Are you sure that the engine doesn't have a drain plug somewhere?
Extended OCI's in the lawn mower
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Now I won't feel reluctant to change oil 2 times a year. Yesterday I blocked the back wheels and tipped the mower back onto the handle to keep the spark plug up. It worked, didn't flood the cylinder and muffler with oil this time(Cleaning the matted clippings out will be a hastle cause i'll have to lay down in the fire ants in order to get under there.)
When I lived in Houston the grass in the summer time was like an evil monster. I'd cut the grass twice a week. Some people have trouble growing grass, there you couldn't kill the stuff. With the heat and humidity and rain having a lawn was great exercise. I had a Sears Eager 1 and used a synthetic oil called Synthoil 100 and changed it two to three times a year. Mowing my lawn twice a week produced 10 to 12 full sized trash cans a week of clippings. luckily a neighbor took them for his mulch pile. The stuff was really dangerous to handle. My first experience with with filling a can after the clippings were out in the sun for for or five days got me first degree burns up to my elbows. The one important tip I can pass on is to keep the engine and the rest of the mower very clean and to also keep the blade sharp. Scrub the engine cooling fins and fan with a brush and soapy water and the same for the underside of the mower. Neighbors that did not keep the engine clean eventually had engine problems and always blamed "that crummy engine". I think that 5 or 10 minutes at the end of the day cleaning up is worth the effort.
Funny you should mention mulching. I had a Rubbermaid mulching "shack" that you filled from the top and could pull out mulched material from a door on the bottom.
As you said, summer in Houston produces twice a week mowings and plenty of clippings. One year I determined that the mulching operation simply wasn't getting on it enough so I mixed a 10 pound bag of fertilizer (turf builder by scotts)into the composter.
I added water so things would get rolling and, naturally, it sat in the sun from dawn to dusk. About 5 days went by before mowing produced more clippings and when I pulled that top panel off, a cloud of smoke and steam flew up in the air knocking me off my feet!!
In a flash I realized that I was 2 inches from achieving nuclear fission!! I didn't know W T F to do!!! Man, that whole MFing box was red hot - you could have cooked a 20 pound turkey in the smoking mass inside.
I made the executive decision to flush the thing with water and it did finally cool off. The positive side to the story is that the run off water produced some of the prettiest grass you've ever seen.
As you said, summer in Houston produces twice a week mowings and plenty of clippings. One year I determined that the mulching operation simply wasn't getting on it enough so I mixed a 10 pound bag of fertilizer (turf builder by scotts)into the composter.
I added water so things would get rolling and, naturally, it sat in the sun from dawn to dusk. About 5 days went by before mowing produced more clippings and when I pulled that top panel off, a cloud of smoke and steam flew up in the air knocking me off my feet!!
In a flash I realized that I was 2 inches from achieving nuclear fission!! I didn't know W T F to do!!! Man, that whole MFing box was red hot - you could have cooked a 20 pound turkey in the smoking mass inside.
I made the executive decision to flush the thing with water and it did finally cool off. The positive side to the story is that the run off water produced some of the prettiest grass you've ever seen.
You need to check the Briggs & Stratton website. Their #1 recommendation, for ALL temperatures, is 5W30 synthetic, which they sell under their own brand name.
That's correct 1999nick, 5w30 synthetic is recommended for all temps. I've used straight 30 weights and 15w40s in my 7hp Briggs, can't tell the difference in starting or running. Unless the small engine has an oil filter, most home use lawn mowers and generators don't, I'm not a fan of extended OCIs in these little engines. The ability to filter the oil (and change the filter) is what allows for extended OCIs in vehicles. In personal lawn equipment and generators the dirty oil cannot be filtered, changing it is how contaminants are removed. Once a year I change the oil, plug and clean out the air filter. Simple enough.
be careful as most lawn mower engines are air cooled. The oil temp is usually much hotter than an auto. A lot of shearing goes on with dino muli-grade oils. Thats why a lot (not all) recomend a plain 30w oil.
I checked my mowers crankcase temp with an IR thermometer in Houston in August and it registered 265F.
That is really odd. I just got a brand new mower last week with the 190cc briggs and stratton engine. it recommended straight SAE 30wt to minimize oil consumption and if your temps are above 40. No doubt I will never need to start the mower if it is cooler than 40.
That is very strange. I just rechecked the B&S website, and it plainly said to use SYNTHETIC 5W30 to minimize oil consumption. The dino multigrade oil is the kind they said to expect more consumption with.
Yeah, i'll see if i can find a scanner and scan in what my engine manual said. I've been known to misread things being partially dislexic. I need to prove it again to myself to be sure. I just remember thinking after i read it, "wow, that is totally not what i would have assumed."
That's a little hot, but probably not too hot for the good oil you are using to handle. I believe you said in an earlier post that you use GC. What weight do you use? I have heard that thinner oil tends to run cooler.
"Why use synthetic in a lawn mower? Briggs recommend a straight 30 mineral oil. Are they wrong?"
I use whatever synthetic I'm using in the cars at the time of the end of season oil change. It seems to maybe be a pint or so of oil. It's an air cooled engine that doesn't move very fast thru the air, it's pretty much of a fact that a decent synthetic handles heat better than dino, and a multi-viscosity will be easier to start cold. I have a Murry with a Tecumseh (speling ?) engine that I bought used from a friend almost 15 years ago, and it still works just fine.
If I had a fleet of mowers and margins were thin I'd be more concerned about the oil being used, but otherwise will use my judgement if it's a pint or so of oil a year.
I use whatever synthetic I'm using in the cars at the time of the end of season oil change. It seems to maybe be a pint or so of oil. It's an air cooled engine that doesn't move very fast thru the air, it's pretty much of a fact that a decent synthetic handles heat better than dino, and a multi-viscosity will be easier to start cold. I have a Murry with a Tecumseh (speling ?) engine that I bought used from a friend almost 15 years ago, and it still works just fine.
If I had a fleet of mowers and margins were thin I'd be more concerned about the oil being used, but otherwise will use my judgement if it's a pint or so of oil a year.
The GC is only available in one weight as I understand (0W-30).
I also have two lawn mowers, both with Honda engines. I have a Honda Masters mower with the GXV140 commercial engine. I also have a Lawn Boy staggered-wheel deck onto which I transplanted a Honda GCV160 off a Craftsman mower. I use GC in both engines, and I had the very same question as the original poster. I put this oil in both mowers early last season, and the oil is still a very light green color. Looks like new. Even checking it after a mow, there appears to be nothing in suspension. I was going to ask if the green GC will discolor like a typical "golden colored" oil will...because mine hasn't, yet. So I didn't know what my OCIs should be.
Time is probably more critical than running hours because the mowers don't get run a whole heckuva lot. I'd say each is run for no more than 25 hours/year. I mow at least once a week, and NC has a long growing season, but I rotate mower use and I'm only on a 1/4-acre lot.
It sounds like a 1 year OCI would be the conservative thing to do, even if I don't have a lot of time on them and the oil hasn't discolored. The earlier suggestion to mix a heavier oil with the GC to help with suspension is an interesting idea -- I've never heard of that before. Not saying it's wrong...just saying that's the first time I've heard of it.
I also have two lawn mowers, both with Honda engines. I have a Honda Masters mower with the GXV140 commercial engine. I also have a Lawn Boy staggered-wheel deck onto which I transplanted a Honda GCV160 off a Craftsman mower. I use GC in both engines, and I had the very same question as the original poster. I put this oil in both mowers early last season, and the oil is still a very light green color. Looks like new. Even checking it after a mow, there appears to be nothing in suspension. I was going to ask if the green GC will discolor like a typical "golden colored" oil will...because mine hasn't, yet. So I didn't know what my OCIs should be.
Time is probably more critical than running hours because the mowers don't get run a whole heckuva lot. I'd say each is run for no more than 25 hours/year. I mow at least once a week, and NC has a long growing season, but I rotate mower use and I'm only on a 1/4-acre lot.
It sounds like a 1 year OCI would be the conservative thing to do, even if I don't have a lot of time on them and the oil hasn't discolored. The earlier suggestion to mix a heavier oil with the GC to help with suspension is an interesting idea -- I've never heard of that before. Not saying it's wrong...just saying that's the first time I've heard of it.
My son-in-law has a B&S engine in a Sears rider that is about 9 years old with the original oil in it. I think he tops it off, when he thinks about it.
Who knows, what the top off oil is? He mows about (1) acre a week. This motor refuses to die. The only part that has been replaced, is the battery.
How's that for a extended oci? He lives in central Indiana.
These small motors maybe cheap, but are truly well designed and constructed. It seems that the most important thing to do is check the oil level before use, no matter what weight or type of oil is used.
Personally, I like the synthetics, but they supposedly evaporate in high temp. use, so I check the oil level, before I start the motor
Who knows, what the top off oil is? He mows about (1) acre a week. This motor refuses to die. The only part that has been replaced, is the battery.
How's that for a extended oci? He lives in central Indiana.
These small motors maybe cheap, but are truly well designed and constructed. It seems that the most important thing to do is check the oil level before use, no matter what weight or type of oil is used.
Personally, I like the synthetics, but they supposedly evaporate in high temp. use, so I check the oil level, before I start the motor
I change my mowers once a month. Air filter every two months.
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