I really need some help...

[wolverinete]

Hi guys...first time poster...I'm a carpenter not a small engine rebuilder. bought a troy bilt 21" push mower in may at lowes...i really like it. last week, i decided to throw some oil in it...it had been a few months so i figured it could use it. i grabbed a jar of old 4 cycle oil that i had laying around and tossed in a bit. since then, it won't start...well...it will turn over...go put put put...if i lean it up in the air (spark plug up) it will run a little better...but something drastically wrong has occurred. i tipped it on it's side to drain the oil...i also removed what i thought was the oil drain bolt...but nothing came out...i then added probably 16-20 ounces of new oil...checked the spark plug...it's ok...and the air filter looks brand new. my only thinking is this "bad oil" somehow clogged things up? i keep starting it and try to let it run, but again...it just sputters...like it's not getting enough air...i have NO idea...went to lowes twice...where i bought it...and they would not exchange it. said i had to send to troy bilt for repair which will take a few weeks...i'm ok with that, but apparently they will charge me $85 diagnosis minimum. just planted grass 2 weeks ago and am getting frustrated...i don't know what to do. i will call troy bilt on monday to see what they can do...any thoughts? is there some way for me to completely disassemble the engine? i think it's a 6.75......maybe a tad smaller...i can figure out anything so i don't mind giving it a try...i have a feeling some bad oil is just mucking up some parts...but i don't know. any thoughts?

 

[jakesmurray]

Here's what I would do:
1. Completely drain out all of the oil that's in it now. What I like to do is put two toolboxes on the front and back of the mower, so that the mower is elevated about a foot in the air. Then, there will be a little drain plug next to the crankshaft that will have a square in it. Use a socket handle without a socket on it to remove that plug. Let all of the oil completely drain out.
2. Replace the oil drain plug tightly.
3. Replace oil with the correct amount. I'm not sure exactly how much (I think it's around 20 oz.), but just fill it to the full mark on the dipstick. I always use full syntheteic 10w-30 oil in all my small engines.
3. Make sure that there is totally fresh, new gas in the tank, and it should fire right up and run fine.

Hopefully this will solve your problems. :thumbsup:

 

[possum]

Are you sure that spark plug looks ok???? Are you sure that air filter looks ok???? Because it sure sounds like you put to much oil in it and flooded the unit with oil. Or while you had it turned over you flooded it with gasoline. Or both. Im no small engine tech, but I would take out the spark plug and pull the engine over a few times to see what comes out the hole. I would take a good look at the air filter as well. See if anything is coming out the muffler as well.

 

[gtbobcat]

I`ve tipped a mower on its side to drain it.(not smart)... the air filter got saturated with oil...didn`t look bad but when I replaced the filter the mower ran fine...just a thought

 

[wolverinete]

thanks guys...ok there definitely is not a drain plug for the oil...i could be completely retarded...but i don't see anything. especially a square bolt. there are 3 bolts that hold the engine housing to the deck...and some other smaller bolts that hold the crankshaft to the engine housing...but i definitely don't see anything that would possibly drain oil. am i crazy? like i said...it's the troy bilt basic...6.75 190 cc 21" push mower...briggs and stratton engine...i'm trying to get thru to troy bilt now...in the meantime i tipped it over to drain all of the oil out again...i tipped it the right way so i don't think there is an issue with gas...refilled it with the same oil...freakin bought 2 quarts of oil in last 2 days...can't imagine it's bad. nothing...still sputter sputter sputter...sure sounds like it's not getting oxygen. i guess i'll replace the air filter and plug...but i tell you i've flooded a filter before and it is obviously saturated...this filter is the nicest thing i've ever seen...but who knows...just hate to keep spending $ on a $200 mower that is only 3 months old...freakin lowes...they are usually SO good about returns...guess i should have bought the $20 protection plan...but not sure if that would have helped. it's SO crazy guys...thing was running beautifully until i added a little oil...hell maybe i didnt put 4 cycle in...but still...i've drained it as well as possible...when you put oil into the crankshaft what else could it affect? could bad oil gunk up all other parts? carburator, etc? should i try to snake everything out? just got a hold of TB and they think it's a timing issue? crazy...but they gave me a name of a service center...oh well. we'll get er done.

 

[Mower manic]

If you could tell us,how much oil was in the mower before you added it, and how much oil you put in it, and what type of oil you added, this would be helpful.
What was it that made you decide to "throw oil in the mower"? Was it not running well or hard to start?
Do you know how to check the oil level?
It may be that the oil has migrated into the carb when you tried to empty the crankcase. Is it possible that someone else has been using or working on this mower? Is it possible that someone put oil in the gas tank by mistake?
Based on what you have mentioned I think you may be better off taking it to a shop or to wherever troybuilt tells you to and have them fix it. Don't be disappointed if this is not covered under the warranty.
I would also suggest you read the owners/operational manual and learn what you can about this machine before using it or servicing it again.
Oh yea...you may want to rethink the "snake everything out" technique. That sounds a little scary to me.
Good luck

 

[southernkilowatt]

Im not a genius when it comes to small engines either, but I do know this much. Any engine needs three things; fuel, fire, and air. I would start by doing a complete oil change, spark plug change and checking/replacing the air filter. Is it possible that somehow you got water in the gas? That would explain a lot of the sputtering I think. Just something else to check. Once I was satisfied that I had good spark, good fuel and fresh oil I would start it again and see how it runs.
Not saying that this will fix your problems, but when I dont understand something I always go "back to the basics"

Good luck


Dave

 

[benski]

Hi guys...first time poster...I'm a carpenter not a small engine rebuilder. bought a troy bilt 21" push mower in may at lowes...i really like it. last week, i decided to throw some oil in it...it had been a few months so i figured it could use it. i grabbed a jar of old 4 cycle oil that i had laying around and tossed in a bit. since then, it won't start...well...it will turn over...go put put put...if i lean it up in the air (spark plug up) it will run a little better...but something drastically wrong has occurred. i tipped it on it's side to drain the oil...i also removed what i thought was the oil drain bolt...but nothing came out...i then added probably 16-20 ounces of new oil...checked the spark plug...it's ok...and the air filter looks brand new. my only thinking is this "bad oil" somehow clogged things up? i keep starting it and try to let it run, but again...it just sputters...like it's not getting enough air...i have NO idea...went to lowes twice...where i bought it...and they would not exchange it. said i had to send to troy bilt for repair which will take a few weeks...i'm ok with that, but apparently they will charge me $85 diagnosis minimum. just planted grass 2 weeks ago and am getting frustrated...i don't know what to do. i will call troy bilt on monday to see what they can do...any thoughts? is there some way for me to completely disassemble the engine? i think it's a 6.75......maybe a tad smaller...i can figure out anything so i don't mind giving it a try...i have a feeling some bad oil is just mucking up some parts...but i don't know. any thoughts?

It wouldn't surprise me at all if your mower doesn't have a drain plug. On a lot of later style mowers, they have been abandoned. A small pump will fit down the oil fill tube and vacuum the oil out of the sump. Sometimes the carb float will stick in an up position when the mower is wrestled around. You may also have gotten a slug of oil somewhere it shoudn't be.