Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Has anyone used the little Toro Power Clear 180 yet?  It has the 87 cc engine 4 cycle engine on it. 

Hello all, I've been using my Power Clear 180 a few snow falls we've had so far this year. I'm now past the recommended oil break-in period, but I can't seem to find the right wrench to remove the oil drain plug. (who knows maybe all my tools are off :)

Has anyone changed the oil in the 180? And if so, what wrench size worked for you?

Celebros wrote:
I thought those look like 1/2" square.  A crescent wrench or 1/2" combination box wrench may work

Both of my 180's use a 10mm hex wrench.  I tilt the machine up before removing the drain bolt.  I push a small, tight fitting plastic tube into the hole to get the oil to drain away from the engine mount.  Then I tilt the machne back onto the wheels and drain it into a small can.

Using the tube for oil drain is a good idea.

It would seem that the toro powerclear 180 has had its share of problems with the float pin in the carb. I myself have had the mispleasure of purchasing one. December 9th, 2009 my husband and I were at our toro dealer and saw this snowblower. He wanted to buy one so I would have a managable machine while he was gone serving his country over seas. on january 4th we found the puddle of gas under it. So like alot of others we took it into the dealer and the float pin was replaced and it was covered under the warentee. but wait. we hadnt had to use it for a month but yet on feb 17th we found another puddle of gas under it. Once again we took it back to the dealer for repairs. Its still there but they were replacing the entire carb. Just have to love this machine that has been in the shop more than it has been used on the driveway NOT. Did I happen to meantion I live in michigan. oh joy gotta love the workout from shoveling. Of course there is the problem that if anyone would have walked into my garage with a lit cigarette, pipe,cigar, match etc. can you say kaboom? I did notice though most of the posts i have read stated the machines were purchased in december. hopefully this problem is limited to one lot of parts. Hey, I can dream rite?

snowdayzed wrote:
It seems there's a common trend and people have reported having the same issue around beginning December.  Seems like this affects most new users of snowblowers and new posters.  The problem you have described is potentially dangerous in any case.

The Power Clear 180 is a new model for this year so it's possible that all these were of the same production lot.  This model is not Toro volume seller so I don't expect them to run multiple production lots for 2009 year.