QuestionThe lawn mower is squirting (shooting) oil from the front of the engine. It is not a small leak! I'm sure the rest of the oil is now completely drained. The leak is coming from behind the throttle linkage,under the air cleaner on the right hand side of the block. Do you know what could be causing this?
AnswerDoes the oil smell like gasoline? Link to your service manual:
http://www.kohlerengines.com/onlinecatalog/pdf/tp_2450_c.pdf
First thing I would do is try to isolate the leak location. You may need to remove the hood.
If you can find it right off the bat then I would use Brake Kleen or engine degreaser and wash the engine removing all the dirt and debris.
Fill the engine will the correct oil and run the engine to see if you can identify the leak. It could be a bad gasket or something as simple as gas got in the oil or even an clogged valve breather.
The manual describes how to perform a Crankcase Vacuum Test. Make sure the crankcase is holding vacuum.
Let me know if the link to the manual helps.
Eric
