I was just gifted this lawnmower because I haven't been able to get a landscaper since the hurricane. My yard was looking like an NVA hideout. Part of my ancestry are farmers and vineyard owner/operators, so I just decided to stop being a wuss.
I hadn't thought to tip the lawnmower a bit to the side to pool the oil toward the tube. Whatever the heck oil was in there was straight in the middle of safe range on the dipstick, and I got almost the rated capacity of 21 ounces out. Filling it with 21 ounces got the level right toward the upper band of the safe range, so I said forget it.
I did get a look under, and corrosion has done it's part, but not badly. Almost all still factory paint. When I was done, I just reached my gloved hand under and cleaned out everything I could until I felt nothing significant.
I'm going to whip out my grinder and sharpen the blade, so when I remove the blade, I'll get a good look at the success of my efforts.
Because of the size of my property, I'm looking at riding mowers, but I honestly know absolutely nothing about them, brands, features, preferences, etc., so I'm taking my time. I just know at this point that I like maintaining my own property, and I'm done with landscapers.
As with everything, I'm going to start cheap and figure out what I really want. HFT electric branch shredder, yard vacuum mulcher, trimmer, and a cheap Craigslist edger are next. Already bought an HFT electric pole saw off of a neighbor for $20.
I used my HFT pump oil extractor. I warmed it up by cutting an A-Load of lawn, and immediately stuck the tube in and sucked it out. I did notice that I had to turn the tube so that it curves toward the other side of the engine in order to get the last bit out.
New fill is Schaeffer's 7000 Supreme 20w-50. I have more bottles of that than a dumpster has roaches, so I'm not sweating throwing the good stuff at it. Overkill for sure, but it won't hurt anything.