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

         I have a older  Craftsman 21 inch, front wheel drive lawn mower. It has a  Tecumseh 6.75 horsepower engine >When I stored it away last fall, I put stabul in the gas, removed the sparkplug  and put some   30 grade oil in the sparkplug hole , cranked it over a few times , put the sparkplug

back in.  and stored it.

I took it out today, and pulled the starter cord and it turned about one turn, then I could not pull it any more. I guess it had reached the compression stroke.  

I took out the sparkplug which was covered by oil.   I pulled the cord and it turned over easily .  I put the sparkplug back in and it  was the same as before, it would just turn over

until it got to the compression stroke..   Do you think that the oil I put in it ,(maybe I put in too much) is causing a hydraulic lock.   Also, should I put  some gas in the sparkplug hole

to dillute the oil.?

If the machine is being stored anywhere near dry, you really don't need to oil up the cylinder.  I stopped doing that years ago and have not had a single issue with anything I own.   I just finished firing up my Honda Valkyrie (liquid cooled flat six engine) and my restored '74 Yamaha RD350 (two stroke air cooled twin).   Both put away Nov. 1 and haven't been fired up since.  Both machines running like a top.  No oil in the cylinders, no snake oil in the fuel.   Just put them away with the carbs run dry and full tanks of gasoline.  

I don't fogged up the cylinder either.  Did not have any issues thus far and don't like re-installing spark plugs over and over again.