Fixing A Theft Recovery John Deere Mower that won't start.

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Above are affiliate links which means we receive a percentage of the revenue made from purchasing products via those links.
Thanks for watching. This mower was stolen, and then recovered, but what we find inside the engine, was very surprising.
This video is meant as entertainment, always practice safety.

[@brianking1138]

I would never add anything other than engine oil. Some of those old John Deere mowers are very well built. They even made commercial grade versions with blade clutches .

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Brian King.

[@MagnetbergOfficial]

Other oil such as Powersteering fluid and hydraulic oils don't have additives that prevent your mechanical components from wearing.

[@420jaynay]

There is engine oil that is green. It is rare but no worse than brown oil.

[@420jaynay]

P.S. Liqui Moly looks more like antifreeze than oil but BMW uses it.

[@cliffpaul1133]

I just got one of those JA75 mowers with a blade clutch and a Kawasaki engine. Runs sweet and cuts like a dream but I believe I need to replace the blade clutch because it needs greased to engage smoothly almost every time. I imagine that’s why it was dumped.

[@michaelwalsh90]

I always look forward to Friday to watch your videos. Appreciate the humour in this one. I am not too bothered about type of oil in small engines, you're ahead of 90% of people by just changing oil every year or two. I normally put in whatever I have on hand that's not far from SAE 30

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Micheal Walsh.

[@ramadinsookhoo6141]

The owners of this mower are very blessed to have gotten it back. A little abused but at least it started and ran well in the test run. I personally think that if I was running low on oil for my mower and I was in a desperate situation I would of used engine oil from my car until I could get the proper oil for the mower

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Nice that was the other option I was going to use, used automotive oil. thank you for bringing that up Ramadin Sookhoo.

[@ramadinsookhoo6141]

@@HomeGaragechannel you're welcome bro👍💯

[@MysticMonkeyMiracle]

You are a phenomenal teacher. I pray for someone like you to come into my life.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks.

[@MysticMonkeyMiracle]

@@HomeGaragechannel no, thank YOU Home Garage. Thank you.

[@eostrike]

Oh wow, going out to look at my dipsticks. I've never paid attention to them for a fill amount. I just put a ptouch label on mine to know what amount it takes. You make such great content. Thanks for all your hard work putting these together.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I appreciate that kinds words

[@powertoolexpert6999]

Happy Friday

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Powertoolexpert69, Happy Friday to you too.

[@Warhawk76]

Pretty impressive that it still looks that good after being outside for a year. If I left a mower outside here in Seattle for two months it would be a pile of rust.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Warhawk76

[@josem.2909]

Loved those engines, the 6.5 hp Inter Briggs. I had a yard man one of those dark green colored deck and yellow engine plastic cover, and 6 speed, well made machines

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks for sharing

[@NemoBlank]

Still got one from the 80's. Love the spring starter.

[@chicagobears9817]

i have a very similiar John Deere push mower that I purchased around 2003. It is a very good mower, with an aluminum deck. however, its deck cracked, probably from a rock or something similiar. Once i noticed the crack, I retired tje mower to my barn attic. After watching your video, I'lll have to unretire it. Nice video.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

than you Chicago Bears and good luck

[@wildefox1478]

Great video, that's a pretty nice mower especially with the aluminum deck, nice work! I would only add motor oil to my lawn mower which I always add STP brand zddp zinc additive to because flat tappet engines need the zinc.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice, I'll have to look into that. thank you WildeFox.

[@robertwittjr1198]

oil - i have not scrolled through the comments yet, color and thickness reminds me of castrol gear lube. castrol gtx is green, or at least it used to be. i am in the process of doing repairs (i hope) on 2 craftsman push mowers that my dad has your videos are very well put together and informative.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Robert Witt Jr.

[@hkk3656]

An aluminum deck? I'm impressed!!! I had a good running dependable mower and the deck rusted out making it unsafe to use.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's a real shame. What did you end up doing with it?

[@hkk3656]

@@HomeGaragechannel I gave it away on Craigslist.

[@Error-5478]

@@hkk3656 "This is unsafe to use.... but not for some stranger on Craigslist, $75"

[@orangefruit8068]

@@Error-5478 🤣

[@dreamhater0125]

The aluminium Deck comes from the german Sabo mowers. These are much better than the Steel Deck.

[@seanmurray2494]

Hey man, at 6:18 one tool you could use instead of a vice grip and socket is a ratcheting wrench. The mowers I have worked on have mostly had the same size bowl nut. So I just bought a single ratcheting wrench from Home Depot. Great vid and the mower looks good

[@HomeGaragechannel]

the ratcheting wrench won't work because the bolt is too shallow, and the bowl also extends below the head of the bolt.

[@0013bluejay]

@@HomeGaragechannel hey man, vice grips holding onto a socket is pretty damn innovative.

[@seanmurray2494]

@@HomeGaragechannel ok didn’t see that, then yeah using vice grips is probably the right choice.

[@BobSmith-mj7ik]

I've used the vice grips and socket trick before. Works quite well.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

since it's recessed I don't think it will work here because of clearance.

[@watermanone7567]

Nice mower and video. I had a customer bring me an old Murray mower that he added two cycle oil in the crankcase. He said that was all he had. Looked something like yours did. I think I saw a video recently where two cycle oil will damage a 4 cycle engine, but can't remember where I saw it, maybe on "project farm" video where he test stuff. Thanks.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

more than likely it was project farm from over a year ago I think

[@chrisnorden8043]

@@HomeGaragechannel I mean, Project Farm has put bacon grease and energy drinks in a crankcase.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes but it doesn't run it for years, only 1 to 2 tanks of fuel.

[@maty7644]

Happy friday and super video

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Happy Friday to you too and thank you maty :()

[@stephenbridges2791]

As thick as that appeared to be, it could have been a rear end oil of a lighter grade. Some of those are a yellow-green color when new. From the video it looked pretty thick.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

ah, that makes sense. thank you Stephen Bridges.

[@tdumford1]

I was thinking gear oil as well.

[@thormilton3574]

@@tdumford1 most gear oil i see is a nice pine/mild green brand new and gets dark like shown in the video when used.

[@mannys9130]

Differential or manual trans gear oil stinks to high heaven like garlic. 😷😷😷 It is unmistakable. It's the extreme pressure antiwear additives in it that are needed to protect the hypoid gear surfaces, and those EP additives contain sulfur. It is very easy to identify gear oil for this reason. One sniff and you can tell right away that gear oil is gear oil regardless of color. GL-5 differential oil stinks much worse than GL-4 manual trans and T-case oil. That's because the EP additives attack copper, brass, and bronze which are often found in gear synchros. Manual transmissions still need some of those additives, but not too much or the synchros will wear excessively and corrode away. Manual transmissions also don't have as severe of a shock loading like a diff has, and they don't have as high of an extreme sliding pressure behavior on the gear faces like a diff has. Diff gears are subjected to incredible stress. For these reasons, there are a lot less smelly EP additives in GL-4 which is what manual transmissions will call for, unless they spec an ATF or plain old engine oil instead. Both of those oils are seen frequently used in modern manuals instead of GL-4 gear oil of the old days. It's been that way for a while now for some brands. My 1984 Mercedes used Dexron 3 in its 5 speed manual transmission. Anyway... GL-5 oil on the other hand has lots more EP additives in it because diffs don't use copper or copper alloys and they have extremely punishing sliding pressure on that ring and pinion gear face and they have lots of shock loading as the car or truck accelerates and decelerates and makes all kinds of turns. More EP additives = more stankiness. 😸 TL;DR If you smell an oil and it reeks like garlic and makes you say "oof that's bad," it's likely GL-5 differential gear oil or GL-4 manual trans gear oil regardless of the color. The EP additives are classic. 😸

[@marshmower]

@@mannys9130 sulphur is usually described as "rotten egg" smell. But it has a bit of something that can make your eyes water. I believe they still use sulphur for the EP additive and surprise!. Walk is selling a "bronze safe" formula that to me smells the same.

[@Jim-ie6uf]

I've been using T1 Rotella, 30 wt in my equipment for 4 years with no problems

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice choice of oils.

[@markoconnor7082]

Working thieves! What a concept😎

[@WJCTechyman]

This machine somewhat reminds me of the 14PB Deere I had. I liked that mower but the Kawasaki engine had ongoing issues and there was no transmission. On the other hand it cut really well and had a really good blade brake clutch system on it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

very nice, whatever happened to it?

[@73honda350]

I think the biggest drawback to using 2-stroke oil in a crankcase is that such oil usually has no detergents in it. Plus it's usually more expensive than perfectly adequate, simple 30 weight motor oil.

[@animered1986]

I hope you give that lawnmower the extra love and care it needs and clean and paint the 2 rusty parts on that mower either black or johndeer green. Could not hurt to check and just the valve lash as well if you do take the cover off to clean and paint it. i know your friend would most probably appreciate the extra care on it. A little high temp flat black paint on the muffler cage would look nice too. Thank you for the awsome video you posted for us, it was very enjoyable. 👍👍

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Anime Red.

[@docpalazola491]

Great video. As for "emergency oil"...I would use automatic transmission fluid. Transmission fluid has been used to "clean out" the internals of a engine.

[@5roundsrapid263]

I’ve never seen green ATF. I think it’s two-cycle oil. Most brands of it are green.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you know it, thank you Doc Palazola.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I agree with you on the 2 cycle oil

[@donvoll2580]

@@5roundsrapid263 Yea I think the same , 2 cycle oil Thanks

[@MagnetbergOfficial]

@@HomeGaragechannel It could also be power steering fluid.

[@nelsonbrum8496]

I use Amsoil 10/30W oil in my two Honda HRC216s. I've recently switched to Amsoil Saber 2-stoke oil for all my 2-stoke engines. I went from 50:1 to 80:1 on my older Echo and Shindaiwa equipment, and they have far better throttle response, and roughly 75% reduction in exhaust smoke.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I really appreciate the information, sounds like a fantastic product.

[@adammosher1115]

The double head ratchets with the funky bend at harbor freight works great for the carb like that and they come 2 in a pack 1/2-3/8&3/8-1/4

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Adam Mosher.

[@Turningwrenches85]

I agree with you I would put just motor oil. Just because with me I don't want to damage the engine

[@HomeGaragechannel]

makes perfect sense to me, thank you Turningwrenches85

[@paulzacher5672]

I now use 10W30 synthetic motor oil. I have the Toro Personal Pace mower. Works great. Love your videos and how you explain things in plain English. Waiting for your next video

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank Paul Zacher I appreciate it .

[@robertheinkel6225]

My Toro personal pace started to get extremely hard to to start when cold. It was only six months old. I finally tracked it down to the choke stuck open. The spring was unable to put it in the closed position. I trimmed up the top cover, so I could manually put it into the closed position.

[@jamess.putman1779]

I like the way rounded the putty knife to clean grass clipping 😅

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks, I wasn't sure how it was going to work but it's a lot easier than a flat scraper

[@RusticShine]

I have a mower you might like. It's a John deere JX75. Looks similar to this, but it's a 5 speed walk behind with a blade clutch, and a Kawasaki engine.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

wow, that's a nice mower you've got there.

[@rushbnostopp]

Factory filled break-in oil is dyed green and looks just like that oil in the video. The green dye shows up bright under a black light which aids in finding leaks fast during factory quality inspection. Mechanics also sometimes add the dye to oil when diagnosing pesky oil leaks. I would reckon it’s a stretch that either scenario is true here, but just a thought

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I've heard that several times but here's the problem, this mower is around 10 years old. I can't imaging someone not changing the oil, in that time. but then again, it's people

[@dog01b52]

I have a John Deere 14SB and have never put anything but motor oil in it. It is now going on 25 years and still start on the first pull. It has a mechanical choke, so no bulb to deteriorate. Have had to do the regular maintenance items, spark plug, filter, solid state spark module and changed the blade clutch and my local John Deere dealer had the parts. Again, not bad for 25 years old.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

wow, that's pretty awesome mower you've got there, and the maintenance is spot on.

[@ethanmiller3935]

Another possibility for the green color of the oil is it is PennGrade 1, (our Brad Penn oil) it is made it the former Kendall refinery in Bradford PA, from Pennsylvania grade crude. It is known as the Green oil and it has a very green color. I use AMSOIL small engine oil in all my 4 stroke small engines, and it is the standard tan/brown color. I use a Murray 20 with flathead briggs like in your previous videos, and that thing is 31 years old. I messed up the first time l installed rings in it and get something in the motor, so my grandpa bored it .030 over and l installed an .030 NOS B&S piston and ring set and it runs like new. I used the PennGrade 1 break in oil in it. And it is going to get Amsoil like the rest of my motors. All the Royal purple oil l have seen is Purple in color.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Ethan Miller, I appreciate the comment. The possibility there for it to be Brad Penn Oil but the only issue, is that I don't think they sell that here in the area I'm in.

[@ethanmiller3935]

I got mine online, not sure where l can get it locally where l live.

[@hoticelt5447]

My grandpa used to have this really old mover and he needed to put regular car engine oil it ran for a very long time and after sth happened to it I tried to restore the carburettor but it was plastic so the engine had to go now after a few years I still use that old lawnmowers deck its made out thick aluminium I put a new engine on it and still using it after my grandpa passed away Its a good reminder how we used to fix it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice work, what engine did you put on it?

[@hoticelt5447]

Can't really tell but took from a newer lawnmower but it had a rusted out deck and all fit perfectly

[@Warpedsmac]

looks like 2 stroke oil in there....but it's still better than none! Cheers from Sunny Australia.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you got that right, and hello Australia!

[@SuperDeinVadda]

I got barely any interest in mowers. But man your voice is so awesome I had to stop by from scrolling through the shorts!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@SuperDeinVadda]

@@HomeGaragechannel its not often I get impressed by a lawn mover 😉

[@aslkdfjhg]

I've used used oil and that worked completely just to get a job done. Afterwards I changed it. Oil has improved massively over the years, and lawn mowers just need a tiny bit too splash around. Some oil is better than no oil.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Stephen F.

[@Mikeongaia]

ATF is a real good way to “clean out” carbon in an engine. Think like seafoam in the crankcase but a lot more aggressive. An old teacher of mine used to add 1/5 atf to his oil. Every third (I believe because this was years ago) oil change. His car before he died had 745k miles on it. 80 something accord. His 90 something Chevy truck was 450k. I personally was fortunate enough to rebuild and hop up that particular engine for his wife. And after probably 30 some odd small block Chevy rebuilds his was in the top 3 for best condition. Even with that many miles.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Mike Holt for the information

[@donaldbower4097]

I don't like to use champion spark plugs. I have had so many of them have problems in the past. I have had them not spark, but spark shows on the tester. I've had them run ok for about 2 minutes and then just shut off. But my personal favorite is when the insulator came loose from the base in my brand new chainsaw. I thought I blew it up on the first cut after break in

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Donald Bower, I appreciate you sharing your experience with champion plugs. I haven't had problems like that so far.

[@OldIron1961]

I have a Toro zero-turn mower that I bought new and it came with a "service kit" that included Toro-branded oil for the first oil change. The Toro oil had a very similar green color to what was shown in this video.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

ah that makes sense now

[@josephsfields]

I too love my John Deer JS48 the most. I have at least a couple of Toro's a Honda and a Lawn-Boy and an electric start Craftsman which was left to me by my folks. I use them all to keep them running but I enjoy using the Deer the most and won't lend it out. About your question on adding a non-oil liquid to my mower's oil . . . you'll have to provide more stipulations like, I'm mowing the grass in the middle of the desert a hundred miles from anywhere, no phone reception and the lives of my family and I depend on the proper oil level, maybe some ATF or power steering fluid but only until we are rescued. Then I'd have to flush it out or I couldn't sleep nights.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Joseph Fields for the comment I appreciate it.

[@LessThanHandy]

I've been using Full Synthetic 5W-30 on all my 4-cycle equipment and have had no problem... 🤞

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you LessThanHandy.

[@therandomman6647]

6:00 oh I do that trick all the time! It's hard to keep track of tools in my "shop" so I just do whatever works 💪

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nothing wrong with that

[@seansysig]

I have a 37 year old Briggs and it always starts cold on 2nd pull. Never anything but 30W only! Stabilized non-ethanol gas only. I wire brush underside of deck after mowing. I change oil before each mowing season.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice work Sean Signer, and your maintenance is top notch.

[@Hammerguy88]

I love my 1999 Toro recycler. But I agree, this John Deere seems like a fine mower as well.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Hammerguy88

[@ericrichardson3332]

I got a AWD Husqvarna lawn mower with a bagger it runs very nice and quieter then most push or driven mowers plus it's all wheel drive I ran it a little this season but I need to change the oil cause it's a little dark

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Eric Richardson, and yes if it's dark on the dipstick, it's past due

[@ericrichardson3332]

@@HomeGaragechannel yeah I changed it last season but I had it in storage for winter so I made sure it would start and did a little cutting then checked the oil and it's clear but dark ish so I'm gonna change it before I use it again the thing I like about my mower is I can start it up and leave it running it has a lever that has start bunny rabbit turtle slow under that is stop which shuts the engine off its really nice if you have to pick up something in the yard letting go of the bar that pulls the cable just stops the blade from spinning which I like alot

[@Bill-sp8kb]

That mower looks to be very well made. It even has what appears to be ball bearing wheels. Maybe that's why they're so expensive. 🍻

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes I would completely agree with you.

[@franklaskus2395]

Had them wheels as replacements on a 99 JS61. Inside bearing went bad on the one rear drive wheel after about 2 years. Swapped it with a front and the one seal already fell out of that one

[@HomeGaragechannel]

wow that's some terrible quality

[@patthesoundguy]

2 stroke oil will not hold up in the 4 stroke. It won't evaporate but it's designed to be sprayed on the engine internals suspended in the fuel. It will definitely destroy the engine over time. I think you got to that engine just in time to save it for sure. If you have some transmission fluid you can use it to restore some of the color to the original wheels and make the black plastics nice and black again. It will even restore the paint. That mower is definitely thanking you for saving it 👍👍👍

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you patthesoundguy, I appreciate your insight

[@mickdog2]

4 stroke engines use a splash lubrication method, where a dipper on the connecting rod splashes oil all around. On a 2 stroke Lawnboy Tecumseh, the exhaust flows thru the crankcase: no spraying occurs.

[@mjg263]

Very nice!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you mjg263

[@dmartinr41]

the vase pliers method doesn't cringe, you do what you can, and also works very well

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I appreciate it.

[@harryheaton1185]

Buddy of mine used wesson corn oil as 2cycle oil in his mix. worked great the smell was kinda funky

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Harry Heaton for the information

[@carlosanzola2938]

When I was a kid (50 years ago) some of the racing oils for our 2 stroke dirt bikes were castor bean oil. Smelled great, but not nearly as effective as a modern oil. I would advise against using any vegetable oil.

[@stevenchandler4218]

🤔👍Good job HG

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you Steven Chandler.

[@scottmckenna9164]

I've learned a couple of tips I did not know from your guidance. Thank you! We used to have a local class for sm. Engine repair but we moved and our new city demands one take the entire curricula towards a degree.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tdumford1]

funny you mention the Toro Super Recyclers, my sister just gave me 2 that wer not operational. Both took me about 30 min each in removing and cleaning the carbs to get running. 1 of them had a stuck cable for the transmission

[@HomeGaragechannel]

those are really nice mowers, thank you TheTipsyGamer.

[@SchneiderClassics]

crazy to just so simple yet so right

[@silverperzon]

Oil wise, I normally add a little marvels mystery oil as a top off, about 4 oz or so in small 4 cycle engines. I do the same for my regular cars as well at a different volume of course. Probably not needed, but it’s just me as I’ve had good experiences with it is all.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

very nice

[@davidcoudriet8439]

In a pinch, rarely so, I've used atf and gear oil rather than leave it very low. Changed it at the earliest. I have also mixed hexagon Boron Nitride powder which is slipperier than graphite, into my jugs of oil. Research that and check it out; see what you think.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

interesting, I'll have to do that, thank you David Courdriet.

[@danieldicarlo8676]

Hi there love all your videos thanks for posting them. I have a question I have a honda gvc160 engine on my lawnboy mower and I use 100% ethonal free fuel like you suggested and everytime I'm done cutting the grass I close the fuel shut off valve and let the carb run dry is this a bad idea?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

No from my experience it's perfectly fine.

[@mannys9130]

It's not harmful, but it's also not necessary. If you use 100% ethanol free gasoline (or better yet, engineered fuel), there is definitely no reason to be emptying the carb after each mowing session. During the mowing season, you usually mow every week or every 2 weeks. That's not enough time to worry about carb corrosion even with E10 fuel. Definitely do what you do at the end of the season though when you use the mower for the last time before putting it away for storage over the winter. 👍 Empty the gas tank too by removing the fuel line from the carb and draining it into a cup or jug or gas can. I also like to make sure I pull the start cord and slowly rotate the engine until I feel compression occuring. That means the piston is traveling upward during the compression stroke and both valves are fully closed. That prevents any moisture or air getting into the cylinder and corroding the interior of the combustion chamber at all. Neurotic, yeah. I'm just that way. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Lol

[@danieldicarlo8676]

@@mannys9130 awesome thanks so much for the info!

[@donaldasayers]

Three cars, three completely different oil specs, I have bottles and bottles of motor oil, from good ole' 20W50, to 5W30. Plus used deep fat fryer oil I use to lubricate the chain on the chainsaw.

[@curiosity2314]

Yeah I saw my neighbor adding 2 cycle oil to her lawn mower and told her not to do it. The flash point is such that it will evaporate. I do use Royal Purple in everything including my lawn mower.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice catch, hopefully she emptied it out.

[@beans4gas]

I put a zinc additive in with the oil. This helps with the film strength of the oil.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

what brand do you use?

[@kentuckycornbread8502]

Do you have a link to that rounded scraper that you cleaned the grass out of the deck? I personally feel like John Deere and other brands occasionally use their name brand to sell cheaper products but this mower looked well built. Thanks for the great video.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

If I can find it, I'll send it your way, its from Hyde.

[@snoopysrc]

Nice mower

[@pyro323]

Our property owner has an old Toro Recycler riding mower from the mid 90's. One of the tenants mows the lawn and he bought the wrong deck belt even though I texted him an ebay link to buy the correct belt and it was only $11. I told him his belt is gonna burn up because it's too small. So he bought and installed a smaller belt anyway and it doesn't go around all the pulleys so he used a bungee cord to try and tighten the belt and he got one path cut and that was it. I'm pretty sure he burned up his belt, cuz last time I saw the mower it was missing the deck belt, a bracket and a pulley. Some people are so arrogant.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I completely agree with you

[@SJWebb]

love your videos always very helpful, and is running over a twig or something similar with my mower is ok?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

twigs that are thinner than a pencil would only dull the blade, bigger twigs can hurt the blade and anything bigger tan an inch, it Is not advisable to run over.

[@SJWebb]

@@HomeGaragechannel ok thank you

[@HomeGaragechannel]

no problem

[@jasonahoosier7924]

Nice video. Where did you get the red scaper tool you used on the bottom of the deck?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks, And I don't remember exactly where, because it came in a box of free stuff, some years ago.

[@ricknenemalo9595]

Possibly an addictive added to the oil. I've used a drop of Lucas that's like honey and the motors work like a dream. About a half ounce will do but for older ones, I've never added more than an ounce.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks

[@manoffewords1]

I do know bar oil is some what an equivalent to 30 weight car oil and vice versa. In fact, they used to tell you as such in chainsaw manuals, back when the manual actually told you how things, and back when cars used single weight oils. So if you needed something to get you out of a jam that would be a viable option.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you manoffewords1

[@hckycpa20]

I'll admit, I never noticed the writing on the dipstick. Mine says max 591mL. And wouldn't ya know, the 1qt Marvel Mystery Oil bottles have a 591 mark for easy measuring. Thank you for pointing that out in the video.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

no problem and thanks for the comment.

[@christianlarsen717]

Ill agree with you. I only add sae30 engine oil, and nothing else. I don't think I'll ever be in such a hurry to cut grass, that I would fill up with anything else.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

me too, the only reason would be to beat a storm front that might last for a couple of days.

[@christianlarsen717]

@@HomeGaragechannel oh yeah true. Here in the Scandinavian country I come from, our storms aren't that long lasting

[@nelsonbrum8496]

I used to run Kenall 30W oil in my vintage VW and it was green out of the bottle.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I'll have to check the out, thanks

[@electroddxful]

Epic video and repair. 👍🙏👍🙏

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you RayFpv

[@Bigalhunting]

Worn out mower I had got some bar oil once trying to get it through another month of cuts, actually did ok. 3/10 recommended

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Al Bowman.

[@farmfan4382]

I had the Deere push mower with front steer wheels

[@josem.2909]

Kind of cool engine plastic covers or shroud

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it is isn't it?

[@SevenSixTwo2012]

That looked like 80W90 gear oil. When I bought a used 4x4 a few years ago and drained the front diff, the smelly green oil that came out looked exactly the same. This would definitely not be ideal for engines that rely on splash lubrication, but perhaps the previous owner used it to correct some mechanical issue (knocking, etc)? Using thick oil in worn out engines is sometimes used as a band-aid solution.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I know right! I guess to some, oil is oil.

[@ayoitssteve869]

Im a mechanic, i have the tool ya need for tight spots. Look up flex-head ratcheting-wrenches. They are amazing all around man.

[@ayoitssteve869]

Also not tryna be rude but whenever you move those fuel line "hose clamps" try to put them back in the indent they came out of

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks for the tip!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

not rude but Not very necessary either.

[@blendpinexus1416]

i bought an old small 4 stroke engine a while ago for a project and it would pop once or twice during starting but never actually started. only able to do 20psi of compression it was surprising until i pulled it apart for curiosities sake and damn i'm surprised she had any compression given the very poor state of the inside.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's a real shame. what are you going to do now?

[@blendpinexus1416]

@@HomeGaragechannel i tossed the whole thing and decided to just buy an e-bike although i am going to attempt to revive the push mower engine in my dad's lawnmower and see if i can diy an interesting frankenstein of a generator with some alternators.

[@Matthew_Does_To_Many_Things]

We have a 190cc 8.75 Briggs on our John Deere mower. It has the same carb as this one. But ours has a different bagging system and has castor wheels and is rear wheel drive. We have had ours for about 13 years. It takes like 8 pulls to start it. So we are guessing the engine is worn out. Do you have any tips on making it start easier? Overall great machine just is hard to start.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I sure do. First, I would check the valve lash on the rocker arms, if they are out of tolerance, it would make it harder to start.

[@Matthew_Does_To_Many_Things]

@@HomeGaragechannel I sure will do. We might take it to a shop and do it or get the pieces needed for do it ourselves. I doubt to has ever been done before in the mowers life so far

[@mickdog2]

clean the carb and open the gap on the plug

[@robertheinkel6225]

I recently saw a video of a automotive oil change. The oil came like jello. The owner, on the last oil change, did not add oil, but only added oil additives.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

lol.. nice

[@johnclarke6647]

I keep a quart of Pennzoil Platinum 10W-30 near my push mower, so I do not have to walk to the shop to get some. I check it before each use and add some, if needed, which it usually doesn’t. I also change its oil, twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring. I change my lawn tractor when the color of the oil changes. It holds just over two quarts. My push mower holds .7 of a quart. I buy the Pennzoil by the gallon at Walmart. Oil is cheap, engines are not!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I like that idea!

[@farmfan4382]

Yes it is

[@andreww2784]

I used an oil sometime ago.. Duckhams from UK.. it was green I think..

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice, thank you Andrew Witts, I might have to investigate that brand.

[@pumba848]

I added 80w-90 oil in My old lawnmower Still runs fine after 2 years.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

really? wow, that's pretty cool, what made you put it in, versus 10w-30?

[@pumba848]

@@HomeGaragechannel was low on oil and just took what i had in the garage. I would buy the proper 10w-30 but did not feel like driving 8miles to town to buy oil. And the 80w-90 oil gets Thinner when the mower get hot.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I see, thanks for the information

[@luminator982]

I'm late to the party, but thats Shaeffers' oil. Its a premium brand that dyes their product green. Its wild lookin stuff

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks

[@JoesClassicGarage]

I don't see any problem adding chain and bar oil to the crankcase. Probably a lot better than some of the garage oil they used to sell at dollar stores back in the day.

[@Andrew-fr3bp]

You should borrow the mower back from your friend and fully detail for a new video. All of the black plastic pieces can be restored to like-new appearance by degreasing them first and then applying "Cerakote Plastic Restorer". I've used it and it works great as long as the plastic has been cleaned and fully dried. Then you can make the deck look nicer with some rubbing compound and a couple coats of wax.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's not a bad idea.

[@h0udinl]

Quick question are the AliExpress 3 prong spark plugs any better than normal or the same

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nah, I wouldn't try them, I would jet get one from a local retailer instead.

[@h0udinl]

@@HomeGaragechannel yea that’s what i thought I was just curious lol

[@andyhamilton8940]

STP oil treatment is that color too?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I've never used that before so It might be.

[@michaelsteinbach]

Mower parts can be really expensive. I have a Simplicity riding mower and the chute has a bunch of splits in it (probably hit too many trees). A new chute is about $100, for a piece of plastic.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I know right, insane.

[@plap.]

It looks like mercury hi performance gear lube made for lower unit and Stearn drive lubrication on boats. Viscosity and color look identical

[@cbauer72]

I'd do a 2nd oil change (or maybe a 3rd) to flush out the rest of that other stuff.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's a good idea. thank you Clif B.

[@aidanbrooks771]

In a pinch I think 2 stroke oil would be a viable-ish option to get you the extra kilometre to a service centre, if you needed just a bit to bring your car up to the minimum line I would say a lighter weight gear oil might work. Coolant is another story, if you’re running out of coolant and need to get somewhere close throw in anything you have got, water, Coca-Cola, hell even that 6 pack of Bud Light, anything is better than nothing for coolant

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you make a great point.

[@stephengrijalva8854]

They’re some green colored oils. Liquid Molly is one. I always use Amsoil.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

very nice, wish I could get my hands on some Amsoil

[@DavidTaylor-qz8nc]

Sears sold an aluminum deck back into late seventy with a 3.5 HP. A light mover but I could walk the motor down it needed a larger motor.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you David Taylor.

[@420jaynay]

Nice seeing people green to green oil. Pennegrade1 also known as "the original green oil" first used green oil in 1965. The awesome man that took care of this may have had a liking to some of green oil. But I would never put anything that wasn't meant for an engine. Have a great day to a yome that read this! Edit? A yome?....ok *anyone*

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thanks for the info!

[@mickdog2]

two stroke engines are engines, too

[@POOKIE5592]

An old contact lens solution bottle also makes a great gasoline priming bottle.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks for the information

[@CarterEvans.14]

I have a question, do you think having more oil than usual is better or worse?, and tell me the symptoms please.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it's super bad to have more oil. the reason is "Splash Oiling" systems like those on lawnmowers will cause the Oil to not lubricate as well. Symptoms, is usually constant smoke coming out of the muffler.

[@CarterEvans.14]

@@HomeGaragechannel i have a mini bike and i need some tips on how to make it last long.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

make a schedule on doing regular oil changes.

[@jusshupbb]

get yourself a half inch offset wrench for the carb bowl bolt

[@DavidTaylor-qz8nc]

I add a little of the lucus oil .