Heyy there Vich,
I have never heard of putting oil into the cylinder of a 4 stroke engine while storing it, I believe you just need to turn the engine over until the piston reaches TDC (too dead center) on the compression stroke.
Anyhow I dont think wax based oil will hurt your engine, just some Carb cleaner into the cylinder and pull the motor over without the plug in so it all comes squirting out. Next put a LITTLE bit of MOTOR oil into the cylinder, reinstall the plug and start her up. It should blow a bit of smoke out at first but your mower will be fine.

You're fine. That's probably some of the best oil made and won't hurt a thing. The idea is to pull the engine through a couple of rotations after putting the oil in, then replace the spark plug. It'll smoke when first started in the spring, but you cylinder and rings will be protected until then. The best 4-cycle oil on the market (Opti-4) is also paraffin-based. I've been using it in my 4-cycles for sixteen years. There are many kinds of oil you could use for storage, including Marvel Mystery Oil, but essentially they mean to use clean engine oil.

viche,

Not to worry...you're OK.

Aside from the question of whether this is necessary or not in a 4 stroke, that sounds like a LOT of oil to pour in for over-wintering. Most of it may find its way into the crankcase over the winter but, in the Spring before starting it, I would still recommend pulling the plug and spinning the engine over a bit (ground the plug to the cylinder while you do this) to expel any excess oil. Oil doesn't compress, and you don't want a bent connecting rod. ~grin~

As for your concerns over the "parafin", forget it...it doesn't matter. You've heard, I'm sure, of Pennzoil...a widely distributed and well thought of oil for many years (still is). Pennzoil was, and may still be, a parafin base oil. With the relatively little bit of your "turbine" oil possibly present, your Toro will not even notice it. No "gummy mess" will result...just be sure to check your oil level before you start it to be certain its not over your fill line.

You're fine. Enjoy your new Toro when the robins come back to Maryland.

Happy Holidays!

Hal
P.S. I picked up your concern on the Tractor Forum, but choose to answer your original post here.

Thanks for the advice guys.

Saxman1, I did pull the cord slowly several times just as the instructions said and then I replaced the spark plug. ;)

Hercules, excuse my ignorance, but I'm assuming the crank case is the area that holds the normal engine oil? If so, does it matter that the parafin mixes with the regular oil? I changed the regular oil right before using the parafin, so do you think I need to change it again in the Spring?

Also, how and why do I need to ground the plug to the cylinder? When I spun the engine this fall, I just let the plug dangle to the side.

Thanks again.

viche,

The "crankcase" is the accepted term for the reservoir of the engine oil, as it is on your car, too. No need to be apologetic...most of us "engine-heads" are just on here to help when it's remotely possible that we can.

As I mentioned in my prior post, your engine will not even notice the bit of slightly different oil...absolutely no need to change your fresh oil again in the Spring.

I mentioned grounding the plug to the cylinder while cranking to have you avoid any possible damage to your ignition circuitry. The very high voltage generated by the solid-state ignition module wants somewhere to go to ground....like a lightning strike does. You want it to go to a common grounded piece of your mower, or it will try to find a path of least resistance....and possibly damage a component part of your Toro ignition system. By grounding your plug (hex or thread part) to a cylinder fin, that risk is eliminated (is that clear as mud? ~grin~) You "just dangled" the plug the last time, and got away with it. Next time...you may not.

Now relax, throw another log on the fire, and enjoy the Holiday Season. It's a bit less than 13 weeks 'til Spring!

Regards,

Hal

Thanks Hal. I may just be anal an dump the old oil out, but at least I feel better knowing that several of you engine heads say that either way I'll be fine.

I've seen mention of "cylinder fins" twice now. What and where are they? I thought I saw something that looked like a computer processor heatsink near the front of the engine. Was I imaging this, or are these the cylinder fins?

'I mentioned grounding the plug to the cylinder while cranking to have you avoid any possible damage to your ignition circuitry'

Also, when you let the plug dangle and stay connected, you run a high risk of fire if vaporized gasoline is blown out of the spark plug hole and hits the spark as you crank the engine. On many engines, you will find a grounding post cast into the cylinder head. When working under the deck or spinning the engine without the plug in, take the wire off the spark plug and attach it to the grounding post to be sure that the mower can't start if you turn the blade. The 'dead man' switch should have the ignition cut off already (when you're under the deck), but with the plug wire grounded you're sure it will not start or start a fire.

"Cylinder fins" are part of the engine's cooling system along with the "Fan Fins" on top of the flywheel. The fan blows air, the engine shroud (sheet metal covering the top of the engine) directs air from the fan around the cylinder cooling fins. The fins work just like a chip's heatsink. The plastic cover on top of the engine is mostly a style thing to make the engines look bigger (my opinion).

'The plastic cover on top of the engine is mostly a style thing to make the engines look bigger (my opinion).'

Exactly so. If the average consumer saw how tiny the power head is on a Lawn-Boy, they never would have bought one. The tank shroud, as it's called, is totally unnecessary. Any mower could have a big orange fuel tank like a commercial Lawn-Boy, mounted behind the engine, with just the sheet metal air shroud on the engine. The tank shroud is where 90% of the consumers' attention is focused, and they buy mowers based on it's appearance - just like buying a truck because it has a huge, toothy chrome grill.