I have had the same problem with the 8500 series horizontsal 6 hp. First engine I lost because of it, but Briggs sent me a replacement which is also leaking and 2 bottom bolts are gone. Good luck finding new bolts. They a 7mm fine thread which is very very uncomon. Being a mechanic, I deal with industrial fastener companies and none in St Louis area had it. I had to get them from Briggs. Why can't briggs use locktite on them. I know it costs an extra 2 cents. My opinion is briggs are cheap junk. Look at your air filter housing and how the blow by hose is just stuck in a hole in a piece of cheap tin. The hose comes in on the back side of the filer and fits like s**t. THE engine sucks alot of dirt around it ,and some times it falls out sucking in more dirt than you can imagine.

qdog, Thanks for the info. I hope theyÂre right too! I also wonder if anyoneÂs had the weeping situation some time ago and can verify the longevity for us. BTW, read your "Welcome to the neighborhood post." LOLÂd with you--definitely not at you. Our similarities donÂt end with the pool. Our neighbors must have been separated at birth. We have the evil-twin passive-aggressive version of yours. When after much prodding, they "offered" to look into their pool leak situation. We thought they meant call a professional. Apparently, Plan A was to gaze into the pool at their reflection until the leak stopped. When that didnÂt work, they moved on to Plan BÂgaze at their navels until we stopped bothering them. Lucky for us, thatÂs not working either. :)

I actually fall heavily into the DIY arena as dictated by my wallet, but lack both a ladder and an appreciation of heights. To date, I've had 6 people up there trying to determine the source of the leak. While all have commented on the workmanship to date, none have been able to isolate the source of the leak. I've gone up into the attic several times during driving rain storms. I have yet to see any water, moisture, or stains indicating previous problems. The pitch of the roof is a bit shallow, so it's impossible to get to where I suspect the leak is happening. The only things I have to go on, are the stains on my bedroom ceiling which have reappeared after each new storm despite my touchups with KILZ, the piece of tape that keeps re-peeling, and of course, the water on the floor. It's very confusing. From outside, the water seems to drain properly into the gutters during downpours. I'd love to be able to track down the leak and plug it, but I'm lost as to where it is. It's a 30 year old house. The previous owner had a second roof put on over the original a few years ago. I think I will try the handyman route. Thanks for the input.

Service information I checked doesn't reference the color of the oil. There's no other part in the machine that contains oil to leak out. Online sources I checked price the transmission from $165 to $253, more or less. Considerable disassembly is involved to change it so service costs are notable if one can't DIY the job.