About Mark Expertise It was about 13 years ago that I started working in a small engine repair shop. I have worked on all types of equipment such as gasoline powered lawnmowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, tillers, snowblowers, chain saws, stone saws, and power washers. I can aid people when they are repairing their small engines. I am also extremely willing and happy to give any advice as to how people should maintain their equipment. I will give a clear, descriptive answer so that even a beginner mechanic can get his or her job done quickly and easily, in the most time conserving way. The only thing I need is a little description of the difficulty so I may provide a correct and accurate solution for the problem.
Experience For the past 13 years I have worked in a small engine repair shop. I have worked on many types of equipment such as lawnmowers, string trimmers, leaf blowers, tillers, pressure washers, snow blowers, stone saws and many other machines. I have performed repairs on 2 and 4 cycle engines of any size. I also have years of experience on fixing machines from companies like: Toro, Homelite, Craftsman, Mastercraft, MTD, Weed Eater, Poulan, Poulan Pro, Tecumseh, Briggs & Stratton, Murray, ECHO, STIHL, Honda, Gibson, Noma, Lawn Boy and many more.
Organizations I own and manage a local small engine repair shop.
Education/Credentials I have taken many courses on small engine repair and have attended meetings for some of the world largest small engine companies. I am a master service technician for Tecumseh, Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Toro, Homelite and Lawn Boy.
I have recently purchased a 1990 Ford YT16 garden tractor. It's engine is a Briggs & Stratton 16 H.P. Twin II (according to the decal on the engine). My problem is that the engine has developed a significant oil leak. The first thing I checked was oil level, and it was where it should be and not overfull. After degreasing the engine, I ran it up to temperature, and it appears the source of the oil is either the top or right hand side of the starter. The engine otherwise runs strong with lots of power. I'm wondering if the problem is due to it's long storage (6 years unused) prior to my purchasing and recomissioning it.
I'm hoping you can shed some light on this. Although I've rebuilt car engines in the past, this is my first garden tractor and I'm reluctant to start tearing things apart without knowing exactly what to expect.
Thank you for your time and any insights.
Answer Hello Doug,
Sorry for thje delay. I think you should change up the oil. It is a pretty old tractor butr seems to sound like its running fine except for this little leak. If the starter is mounted somewhere near the oil sump at the bottom you may have a little hole in one of the blots to position the starter. If you do see any cracks try and lightly weld it or patch it with something. Hope this helps. Let me know how it works out.
