Oil & Fuel Oil leak from Starter Mower I'm Baffled

[Torx]

Hello from a New User here.
I recently noticed a large amount of oil coming from the rear drain hole on the bottom of the starter motor on my YM195. This is a recent purchase and I got a great deal and want to fix this problem asap, but have become stumped as to what to do next.
It leaks a lot of oil until it gets down to the 1/3 level on the dipstick then slow to a trickle but 2 1/2 quarts in an hour is rough on the wallet and on the grass and carport as well. Too big of a leak to try to fix with an oil stop leak additive.

I pulled the starter motor and see nothing obvious. The clutch housing isn't full of oil or anything like that. The starter motor does have two obviously milled into the motor during it's manufacturing process, fluid drain holes. The oil is fairly hemorrhaging much like a severed artery when I changed the oil and filter. It leaks worse when I go downhill but that could be due to the fact that the forward drain hole comes in starter drain hole comes into play. The leak slows somewhat as the oil level is pumped down to less than half a gallon.

There are no holes in the engine housing and I see no oil coming from the bolt holes or around the gasket of the starter motor. Also I don't notice any oil leaking from the small gap created by the junction of the engine and clutch housing.

I carefully replaced the starter and made double sure that the gasket was in good shape and that the bolts were torqued back to proper tightness. The oil is only leaking from the holes in the starter motor and nowhere else. The radiator doesn't leak a drop in spite of it's age so over-filling of the oil is not the issue here. I don't have any way to gauge the oil pressure of compression but the tractor starts easily and runs fairly well despite gushing oil enough to interest small Middle Eastern nations looking for fresh sources of oil. {trying to laugh about this}

My next troubleshooting task will be to start the tractor and remove the starter or remove the starter and pull the tractor till it does start. I don't know what this will show me but failing some grand revelation I will be returning the mower to the original owner in hopes that he has a good heart and will refund my money or get it working properly. I am new to Yanmar tractors but fell in love with the brand after driving a friend of mines 37 year old restored tractor.

Any help from you nice folks would be greatly appreciated and I do have some pictures of the starter in place and plan on taking pictures of the underside of the starter after I remove it again in case nobody believes in drain holes on original equipment starter motors.

Thanks in advance,
Torx the Orx

 

[bcp]

{trying to laugh about this}

The starter motor leaks because the oil level in the battery is too high.



Bruce

 

[clemsonfor]

The radiator doesn't leak a drop in spite of it's age so over-filling of the oil is not the issue here. I don't have any way to gauge the oil pressure of compression but the tractor starts easily and runs fairly well despite gushing oil enough to interest small Middle Eastern nations looking for fresh sources of oil. {trying to laugh about this}
Torx the Orx

This whole post is a little odd, but what does the radiator have anything to do with the oil level. I guess your meaning to say that its not looseing coolant so were to assume that the head gasket is good and its not coolant getting into the oil???

Anyway, you may have a rear main seal bad and the oil is just flowing into the center section or bell housing then out the starter bolt hole.

Have you pulled the small like 1/4 square head drain plug in that center section to see if any oil drains out of that section, this is the bell housing section before the transmission, DO NOT pull the plug in the bottom of the trans that holds the hydro fluid. This is like 1/4 inch in size square plug, the area inside or above this plug should be dry and nothing in there. The plug is assumed to drain oil if it leaks in there, but more likely water from running in high water in rice patties.

 

[Torx]

Thanks,
"This whole post is a little odd, but what does the radiator have anything to do with the oil level. I guess your meaning to say that its not looseing coolant so were to assume that the head gasket is good and its not coolant getting into the oil???"
I only added this as a friend suggested that water leaking into the oil from the cooling system would cause an overflow of oil and it would have to escape somewhere. This isn't the case.

I do see an open hole in the bell housing that I would take to be a drain for the flywheel housing and don't see any oil leaking froom there. I will check for a small 1/4 in. drain plug and see if it has any fluid built up.

The oil pretty much has to be getting into the starter motor from the bell housing. It must be under a lot of pressure to enter the starter.

I do admit the whole thing seems a bit odd. I wish I didn't have to post this question at all, believe me. It's strange but true.

 

[Torx]

I just checked under the bell or flywheel housing for any removable bolts and there aren't any. There is a plate with a large what I take to be a water drain hole. There is a small drop of oil there and like the rest of the underside, it's fairly grimy, but I don't see anything removable except the oil drain and way further back, the tranny drain hole.

Also, Its not leaking from a starter bolt hole, but from the starter drain holes itself.

 

[winston1]

I don't think there is any way for oil to get in the starter other than the bell housing is full to that point and running in it. Is there an open hole in the bottom of the bell housing? If not you need to remove something to make one.

Having said that, I suppose the flywheel would be slinging oil all around in there if no drain and maybe up into the starter. :confused2:

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

post deleted----- Sometimes I forget we all haven't been raised working on our own equipment or had to repair tractors without the benefit of forums a computer and help .

 

[Torx]

Grumpy thanks for your visionary insights and help. I am a retired disabled veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so you are probably right about hiring help. It is almost too painful for me to get on and off this tractor to get the full use out of it. Much less work on it.

 

[Grumpy Old Man]

Grumpy thanks for your visionary insights and help. I am a retired disabled veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars so you are probably right about hiring help. It is almost too painful for me to get on and off this tractor to get the full use out of it. Much less work on it.

Retired from Afghanistan ? well then you should hire help ,Or the local vfw should provide you with help .

 

[Torx]

Your right. Thank You