changing oil filter oil

[Clint]

doing maintenance on my 36" metro w/ 15 hp kohler engine, the machine is great, thanks for improving my business so much :)

now to the problem, trying to change the oil and oil filter, well, on the crank side, where the oil filter is, the so called "oil drain plug" is in a terrible spot, not very near the edge of the machine, very small bolt and theres wires hanging in front of it, the bolt is impossible to get off as well. now, on the other side of the machine there is a plug ( it looks like an oil drain ) and right under it is a hole to the ground, that looks like it is the right thing to mess with, but the engine manual only talks about the tiny oil drain plug on the crank side. If i can get the bolt off i will have to get a funnel, and shove it under the plug, and then get an oil pan that the funnel is leading into, am i doing something wrong? please help

thanks,
clint

P.S., when im changing the oil filter it sais put it upside down in a pan and fil the thing up to the threads ( if im correct here, the threads are at the VERY bottoms ). now, if the bottom is up in the pan, and it is down on the machine, how are you going to turn it over, put it on the machine, and tighten without spilling any oil?

[Clint]

update here:

so i have my funnel and oil pan ready to go, well, i take out the plug, and there isnt enough down pressure to take it through the funnel, so it gushes out of the funnel, under the engine, on the ground, everywhere, what a mess, also, the kohler manual is a POS. I spent all day cleaning that **** up out of the garage and off my mower. if it wasnt a great machine, i'd be upset
clint

[eXmark]

Clint,

Thanks for the question. As simple as an oil drain is, it seams to be one of the most difficult to perfect for one reason or another.

The oil drain on your machine should be a pipe fitting or elbow etc. (depends upon when your mower was built) coming out of the engine block on the RH side (I believe). There should be a cap rather than a plug on the end of the pipe or elbow. Remove the cap, not the pipe. This may require some effort the first time you change the oil. There may be some wires in that area so you'll need to kinda work around them. There are some "quick drain" adapters available through the aftermarket suppliers that might make life a lot easier as well. Many of them come with a hose attachment that makes it much easier to hit your drain pan as well. It's something we would consider putting on as standard equipment but everything we use on the engines must be OEM or approved by the OEM or we probably won't use it.

As far as the oil filter goes the wording is a little bit cumbersome. Simply place the filter in a pan open end up and fill it to the threads. Let it set so the oil soaks into the filter before picking it up to install it. Once you’re confident the filter has soaked up most of the oil you can pick it up and turn it over to see if any oil runs out. There really shouldn't be much if any. Then smear the filter gasket with fresh oil and install.

You're asking all the right questions which means you know what you’re doing. Just let me know if you have anything else you'd like us to clarify.

Thanks

Terry

[laborador]

Is there a special tool to remove the oil filter when you can not get it to unsrew with your bare hands.

[eXmark]

Laborador,

Thanks for the post.

There are several options on the market.

One style is a metal strap with a handle that increases its grip on the filter as you apply pressure, another is a nylon strap that works under the same principle only it attaches to your 3/8" ratchet and the other style is similar to a large socket that attaches to your ratchet as well. Your local auto supply store should have one or all of these filter wrenches available. I'd recommend taking a replacement filter in just to make sure you get the correct size wrench however.

Thanks,

Terry

[lawnman_scott]

another way is with a channel lock wrench. Works just as good if not better.