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I have changed the oil twice in my Toro Timecutter and both times had a difficult time removing the rubber oil drain hose from its storage position to drain the oil. Do any of you have a method to make this easier? I ended up spraying it a little with WD40 at the top of the hose and that helped maybe a very small amount. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

This is a common issue, so you are not alone.

Let me begin by telling you what NOT to do. Don't get ham-fisted and try to force it. What will happen then is that you'll break off the spigot, and then you'll be buying a new cowling for your engine.

In my limited experience it's best to first twist the hose to break it free. When the hose is turning freely on the spigot, then you can gently pry it down with a screw driver. Not great I know, but it will do the deed.

Hope this helps.

A pair of pliers, twist and pull down at the same time.

Or get a sump pump & forget about the hose all together

bertsmobile1 said:

Or get a sump pump & forget about the hose all together

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What sump pump do you use?

Spray it down with penetrating lube. Probably some dry o-rings there sticking it in place.

Yeah, what sump pump do you guys use? That Briggs on looks pretty good.

Briggs & Stratton 5430K​

slomo

Slomo, there are no O-rings, just 8” rubber hose, stored vertically.

rdgallo said:

What sump pump do you use?

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The one my wholesalers sell me
The manual ones are cheap bought from boat shop rather than mower shops.
You really need the 4 liter or more ones because they will pump down far enough with 10 strokes to drain the sump while you do something else

After draining is completed, wipe the inner end of the drain hose end with high temp grease, lightly, then replace hose.
This will make next time easier off & on.

Whatever you do (as stated in a response above) DONT force it by pulling! I tried twisting, and eventually pulled hard and sheered off the spigot. new cowling was 75 bucks after shipping. Also, the broken spigot was stuck in the hose with no way to remove it, and I couldn't get the other end off easily either, so I cut it off where it attaches to the engine figuring it is just a hose and I already need to order a cowling, how much could the hose be?!?!. lol. Whoops. $37 for the hose. And this brings me to my advice...
I ordered the replacement cowling, and went to the auto parts store to find the 3/8" 30R7 (your model may vary) fuel hose required. The hose was $2.15. Literally the same brand! You just need to slide the metal piece off the old one and onto the new one, cut to length, and there you go. So my advise - if it is stuck to the point where you feel like you are forcing it, cut the hose off and replace it with a non-toro hose. But FYI that spigot is plastic, so I suggest cutting it off below the spigot, then make a vertical cut up to it, then go with a shallow vertical cut over it and peel it off (if that makes sense).
I'm not an expert on equipment repair, but i signed up to post this hoping it saves one person from breaking the spigot. Cheers
EDIT***** I had the same problem again today, 2yrs later, and I found a very slight amount of WD40 at the top of the hose, and then using those really small flathead finger screwdriver (usually for working on electronics) to break the seal at the very top of the hose all the way around, and it will slide right off. I hope this helps someone!

Just broke mine today, 1st oil change after 5 hours, changed per the manual and even the Toro YouTube video that tells you to change oil on a hot engine that's been running for 5 minutes! Where were the lawyers on that? Needless to say I was pissed, but after some thought I think I have a better solution, I'm going to put a plug and a hose clamp on the hose (maybe a 16d nail or something for a plug). I don't think there is any oil pressure on the hose, I put it back in its holder and the end still is under the cowling and no oil is coming out. In theroy dirt could get into the drain hose and back into the engine, but I kind of doubt that. My only real concern would be if the hose somehow came out of its holder and you lost oil while in use, you'd never know it mowing.

OK you would know it mowing, when the engine locks up..

If you are gonna make a plug, my suggestion would be a bolt, the threads after clamping, can bite into it.

kggregory said:

Whatever you do (as stated in a response above) DONT force it by pulling! I tried twisting, and eventually pulled hard and sheered off the spigot. new cowling was 75 bucks after shipping. Also, the broken spigot was stuck in the hose with no way to remove it, and I couldn't get the other end off easily either, so I cut it off where it attaches to the engine figuring it is just a hose and I already need to order a cowling, how much could the hose be?!?!. lol. Whoops. $37 for the hose. And this brings me to my advice...
I ordered the replacement cowling, and went to the auto parts store to find the 3/8" 30R7 (your model may vary) fuel hose required. The hose was $2.15. Literally the same brand! You just need to slide the metal piece off the old one and onto the new one, cut to length, and there you go. So my advise - if it is stuck to the point where you feel like you are forcing it, cut the hose off and replace it with a non-toro hose. But FYI that spigot is plastic, so I suggest cutting it off below the spigot, then make a vertical cut up to it, then go with a shallow vertical cut over it and peel it off (if that makes sense).
I'm not an expert on equipment repair, but i signed up to post this hoping it saves one person from breaking the spigot. Cheers

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I thought I was being gentle enough but the drain line was pretty stuck. Didn't notice I sheared it off until attempting to reattach and not finding the "spigot". Huge bummer after only a few hours of use.

I got the Briggs 4 liter oil sump sucker. Owning 6 mowers, that is the best tool ever. So much easier to change oil. Surprised here is lazy America that everyone doesn't own one.


slomo

slomo said:

I got the Briggs 4 liter oil sump sucker. Owning 6 mowers, that is the best tool ever. So much easier to change oil. Surprised here is lazy America that everyone doesn't own one.

slomo

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Ahh! So I spoke with a Toro mechanic - it's covered under warranty...can either replace entire shroud (not the best option) or get the free solution (free shipping, free part, not free waste of your time but helpful mechanic!). The part is an oil drain service kit - in my case, #144-0976. The shroud is just a place holder and seals the line (keeps pressure in). The new hose comes with a blue cap, which makes so that you never have this problem again.

slomo said:

I got the Briggs 4 liter oil sump sucker. Owning 6 mowers, that is the best tool ever. So much easier to change oil. Surprised here is lazy America that everyone doesn't own one.

slomo

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oh cool, they even send a helper with it...?

lisyounger said:

144-0976

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Are you sure that's the part number, can't seem to Goggle it?

Won't work on google. Need to go into the toro.com site, then go to parts, then through your model number, and then insert part number.

Searched Toro site parts put in the number suggested.Didn’t work for me

Ridiculous I had to shell out $160 for my first oil change ($75 pickup and delivery fee). I am thinking about going the sump pump route tho I have never done it before so that will be additional expense. THANK YOU TORO!

Why are you blaming Tor for an oil change bill. If you just had the oil changed that would be a little high. Did they do anything else? Spring tuneup, plugs, oil, oil filter, air filter, plus sharpen the blades? What is their labor rate, $80.00/hr. Let’s see, parts $40.00, blade sharpening $15.00, labor 45 minutes =$60.00 plus pick/delivery $75.00? Seems reasonable to me when you add tax. Looks like you should find a different place to have it serviced, Toro has no control over anything I see. Plus I googled that service kit number and found it immediately.

Disagree Toro should have something called quality control when they release a mower so a typical consumer like me can change my oil myself like it shows in the manual without having to send it out for service

Really don’t see why it is that difficult to change the oil. I’ll agree that the drain hose can be a pain, but I’ve not had The problem of breakage as described in this posts, plus seeing you didn’t disagree that other things I figured were on your bill, there’s no reason to complain about Toro about a high bill.

Yeah and make sure you post up your engine numbers too.

slomo

Toro makes great machines.

7394 said:

Toro makes great machines.

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7394 I don’t doubt it that is why I purchased my timecutter. It would be nice if someone could submit a viable way of removing the oil hose (Toro) without destroying it so I could use it for the intended purpose. I have tried heat,lube,channel locks(using a towel on the jaws),forceful pulling and gnashing of teeth all have failed..

I just wound up making my own with a small hose clamp a 3/8" tube to 1/2" screw connector and a 1/2" screw cap with a hose gasket. Found the items at the local True Value and I just cut off the tip of the hose that had the broken spigot and got it all assembled in less than 5 minutes and all for under $5. See the pics

Mad@Toro said:

Disagree Toro should have something called quality control when they release a mower so a typical consumer like me can change my oil myself like it shows in the manual without having to send it out for service

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It was not difficult at all to change out the oil. there are some good youtube videos and it was not messy at all. Took less time than i expected.

Use a pair of pliers and gently twist the hose while pulling it down. Put a thin film of silicone grease or Vaseline on the hose keeper nipple. This will make future changes easier.

I believe this is the piece, just ordered it: https://www.themowershop.com/product/toro-oil-drain-service-kit-144-0976/

There are a few different kits, but simple to make it yourself like in post # 27..

I am here because I also broke my spigot. I think some hose only require a slight turn and tug while mine felt like the plastic bonded to the rubber. The broken spigot could not be removed from the hose without a needle nose and slowly breaking it apart, then I was able to pull out the rest. So, my guess is a chemical bond occurred between hose end and spigot. Can someone confirm there is no need to replace Shroud with broken spigot? Just plugging the top of the hose will work.

Roughcutsounds said:

Can someone confirm there is no need to replace Shroud with broken spigot?

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As long as there is no open hole to under the shroud, that would create cooling air loss.. No worries..

I broke spigot off into my hose as well. Does any one have a good link to order the new cowling and maybe a link to you tube video showing how to replace? thanks.

Mad@Toro said:

Ridiculous I had to shell out $160 for my first oil change ($75 pickup and delivery fee). I am thinking about going the sump pump route tho I have never done it before so that will be additional expense. THANK YOU TORO!

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Simple maintenance is NOT a Toro issue.

Where in your programming did someone tell you that you are "entitled" to things like free oil and filters?

And your username mad at Toro? I don't get it.....

The simple act of draining the oil seems to be a Toro issue. I have an earlier model ZT Timecutter with the Kohler V-twin and it's the only engine of any type I've worked on in sixty years where the oil takes an hour to drain. It just shouldn't be that hard, Toro, Kohler, B&S.

jack vines

packardv8 said:

The simple act of draining the oil seems to be a Toro issue. I have an earlier model ZT Timecutter with the Kohler V-twin and it's the only engine of any type I've worked on in sixty years where the oil takes an hour to drain. It just shouldn't be that hard, Toro, Kohler, B&S.

jack vines

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Has NOTHING to do with Toro. Toro makes the mower not the engine.

Use an oil evac pump. They come in hand powered and electrics you connect to your car battery. All of about 7 seconds and your oil is out of the sump. Change the filter if your engine has one. Not a big deal guys. An hour to change oil?? Crazy.

Here you go. A whopping 25 bucks shipped to your door. Comes with all the hoses and adapters. Ready to use out of the box.

Forget tipping mowers and hour long oil dumps.

"I say beware of any enterprise requiring new clothes."

Changed the oil on a hundred different kinds of engines without a suction drain attachment. A lawnmower which requires spending $25 for a plastic chicom whizbang just to drain the oil is poorly engineered . . . . and that's all I'm going to say about that.

jack vines

packardv8 said:

"I say beware of any enterprise requiring new clothes."

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Nothing to do with the issue at hand.

packardv8 said:

Changed the oil on a hundred different kinds of engines without a suction drain attachment.

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I bet so.

packardv8 said:

A lawnmower which requires spending $25 for a plastic chicom whizbang just to drain the oil is poorly engineered . . . . and that's all I'm going to say about that.

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Maybe you shouldn't have bought it?

His and her push mowers. That's all I say about that LOL. Get a couple for the kids. Whole family out mowing. Great for some good ol' family bonding time.

I'm leaning towards operator inexperience @ maintenance.

It ain't rocket science.