How to Change Oil on Your Lawn Mower
Information about small engine oil and oil change
You should change the oil every 50 running hours or at least once a year. The oil has the purpose of lubricating the engine, cooling it, keep it tight and clean it inside. Because of the heat, pressure and the burning gas in the engine, the oil becomes black and thick with time.
Small engines like lawn mower engines usually don't have any lube oil filter, making the oil change more important to remove particles and dirt from the engine. Changing the oil doesn't take much time and is very easy to do. It is very inexpensive but important part of Your lawn mower care.
Remember to check the oil before you start the engine. The oil can start to leak down under the engine and there is no guarantee that you notice an oil leak early.
I will show You how to change oil on a typical Briggs & Stratton engine. First You should run the engine for several minutes to warm it up. Warm oil drains better but be careful cause the exhaust muffler becomes steaming hot. Remove the spark plug wire for safety.
Now locate the Oil Plug and turn it open counterclockwise with a big screw driver or pliers. The easy way is to drain the engine trough the filling hole but some engines also have a drain plug in the bottom.
Put a container on the ground and tilt the mower on the side with the filling hole facing down. You should expect 15 - 20 ounces of oil to drain into the container.
Slowly pour in clean, new oil. You should check Your lawn mower manual for recommended oil. Sometimes You find a label on the mower about the oil grade or even on the oil sticker. If no information is available then most manufacturers recommend SAE 30W oil.
Total capacity of oil is relatively small. It is very important to keep right amount of oil. Do not attempt to run the engine even for a short time without enough oil. Do not overfill. Overfilling can damage the engine and causes smoke.
On the Briggs & Stratton engine You must fully tread in the dip stick to get a correct oil measure. You can see that there is little difference between min and max level on the stick.
Some engines don't have dip stick and the filling hole is relatively lower on the engine. In this case You should add oil until it starts to flow out of the filling hole. Oil should then kept at this level.