where I think the leak is from:



I found an old (~40 years!) service manual in my mother's basement. I think this is the breather? Just not sure what to do next.

Before she used it the 1st time I changed the spark plug, oil, air filter and put on new blades. I did drain the oil from the plug under the deck instead of tipping it over sideways and draining it from the fill tube like the owner's manual said, but I can't imagine that causing any problems... Anyway, the last time she used it she said it is using a ton of oil and there was oil all over the deck. Keep in mind that I sprayed the entire engine with degreaser and hosed it off prior to her using it the 1st time, so it was clean. Here's what it looked like after she last used it (before I degreased and hosed it off again trying to find the leak in the picture above).



What do you guys think?

The Crank case breather should have a rubber seal on it, replace that and i bet it will be fine.

Trcustoms719 said:

The Crank case breather should have a rubber seal on it, replace that and i bet it will be fine.

Click to expand...

Do you think I will need to pull the flywheel off to do that based on the pic?

Jefe said:

Do you think I will need to pull the flywheel off to do that based on the pic?

Click to expand...

Yes... it looks like you have oil from a location under the FW....
The FW will pull right off, and post another pic of where it's leaking from... :smile:KennyV

Jefe said:

Do you think I will need to pull the flywheel off to do that based on the pic?

Click to expand...

Yeah the flywheel will have to come off.

Hi Yes the flywheel does have to come off to fix that oil leak,. be carefull if that is plastic oneGood luck should be a piece of cake

Well, of course I didn't have the right flywheel puller:


The Tecumseh one is ~$30!

Think this one would work?
Universal Flywheel Puller

Looks like it will do the job.... :smile:KennyV

if you tip it with the carb on the downside it can make a mess like that...especially if the breather tube is loose...you must have had to tip it when you did the blade

that black disc thing that the breather looks like it goes into to....definitely could be your leaker

I managed to pull the flywheel off with a home-made puller using a 2x4. I wouldn't recommend this because the middle bolt did damage a few threads on the shaft, but I was able to file the damaged threads so I can get the nut to go back on.

The breather was very brittle and would not come off without breaking so I have a new breather assembly on order
Parts Diagram - Breather is #7

My other question is:
Before I started I noticed the engine block got VERY hot once it was warmed up. Too hot to touch for more than a split-second. Is this normal?

Air cooled engines dump the heat everywhere... so yes it is going to be HOT...
:smile:KennyV

Hey jefe!! I like a man who uses a 2x4 and a hammer. If you are not going to be working on engines fairly often don't spend more on tools than the mower is worth. Back in rural SC in the 50's and 60's we said "don't force it get a bigger hammer".

Just an update:

Replacing the breather seemed to solve the oil leak problem.

The plastic on the old breather was very brittle and I couldn't remove it without breaking it. The new one was much more supple and after replacing it the leak stopped. So far, so good.

Also, I wouldn't recommend using a 2x4 for a puller. It distorted the top of the shaft, fortunately not bad enough to ruin the threads, but it was close. If I didn't want to buy the puller, next time I'd make it out of a small piece of maybe 1/4" steel plate (should be cheap). Also I would use a grinder to taper the middle bolt of the puller so it would fit into the end of the shaft and stay put. With the 2x4, there was enough play that the center bolt on the puller didn't stay perfectly centered on the shaft. The pressure applied by the puller was off center and caused the shaft to deform.

the pulllers are only $10-15..well worth it...also some pentrating oil the night before and ice on top 10 minutes before and it will come off like butter:smile: