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

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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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@dmartinr41]

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

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I appreciate it.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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?

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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?

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@warrensoutdoors5964]

who would steal a mower, you have to be in a really bad state of mind to steal a mower

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I hate to agree with you. The area they live in, is not the best.

[@warrensoutdoors5964]

I'm sending my prayers out to your friend🙏

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@UltraMagaFan]

Biodegradable 2 stroke oil is dyed green not blue. Stihl HP Ultra is a great example of that.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I'll have to look into that , but if the had to steel a mower, I doubt they would buy those types of oils.

[@douglaslawson733]

Green oil can also be "Brad Penn" oil (formerly Kendall oil).

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Douglas Lawson

[@maxp4417]

Am I the only one thinking the bowl nut would have been easily removable with a box wrench?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

the nut is too shallow and the it's also recessed in the bowl.

[@hkk3656]

@@HomeGaragechannel I was thinking the same...but now I know. Good job.

[@markaz2kk]

That sir is Shell 2 stroke oil. Been using it in 2 stroke engines a long time! Have now switched to penrite oils. Less smoke and less smell.

[@SianaGearz]

Wheels might have degraded due to extreme temperature and humidity swings (environmental stress cracking) or maybe even UV light, though I'd expect these to have blocking and scavenging additives to slow down UV damage due to provenance. They're very certainly degraded.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

my take, uv damage.

[@pootmahgoots8482]

Never would add anything other than oil or MAYBE an oil treatment if it's an old mower that's sat for a long time just to clean the old oil out. But I always have extra oil on hand so I don't have to worry about it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

me too, thank you Poot MahGoots.

[@tiger5551]

Definitely two cycle oil, it’s thick stuff and flows slow like that, most two cycle oil is a dark shade of color

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Tiger, that's what I was thinking.

[@farmfan4382]

Yes it is

[@JackKearneyMedia]

To my memory a 13mm spanner works perfect for the carburettor jet bolt

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are correct it's just getting it to fit was the hard part.

[@JackKearneyMedia]

@@HomeGaragechannel oh yeah I forgot that they’re offset into an indent in the bowl. It’s been a few years since I worked with mowers

[@HomeGaragechannel]

not a problem

[@Patrick4959]

i would only stick with the oil that is approved for the engine like in this case a 4 stroke aka 4 cycle engine that requires a Briggs And Stratton grade type and of course only using the right amount per bottle level and i prefer using the ones with the eye glass for accurate reading etc.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you're absolutely right about that

[@Patrick4959]

@@HomeGaragechannel for sure mate i grew up learning all the good basics on good quality oils for different engines and of course knowing the differences in volume and quality protection etc.

[@Radmon222]

That oil looks like oil for lubricating chain in a chainsaw

[@olds442gm]

The only oil I know of that’s that color green is the Lawn Boy 2 stroke oil.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

interesting, I'm going to have to research that. thanks

[@iowafox2206]

I would use marvels mystery oil or seafoam to top it off in a pinch then change it a little after for Marvel's. No more then 1 mow on the seafoam for me plus it would clean it a little I would think.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

actually that makes a lot of sense, thank you Iowafox.

[@iowafox2206]

@@HomeGaragechannel no problem!

[@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.

[@andyhamilton8940]

STP oil treatment is that color too?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

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

[@Hooverman-v1j]

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.

[@Hooverman-v1j]

@@HomeGaragechannel ok thank you

[@HomeGaragechannel]

no problem

[@jameskremer327]

Hydraulic oil it’s about a sae30 oil should work well in a pinch

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you for the information

[@saigyl9149]

green would make me think it was either 2 cycle outboard oil or algae

[@koleturner5661]

anyone else just just watch his videos for fun

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you kole turner.

[@stevenchandler4218]

🤔👍Good job HG

[@HomeGaragechannel]

Thank you Steven Chandler.

[@bwalker4194]

Looks a lot like marine outdrive lubricant.

[@VictoriaStobbie]

Listen, just delete the muffler positive camber the rear wheels and add a ‘limited slip dip stick’ for that added boost in performance. And that should be enough “tasteful” mods for the next lawn mower festival.

[@eltonpham2165]

Looks like gear oil if it’s that color and if it has a strong sulfur smell then it’s definitely gear oil

[@HomeGaragechannel]

by how slow it was moving, yes, gear oil, is a very good guess.

[@eliaferrari2833]

The Briggs intek is pratically a tecumseh

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's the first time I've heard that comparison, but I can see that.

[@gemmycollector2215]

Sometimes rocks can get thrown by the blade and smash against the wheels causing holes to appear, but as for that front wheel, that's just abuse.

[@johnclarke6647]

Some idiot put some two cycle oil it, that they had probably also stolen. Some of them have just enough knowledge to be dangerous. My expensive Snapper push mower is chain and padlocked to my front deck. My Snapper lawn tractor is also chain and padlocked to my shop. I just hope they have not stolen a set of bolt cutters. My neighbors know I am a combat US Marine and I have killed before and have no compunction doing it, again. I keep a loaded pistol in my nightstand and a shotgun behind my bedroom door. It is loaded with OO buckshot, too.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I think you're right

[@lucasbergfors9446]

I've seen people often using 2 stroke oil by mistake it does workout but it will get thicker and not preform as well so it's better to use 10w30 engine oil 😄

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you are absolutely right about that, thank you Lucas Bergfors.

[@lucasbergfors9446]

@@HomeGaragechannel just stick with Lucas, Bergfors is my family name, i'm finland-swedish in case you wonder why my name sounds swedish 😄

[@lucasbergfors9446]

In case you wonder about the 1999 Husqvarna 252rx trimmer i've been working on, i got the carb kit but after attempting to start it with the choke on the results was i flooded the engine and when i tried to start it off choke it repeated the same thing, i've blown and cleared every hole in the carb and made new intake gaskets and when i get the trimmer reassembled i will try to start it off choke and with all carb screws half a turn counter clockwise which dad suggested me to do and hope it will start this time, what should i do if the engine still floods when it is off choke ? 🤔

[@lucasbergfors9446]

Another thing i did to the trimmer was replacing the missing air prefilter and fuel line when dad first bought it was missing so when i started working on it i decided to replace it because of you look at the filter base the prefilter goes down a square hole down the base and in front of it and in the cover goes the air filter, the fuel line got replaced because it had hardened over time and was leaking gas, i did intend on using tygon but i couldn't find any at the store dad and i went so we bought a transparent one instead, it won't preform as well but it is better than nothing 😄

[@HomeGaragechannel]

ah, thanks for letting me know

[@russellalbertson4106]

My guess is 2 cycle oil too.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Russell Albertson

[@russellalbertson4106]

You’re welcome sir, my 11 year old son watches your videos religiously BTW! Thanks for teaching him a lot of his small engine mechanics skills!

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice, appreciate it.

[@spencer15898]

So I'm not sure If you noticed this yourself, but that engine looks literally like a quantum l head but with ohv added on. Do you know anything about these? I think it was one of the most unique quantums ever

[@HomeGaragechannel]

from what I've been told these first generation OHV quantums where not very reliable.

[@spencer15898]

@@HomeGaragechannel well dang! I got my hopes up on one of these engines but that's too bad. Makes sense because my dad found one in the dump and turned over and everything but could never get the dang thing running. We tossed it 🤣

[@HomeGaragechannel]

it makes sense then why he got rid of it.

[@spencer15898]

@@HomeGaragechannel yeah for sure! Keep up the videos and hard work! I'll stay tuned

[@spencer15898]

@@HomeGaragechannel hey man! So I have a question for you. So I just got done swapping a new engine on my mtd yard machines 21 inch, and the blade now hits with this new engine. The company said I had a 7/8"x3-5/32s shaft from my previous engine so I'm not sure why it is hitting the deck. My question is what would you do?

[@thatRBX]

If we wer in a pinch I would just run the engine with low oil if it was not to low. We done it befor for like a week or so and it was fine.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you @ThatRBX.

[@aucklandsadventures]

The wheel looked like a stone went through it.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's possible, to me it look like it's meant to break over time.

[@MikeStavola]

What did the oil smell like? That might tell you what it was.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I didn't get that close to smell it but it didn't smell like gear oil.

[@AveragePootis]

Had to come here from the short

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks for making the effort. I appreciate it.

[@electroddxful]

Epic video and repair. 👍🙏👍🙏

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you RayFpv

[@jplslo8213]

That looks like pumpkin oil

[@2035jim]

I would go out and buy motor oil

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you 2035jim.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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👍💯

[@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.

[@Jim-ie6uf]

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

[@HomeGaragechannel]

nice choice of oils.

[@powertoolexpert6999]

Happy Friday

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you Powertoolexpert69, Happy Friday to you too.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@cdos9186]

It appears that you aren't alone with a single wheel being that expensive. Especially when the machine gets old, one for my mower that is a Craftsman from 2005 is $40 too, why so much for a single wheel!?

[@HomeGaragechannel]

lol.. I know right. just don't get it.

[@andrewk8636]

Go to harbor freight and get a wheel. They have metal ones too if I remember

[@mannys9130]

This is what makes having a 3D printer so amazing. I don't have one...yet. All that's needed is to measure up the remaining wheel (or design a totally new one and print 2) and then model up the print. Boom, new wheel ready in a short period of time. After doing this sorta thing over and over with expensive or unobtainable parts and the making of bespoke tools and hardware, the printer pays for itself and it's super fun to use. 😺

[@cdos9186]

@@mannys9130 Totally agree with you! 3D printers look like so much fun since you can print whatever you want with them!

[@Bill-sp8kb]

Looks like those wheels have double ball bearings. They make for easier mowing, but are still too expensive.

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@999thenewman]

That oil looks like its from a jug of Supertech marine 2 cycle oil from Walmart.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I think you're right

[@butler386]

To bad the scum bags stole the mower in the first place. But you got it all repaired and still in good condition. NO I would not add anything but engine oil to my mower engine. I agree go to the store or gas station and pick up a quart of oil. Thanks for the video.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you D Butler, stuff like this happens sometimes.

[@Gooditalian]

Looks like mercury outboard motor oil the fuel injection type. Just a guess.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's a pretty good guess. thank you Gary Salatino.

[@rickthelian2215]

Green may be two stroke oil

[@HomeGaragechannel]

my thoughts too.

[@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.

[@davidcoudriet8439]

Hmm. Ball bearing wheels, aluminum deck.. Yeah that's a keeper. Was not a cheapie.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

that's for sure.

[@hkk3656]

@David Coudriet those would be roller bearings is what I think you ment to say. Yes, it's definitely a keeper.

[@LessThanHandy]

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

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thank you LessThanHandy.

[@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.

[@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.

[@plap.]

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

[@williamsnow1531]

No I would not. All I would use is the right oil.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

me too.

[@JS-.-]

Are you sure it is an aluminum deck…could be a magnesium deck. My Honda about that generation was made from magnesium.

[@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!

[@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.

[@unclebs4732]

I would use a wrench to remove the bowel nut on the carb, I've done this 4 or 5 times.

[@arniewingco3561]

Yeah, similarly, I was thinking of a ring or open-end spanner

[@HomeGaragechannel]

not in this application unfortunately, I wished it would have worked but the bolt is just too shallow.

[@heyitsbroski]

I own and love my Honda mower. I'd never own a John Deere based on principal. The way they do the farmers dirty with their tractors is sad.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

I understand what you're saying.

[@franleck]

If I remember correctly. Using Engine Restore will turn the oil that color.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

yes you are absolutely correct, but it would have still flowed out, faster than this stuff/

[@davidcoudriet8439]

Restore is BLUE...

[@franleck]

@@davidcoudriet8439 And Blue mixed with Brown oil makes Green.

[@davidcoudriet8439]

@@franleck , In my case, and I use the Restore, it was blue/gray. But, it went in with fresh oil, so was never brown.

[@LucidDream34]

I believe Honda has blue oil mixed with the yellowish color could turn it green

[@SiegePerilousEsauMaltomite]

Those wheels were brittle from being in the sun, the color is way light

[@laurentco]

I think a lot of flawed logic goes into many buying decisions. And you can't have too much faith in some sources of info. I'm talking about all sorts of things here, not just mowers. Take Amazon reviews, for example. If you think about it, most people who write reviews are 1) the people who are royally pissed (zero or 1-star review) or 2) the people that are over the moon (4 or 5-star review). Most people in the middle who would give a 2 and 3-star review are not motivated to write a review. Occasionally, written comments can be helpful, though, i.e., the product from this company wouldn't fit. They make you pay the postage and a restocking fee almost as expensive as the product, so I could have just chucked it in the garbage and saved myself the trouble of taping the box together and taking it to the post office. (This is something that actually happened to me, BTW). I use the Consumer Reports website for guidance on purchases (I think everything from vacuum cleaners to car tires to cars). They don't take advertising money, so they are more objective than a magazine (like Car and Driver, for example). It boils down to this: when you're reading a review (or any opinion or endorsement), consider the source. And despite all that, some things are intangible (you just have a preference for those things despite everything you know). I'm like that for tools like drills and impact drivers. I'm a fan of Bosch tools. I know that Milwaukee is probably the better tool in most cases, but I like Bosch. Of course, once you start with cordless tools, you're kinda stuck staying with that brand cause you'll have to buy a whole new set of batteries, but you get what I'm saying. Of course, Bosch makes good tools. It's not like comparing Milwaukee to the bottom-of-the-barrel Chinese knock-off tools that cost $100 for 5 tools, batteries and chargers.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

you make a good point about the cross section of reviews, but its better than no information I guess

[@twofeathers6540]

no

[@johanstahl5555]

Never experiment with the oil! Use the recommed oil that the motormanufactory recommendats for the motor, on old sidevalve motors is SAE30 mineraloil most common and on new motors with top valve motor use SAE10/30 mineraloil ! Good luck👍🏻

[@HomeGaragechannel]

very good advice

[@maty7644]

Happy friday and super video

[@HomeGaragechannel]

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

[@RussellBooth1977]

No,I would use the recommended oil. I can remember over 30 years ago when my grandfather caught a hippie walking up the road with his Victa 2 cycle lawnmower,he just walked into his shed & took it. He said that he was just borrowing it but I'm pretty sure that he was stoned off his head from smoking dope because he used to live up near Byron Bay in New South Wales in Australia where some of the University graduates decided to become hippies in the 1970's, it's not far from Nimbin which is the Marijuana capital of Australia. Well,he didn't have to lock anything up in the 1950's meaning that they even left their house unlocked because no one would enter it & steal anything back then !

[@HomeGaragechannel]

things have changed greatly

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@kafferhond435]

Thats 2T oil. Every single brand I have come across was either green or red. On a mower engine, it should be fine in a pinch. The same way I did 200km through an uninhabited part of the Namib Desert on a Yammie 175 twostroke, with SAE30 engine oil in the twostroke tank.

[@HomeGaragechannel]

thanks for the information