Oil Leak on 6.75 HP Craftsman rotary lawn mower

Baileyx3

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I have a 7 year old 21" power propelled mower (Model # 917.374821) that is leaking alot of oil on the front of the mower deck. Does anyone have any suggestions to locate the source of the leak or should I take it to a repair shop? I've repaired the mechanical parts like the drive wheels and cables but never repaired the engine.
 

reddragon

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IT COULD BE BREATHER HOSE OR AN ENGINE SEAL OR?...WASH IT OFF CLEAN AND WHEN IT LEAKS AGAIN ..YOU CAN PINPOINT IT....CAN YOU TAKE PICTURES FOR US?....
 

jmurray01

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IT COULD BE BREATHER HOSE OR AN ENGINE SEAL OR?...WASH IT OFF CLEAN AND WHEN IT LEAKS AGAIN ..YOU CAN PINPOINT IT....CAN YOU TAKE PICTURES FOR US?....
Is your caps lock key broken ? :laughing:
 

jteuban

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WAsh the mower and replace the head gasket and see if that does not fix it. If not check the fly wheel key a broken one can cause a leak In some cases.
 

Baileyx3

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I cleaned the top and bottom of the mower this afternoon. When I took the mower out of the garage, there was a puddle of oil on the floor. After cleaning the mower, I ran it for about a minute to see if I could see oil leaking anywhere. When I stopped it, oil seeped out between the engine base and the mower deck. See attached photo.
 

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reddragon

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hate to say it....but that picture is unclear.....you need to clean all that crud off above the leak......beyond that...it could be leaking from under the head area and running along the flange down to where i see it now.....can you take a picture that is a little to the right and lower? ..so we can see under the head/block area...and while your at it...take pictures of all sides..mostly at spark plug level....so far ..i dont see a catastrophe...yet:smile:
 

pshome

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hate to say it....but that picture is unclear.....you need to clean all that crud off above the leak......beyond that...it could be leaking from under the head area and running along the flange down to where i see it now.....can you take a picture that is a little to the right and lower? ..so we can see under the head/block area...and while your at it...take pictures of all sides..mostly at spark plug level....so far ..i dont see a catastrophe...yet:smile:


I have the same problem with a Craftsman mower of the same vintage.
Appreciate any help from the experienced with mowers in this forum
Thanks for any help

Pradipta
 

reynoldston

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It looks like maybe the lower crankshaft seal is leaking. Not too bad of a job to change. Remove mower blade and pull old seal out with some self tapping screws.and reinstall new seal.
 

Baileyx3

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I've been away on business and then on vacation.

I think the leak was because my son overfilled the oil. So I power washed the mower and engine, drained oil out to the max fill line, mowed the grass and it doesn't seem to be leaking any more. Does that sound possible?
 
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