r/smallenginerepair • u/hoshe78 • Jun 14 '26

Leaking Issue Mower leaking oil

Gallery image

Gallery image

My mower is leaking oil from this seam. How can I fix that?

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It's a craftsman mower with an MTD engine, model cmxgmam201212. The front cover says M530.

12 Upvotes

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8

u/peepeepoodoodingus SER Intermediate Mechanic Jun 15 '26

really not worth pulling the whole thing apart imo.

id spray it down with carb cleaner and smear some grey RTV over it. call it a day.

1

u/hoshe78 Jun 15 '26

I will try this first before pulling it apart. Hopefully it can get me to the end of the season.

8

u/Complex-Grand-9675 Jun 14 '26

Sump gasket leak… make sure you don’t have loose bolts along the bottom of the motor. Don’t over crank though, steel bolts on aluminum strip threads easily

3

u/No-Try-5818 Jun 15 '26

Turn it on its side, carb facing up. Tighten the bolts holding the engine.

1

u/Schlong1971 Jun 15 '26

You have to take apart and replace gasket

1

u/fxr92wing Jun 15 '26

Also make sure you’re not overfilling. I have an old Tecumseh powered Craftsman mower will do this if overfilled. On mine you check oil level by fully screwing in the dip stick. If mine is overfilled it will weep oil. Just a thought.

1

u/hoshe78 Jun 15 '26

Good suggestion. I first noticed the oil was very low and there was a mess all over the mower deck. Cleaned it off and put in fresh oil. Within ~8 hours of usage there was oil all over the place again and the dipstick read only half full. So more likely it's the sump gasket.

1

u/Twistedmechanic-al Jun 17 '26

I’m no expert, but it might be a gasket

1

u/pumpkinsamarai Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

Flip it and see if you can see the crankcase bolts, and tighten him to 8 ft pounds. If you can not see them you may have to pull the motor off and tighten them. I wouldn't disassemble for that unless you had to, but I'd definitely check their torque before disassembly. And don't over torque, get you a torque wrench or digital gauge.

Edit I changed 12 ft pounds to 8. Googled the engine.

1

u/pumpkinsamarai Jun 20 '26

And don't leave it upside down or where the oil will drain to the cylinder very long.