lawmower repair

[i3bpvh]

started up the mower today for the first time to do battle with the yard, and my lawn mower started spitting out oil. Took it all apart, clean it up, cleaned it up, and started it again for 30 sec. Oil seems to be leaking from where my finger is pointing in the pic, and when I turn the engine over by hand this black piece pops up and down. Is this a PVC and needs to move, or is it just an oil pick up that is loose? It's a Tecumseh engine LV195XA on a 07' toro. Any ideas out there? Thanks

 

[benjamin]

looks like the breather tube to me, not sure if it's supposed to move up and down.

I would check the oil level, make sure it's not overfilled.

 

[fbelec]

if your blowing oil out the breather tube you might have a bad piston ring. major overhaul. the compression is blowing by the rings on the piston and pressurizing the case which will send oil and some gasoline and exhaust out the breather. if it's starts.
or it could be a head gasket. try this to see if there is any change. if it works you will know what your problem is but it might not last to long before it happens again. tighten all the bolts that go around the engine. the bolts that you can see from where the spark plug screws into the engine. if it makes a difference you have a head gasket problem. this happened to me on my craftsman 6.75 hp motor.

 

[fbelec]

benjamin could be right. for a two or three year old mower there is a awful lot of oil on the outside of that engine. how was it the last time you ran it? did it make more noise than usual? did it go thru oil? sometimes with a bad head gasket it will make a exhaust with a loud tick noise but still run.

 

[i3bpvh]

Thanks for the info. I did replace the breather. The new one is not as loose as the old one, and it's no longer leaking any oil. A lot of work for a 12 dollar part, but it's like a new mower again. Cleaned up the engine up all perdy too, with all the plastic covering the engine I couldn't see all that build up till I got it apart.

 

[fbelec]

good to hear it wasn't major. other than being a major pain in the but.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I keep an eye out for lawnmowers on the side of the road. An extra engine doesn't take up much room and can save you some grief. Throw the deck out for the scrappers.


Matt