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lawnmower engine, never change oil?

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When I bought my house last year, the seller gave me a two year old Bolens push mower. When I went to change the oil in it this past weekend I couldn't find an oil drain plug on it anywhere. So I went to Home Depot and bought a hand pump and siphoned the oil out of the filler tube. Now I'm wondering if it's one of these mowers where you don't change the oil. Couldn't find an owners manual for it.
 
Murdoc said:
When I bought my house last year, the seller gave me a two year old Bolens push mower. When I went to change the oil in it this past weekend I couldn't find an oil drain plug on it anywhere. So I went to Home Depot and bought a hand pump and siphoned the oil out of the filler tube. Now I'm wondering if it's one of these mowers where you don't change the oil. Couldn't find an owners manual for it.
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I have a--can't remember the brand--mower I got about 4 years ago and it has a Honda motor. I'm 99% sure it has no drain plug; I recall just tipping it upside down each spring to change the oil. Thing starts on a dime.
 
Blanky said:
I have a--can't remember the brand--mower I got about 4 years ago and it has a Honda motor. I'm 99% sure it has no drain plug; I recall just tipping it upside down each spring to change the oil. Thing starts on a dime.
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Same thing with my 5-year old Craftsman self propelled mower w/a 6 hp Briggs.
 
Blanky said:
I have a--can't remember the brand--mower I got about 4 years ago and it has a Honda motor. I'm 99% sure it has no drain plug; I recall just tipping it upside down each spring to change the oil. Thing starts on a dime.
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LMAO

That's what I do....I've never seen instructions NOT state that.

drain plug?!?

I can't believe he went and got a pump or couldn't figure that out, go figure.

😎
 
Blanky said:
I have a--can't remember the brand--mower I got about 4 years ago and it has a Honda motor. I'm 99% sure it has no drain plug; I recall just tipping it upside down each spring to change the oil. Thing starts on a dime.
Click to expand...

how do u contain the oil?
or u just let it flow down the driveway or seep into the grass?
 
A lawnmower engine has no oil pump. It has roller bearings and a tang on the piston rod that just splashes oil around the crankcase. The lubrication requirements are next to nothing.
 
Squeetard said:
A lawnmower engine has no oil pump. It has roller bearings and a tang on the piston rod that just splashes oil around the crankcase. The lubrication requirements are next to nothing.
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Unless you're cutting on a steep, long slope...
 
Squeetard said:
A lawnmower engine has no oil pump. It has roller bearings and a tang on the piston rod that just splashes oil around the crankcase. The lubrication requirements are next to nothing.
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The splash system for oil delivery in small engines is an elegant solution.

It delivers a lot of oil in a small crankcase. Try running an engine without the return tube or internal screen assembly in place, and you will see oil blowing out of the crankcase vent in seconds....
 
Vdubchaos said:
LMAO

That's what I do....I've never seen instructions NOT state that.

drain plug?!?

I can't believe he went and got a pump or couldn't figure that out, go figure.

😎
Click to expand...

I was going to tip the mower but I thought a pump would be less awkward and less messy. I pumped the oil into the same pan that I use for my truck. It worked well with no mess. I'm glad I bought it.

This is the pump in case anyone is interested:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arnold-Siphon-Pump-Kit-490-850-0008/203051321?N=5yc1vZbxck
 
I have a Sears Craftsman mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine that I bought with my previous house in 2002. It is now 13 years later and it still starts every spring with no issue. Other than replacing the blade once, I've done zero maintenance on it, never added oil (and it is still enough), no fuel stabilizer either - although I do run it down as much as I can. I'm amazed... every year I want to grab a new one that is self-propelled but every spring the damn thing tells me better luck next year.

Now that I'm reading about these new mowers, maybe I should just tip it over and swap the oil once. But isn't there something about leaving it upright afterward for 24 hours before using again?
 
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mizzou said:
i got a briggs 725exi that says "Never change the oil"

wtf?

http://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en/innovations/push-mowers/exi

That CANT be true. I mean, how is that even reasonable?

Anyway, it looked like a solid engine and I got a good deal on it 🙂
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The life span of this engine is estimated by Briggs & Stratton to be 4 years, this is by design. Now if you operate it in a more dusty area, then life span will be shorter. Also if you do not check the oil level, don't change air filter this will also shorten the life span by several years.

Clients bring equipment in every day with the following issues, no oil, wrong fuel, bad fuel, wrong oil filter, and no air filter. A guy the other day brought two new 2 stroke units in, that he ran straight gas. Well both were locked up, "trashed". Have a one year old tractor 27 hp, engine locked up, "no oil".

They just want to sell more equipment, and Briggs has told us this directly. This is a society of when it breaks, toss it away and go buy a new one. Think about it, toasters, irons, hair dryers, phones, TV's, weed eaters and now mowers and tractors.
 
I'm now in year 8 of a B&S never change mower. Although I did finally change it after year 6. Also changed the air filter, didn't even realize it had one. lol Motor runs fine, but the height adjustment (1 lever for front and 1 for rear) no longer locks in.

Thinking of getting one that can be stowed vertically to save floor space (no sheds allowed).
 
NutBucket said:
Trouble is lots of lawn equipment these days is made by MTD. They slap different badges on them and the may have slightly different engine choices but they're largely the same. It's literally badge engineering at its worst and it even effects some of the high-end brands as they are trying to penetrate the "consumer" market with cheaper offerings.
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True. A lot of people think Honda is the gold standard, but the truth is that their GC series engines aren't really that great. The GX series is definitely great, but it costs much more. That is the rub, people want great reliable goods for cheap. It used to be you could just pick a manufacturer and trust they built a quality product, but everyone being a freaking cheapskate has ruined pretty much every industry pertaining to durable goods. Can't blame the manufacturers, the insatiable consumers drive them, after all.
 
I've got a Honda push mower that I recently was thinking about how old it is. It is pushing 15 years old and it runs well still. Hard to get it started after winter, but it will fire right up with a bit of starter spray. After that, it runs like a champ all summer. I need to do a complete tune up on it with filters and oil.

I don't like to buy "residential" quality equipment. Usually light commercial isn't too much more and the equipment is much easier to work with.

I recently purchased a commercial zero turn and while talking to the salesmen he was saying that all small engine brands have adopted the policy of selling their engines for almost half the retail price to OEMs while selling full price to the customer. This makes it so people view the entire machine as disposable. People used to frequently swap engines if they blew up and continued to use the machinery, now that is much harder to justify.
 
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NutBucket said:
Eh, my biggest complaint with lawnmowers these days is the automatic throttle. Just give me a dammed lever!
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On some machines that is to save the PTO clutches. If you turn the blades on at full throttle you could cause premature wear of the clutches. If you kill the blades at full speed, then it can wear the clutches. With manual machines the operator needs to be aware of the engagement RPM.
 
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