Toro 20016 GTS: leaking oil but not sure from where

[a_gunslinger]

My deck has been covered with alot of oil recently. Cant quite tell where its coming from. At first I thought from where the dipstick tube enters the engine near base of deck/engine. But dont really see any active leaks. Where are the most likely places? Thanks

[Rivets]

Try this trick which I use to find tough leaks. Wash and dry the engine and deck. Most be very dry. Take a fine powder (baby, foot, flour) and spray the engine and the deck with a fine coating. Let it sit. You will be able to trace the leak back to it's source.

[a_gunslinger]

Thanks for the reply! Sorry for my delay. Can leaks come from UNDER the deck?

[Rivets]

Only thing that could leak on the deck would be spindle assembly, which has grease which would have to get really hot to leak.

[Two-Stroke]

I like that powder method, Rivets. Thanks.

With oil leaks in these small engines, it's often good to look for the "why" rather than the "where". The first thing I'd check is the crankcase ventilation system (aka the "breather"). If that's clogged or messed up in some other way the oil will tend to spit out wherever it can find a spot. This seems like a good possibility if the leak is above the deck.

On the 20016 (a 22" push mower), there could be a leak below the deck from the bottom crankshaft seal -- but I doubt much oil would get on top of the deck from there.

[Rivets]

You don't say how old the engine is or brand, but we find a bad hard oil tube seal many times. Two-stroke that trick was shown to me by a mechanic who worked on units with a lot of hydraulics, where oil sprays all over the place. Problem was he was an past student who had to show up the instructor. Glad he did, cause I have used it many times.