Do you siphon or drain oil changes in your MTD Walk Behind

14 years ago

Do you siphon or drain oil changes in your MTD Walk Behind, Self-Propelled Mower? After the required work to drain the Model #12A-378l088, I decided to research the matter since I d/n have a manual. It appears siphoning oil is a practice now and the work almost dictates why. For an average once a year changing is siphoning vs draining a good practice? I d/n see any type of buildup on the plug but how would I know w/o pulling the plug. I See I Am Behind On My Technology In Many Ways.

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Comments (4)

baymee
14 years ago
If your mower is modern, just warm it up, tip it up on its side, with the oil spout down, and drain into a pan. Should take 16 oz. of 30W to refill.
rcmoser
14 years ago
your talking about push mower right?? I guess I am oil changing nerd so I go the extra mile. I run it out of gas before I change the oil (now I have little gas in it to spill out the cap vent or leak down into the combustion chamber.) now I can flip it over or stand it on it side to scrap the deck (if I can't scrap it off I use degreaser and pressure wash it). I remove the drain plug but that just me cause I don't like the oil dribbling over the side of the engine. While I have it flipped I flush the gas tank out with carb. cleaner (this IMO flushes out any find dirt, grass clipping, or water which left in over time will rust the bottom of the gas tank).

Now that I got the deck scraped, air filter cleaned, gas tank cleaned, and the oil drained out Ready to service start up. I sometimes use engine degreaser to finish the job make the mower look like new again. I also wire brush and treat any rust spots. Course the top of the deck looks like new cause I didn't alow any grease and dirt build up over the years.
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loger_gw
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks For The Replies! I feel those of us with a background of servicing mowers will continue with some of the procedures that have served us well (that we feel is best vs the New Technology standards or procedures). Plus, we will move with, appreciate and respect some Technology as no contact ignition points to service. WeÃ¯Â¿Â½ll also reserve our rights to not change with some procedures since some of us plan to keep our equipment longer vs the recommended or expected turnovers. Continue to have some fun with some good experiments.

I find it interesting that very little to no lawn equipment (the last 2-3 years) is on the curbs to recycle, donate or use compared to the past. It was some good parts and equipment out there. Time Brings About A Change!
rustyj14
14 years ago
I found a curb mower last week. The owner lifted it into my truck. He said it didn't run. Said he tried everything--keep it, and good riddance!
So, i took it home, removed the air cleaner, and found it all clogged up with oil and grass! Cleaned the sponge part, and put it back on, and it started with two pulls!
If i can resist the urge to sell it, it'll be a nice trim mower for me. RJ