Yard Machine 21" 3HP Oil Change?

[Bob5150]

Hi everyone, I bought a used Yard Machine 3hp 21 inch snowblower from Craigslist. The man I bought if from said he just changed the spark plug (and it looks brand new). Seems fairly clean, a little on the cheaper side with plastic wheels and all, but should suffice for my needs.

I wanted to change the oil in it to have a fresh start, but I don't see an oil fill or drain, or even a way to check the oil. I downloaded the owner's manual, but no mention of oil change procedure or oil type. I don't have the seller's contact info any longer to check with him.

Does anyone have any experience with this type of snowblower? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Rand]

IF its over 5 years old it might be a 2-cycle.. where you mix oil and gas.

or its hidden..
can you post a pic, model number, aprox year.. something

and you will get a less generic answer.

 

[Bob5150]

It does require oil/gas mixture, I bought a separate gas can just for it. So those types of engine do not have separate oil that needs to be changed? I didn't know that, very interesting.

I am at work right now, but can post more info when I get home.

Thank you very much.

 

[TmanP]

Right. A two stroke engine burns the oil instead of having a crankcase. It's in a ratio- 16:1, 32:1, 40:1, 50:1. So you mix a little oil into the gas in order to lubricate the engine. It's common in small small engines- trimmers, blowers, chainsaws. It makes for a simpler engine. Two stroke engines are less common in recent years, though.

 

[skyactiv]

If you have a Home Depot or an Echo dealer nearby, buy some Echo Power Blend 2 cycle oil. It is FD rated and has fuel stabilizer in it. The FD rating is on the side of the bottle and is kinda hard to spot at first.

 

[Bob5150]

Great, thank you guys for the information. I knew that 2-cycle engine took oil in the fuel, but I didn't know that took the place of crankcase oil.

I really appreciate the responses.

 

[vronline]

Be sure you buy 2 cycle oil with the appropriate ratio for your machine (i.e., 40:1, 50:1).

 

[fdcg27]

A two stroke virgin.
Gotta love 'em.
The lack of crankcase oil to change is one of the virtues of a two stroke engine, along with the torque and the sound.
My elderly neighbors years ago had a little two stroke Toro snow thrower. They couldn't get it started one frigid around zero morning. Told me that if I got it running I could do my driveway with it too. Gave it a shot of ether and it came to life.
They had a long driveway, like 100'+ as do we. The snow was about ten inches with drifts.
This little two stroke guy cleared both driveways without a hiccup.
Gotta love a two stroke machine.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: vronline
Be sure you buy 2 cycle oil with the appropriate ratio for your machine (i.e., 40:1, 50:1).


Read what you just wrote and try again.

 

[WhizkidTN]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: vronline
Be sure you buy 2 cycle oil with the appropriate ratio for your machine (i.e., 40:1, 50:1).


Read what you just wrote and try again.


Maybe he meant the TruFuel ethanol-free gas in a can in the various mix ratios??

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: WhizkidTN
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: vronline
Be sure you buy 2 cycle oil with the appropriate ratio for your machine (i.e., 40:1, 50:1).


Read what you just wrote and try again.


Maybe he meant the TruFuel ethanol-free gas in a can in the various mix ratios??



Or the little pre measured bottles that you add to one or two gallons of gas.

 

[yeehaw1960]

Wait until you try to find the air filter!!!

Hint...there isn't one.