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I have a 6.5 HP Toro SelfPace Self Propelled Mower. I have Oil leaking at base of motor under the black plastic piece located in the front of the engine. I have no idea where the oil is leaking from. I checked the oil dipstick tube, bone dry, no leaks, checked under the deck, don't really see any fresh oil leaks. Very strange, no oil in the air filter either. No oil is spitting out of the exhaust either. Any suggestions?

You are going to have to post the Toro model and serial numbers. Toro used four different engines on their Pesonal Pace models. We need to know which model engine you have.

LV195EA motor
22" recycler mower
Model # 20073
Serial# 270033112.
Are you thinking the sump gasket? If so, I could use some help with instructtions on how to remove the motor to get to this gasket. Thanks

Unless a bolt has fallen out there is almost no chance of the sump gasket leaking.
The No1 suspect will be the crank seal which is a bonus as you do not need t split the engine to replace it.
Down side is you have to clean all of the rust & nicks off the shaft to a smooth clean surface.
Dig the old seal out/
If it is giving you grief run some short thin self tappers into the old seal no more then 2 turns so no power driver.and pull on these
Smoothly wrap the shaft in glad wrap then lube it and the seal with some vasalene and pop the new one in.

Before you pull the old one out note haw far in the hole the old one is seated
Usually there is a slight champher and the seal sits flush with the bottom edge of the champhur don't be tempted to knock it in any deeper.

Would this be Tecumseh Part# 27897?
The issue is there are no oil leaks under the mower where the blade/blade assembly and shaft. The oil flows out from the edge of the motor onto the front of the deck. If the seal was bad the oil would flow below onto the blade, correct? I could be way off.... Thanks

You are correct.
Very rare for a gasket to leak.
Very common to have some thing punch a hole in the cases.
Sounds like time to pull it apart.

Ok, so should I still change the shaft seal and leave the sump gasket alone? I wasn't sure if my description of the oil leaking on the deck from the base of the motor still sounds like the seal opposed to the sump gasket. Let me know and thanks again.
Side note: over the past 8 years of owning the mower I've replaced the carb., coil pack, breather assembly....I bought it from Home Depot... My parents bought a toro years ago from a real hardware equipment store, the mower lasted 27 years, should have spent the money on a real mower from a real equipment shop

Before pulling the engine off and apart, you must figure out where the oil is coming from. I would pressure wash the entire unit to remove all oil and dirt from the unit and engine. Allow the unit to completely dry in the sun. At this point you should see no oil anywhere. Check the oil level and make sure it is filled to the mark. Dust the base of the engine with a fine powder. You can use baby powder, foot powder or I use flour. This dusting will allow you to trace the source of the leak. Run the engine for about twenty minutes and then let it sit. After a while you should be able to see where the oil is coming from.

I like the flour idea. The thing is I've done this. The oil shows up under the muffler at the base of the engine along with under the black plastic cover attached to the deck in the front of the motor. I should have been more clear with my initial post. I cleaned the machine real good, made sure the leak wasn't coming from the fill tube or the breather tube area. There is a small dampness of oil under the deck but I think that is coming from the oil dripping down from the base of the motor. I have no idea why or how oil shows up at the base of the motor....
I already replaced the fill tube o-ring and the breather a couple of years ago. This machine is like Robocop with all the repairs I've done :laughing:

I just realized that the engine connects to the crankcase at just about half way. Meaning the bottom of the engine is NOT sitting at the deck level which means the oil is more than likely NOT coming from the Crankcase Gasket/sump gasket. I believe you are correct, still can't figure out where the oil leak is but it must be the seal....

Those engines do have problems with the dipstick tube seal leaking with age. I suggest you change it, part #37610. Very simple to do, and a $2.00 part.

Already done, thx though. If your not handy, this is the type of machine that ends up at the front of the yard out for free trash pickup... I just went to pickup the crankshaft seal at a local equipment shop and it would have cost me approx. $600 for parts and labor to do all the repairs ive done over the past 8 years! I used to pickup other people's broken mowers with my truck, fix them, than sell them. It was interesting?

Did that for years

If the crankshaft seal is bad, it would be leaking under the deck, not on top.

So if it's not the crankshaft seal... than where is the oil coming from?

I'll go back to what I posted before, check that dipstick tube seal. May be twisted, upside down, loose. Is the tube tight down and not moving. As said, I also doubt it is the crankcase gasket. You are going to have to start over with cleaning, drying and dusting. If done right, it will lead you to the leak. Don't assume anything, this should not be hard to find.

Hey guys,
I found the source of the oil leak! It's the sump case gasket. I was able to clearly see where the motor meets the sump case and the oil is leaking out there. Is there a way to seperate the motor from the top or does the blade need to be removed and the lower sump need to be removed? Not sure how to get everything apart. Thanks

awbooth said:

Hey guys,
I found the source of the oil leak! It's the sump case gasket. I was able to clearly see where the motor meets the sump case and the oil is leaking out there. Is there a way to seperate the motor from the top or does the blade need to be removed and the lower sump need to be removed? Not sure how to get everything apart. Thanks

Click to expand...

Depending upon what length of the gasket that the leak is occurring in, you may be able to seal it from the outside without actually disassembling the motor. With the leaky area thoroughly degreased and dried, apply a high-strength RTV such as Permatex Ultra Gray in a wide bead about 1/8" thick over the leaky area and let cure (assuming that you can physically get to it).

I'd also check the crankcase breather to see if it is clogged, as excess crankcase pressure could be causing the seal to blow out as well.