Lawnmower Maintenance

The Critic · Mar 7, 2007

Alright, I don't know squat about lawnmowers. I have one of those ten year old, 5.5HP good 'ol push mowers (not self-propelled) from Sears. $200 back in those days.

What maintenance do I need to do on it? I drain and refill the oil with 5W30 or 10W30 annually (I mow once every 2 weeks), and that's it. Air filter looks OK, plug is pitch BLACK but I've never changed it as it still works.

For the past few years, it has been extremely difficult to start...takes 7+ pulls.

Any ideas? What maintenance should I be doing? And I don't even know what a carbeurator looks like on that thing, so I'm really beginner.

thanks.

doubleclutch · Mar 7, 2007

Here's my beginning of the year maintenance routine.

1) Change oil
2) Replace the air filter
3) Replace the spark plug
4) Sharpen the blade
5) Clean the underside of the mower housing

flatlandtacoma · Mar 7, 2007

Quote:

...plug is pitch BLACK but I've never changed it as it still works.

For the past few years, it has been extremely difficult to start...takes 7+ pulls.

A new plug may do wonders for ease of starting. A new air filter and some seafoam or Berryman's in the carb (behind the air filter) probably wouldn't hurt either. Check that the fuel lines are in good condition (not hard or cracked)...

Other than that, a clean undercarriage and sharp blade should have it running like new.

Craig in Canada · Mar 7, 2007

If it's a Tecumseh engine there's a orifice that gets plugged with deposits from fuel. A friend of mine here followed the advice of an article on the topic and went from multiple pulls back to one pull like new.

Here's the text:

Quote:

techumseh carbs are kinda notorious for for plugging up
and getting gummy if the gas is not drained or run dry.
there is a often tiny missed hole in the bowl bolt threads
in the bolt and in the carb threads itself. about 6
threads or so up on the inside clean that out with a fine
piece of wire and clean out the rest of the carb. a new
carb gasket kit couldnt hurt at all either. all the
techumsehs i've seen that started hard were gummed up and
ran like #@$%!. clean the carb and esp that tiny hole out
and walla..

The Critic · Mar 7, 2007

I heard that I'm supposed to clean the carb???

How does that work? What does a carb even look like?

Thanks.

Bill Kapaun · Mar 8, 2007

If it runs fine, don't mess with the carb.

DaleW · Mar 8, 2007

For what it is worth, if I run any multi-vis oil in my 5 hp briggs lawn mower, it will consume oil fairly fast. It consumes almost no oil when I run the recommended 30 wt.

D

road_rascal · Mar 9, 2007

Hmmm. I run Mobil 1 5w30 in my 6.5hp Tecumseh and it doesn't burn any oil. Same with my 5hp snowblower engine.

blackdiamond · Mar 9, 2007

When it comes to fluids, I may have the happiest Craftsman in town. It is a year old and it has had nothing but Shell V-Power 92 octane in it and the first oil change I used Mobil 1 5w30. I figured that with the amount of gas it uses the Shell premium fuel has a better detergent package and might keep it running better over time.

The original oil still looked perfect so I have not bothered with a new spark plug or air filter. The next time I see one I will likely pick it up.

The blade looks pretty bad considering how new it is, I has some run-ins with multiple mole hills. Nothing like mowing gravel! I use all of the 6.5 hp.

The Critic · Mar 9, 2007

Mine consumes 0 on 5W30 or 10W30. With that said, I drained it today and refilled with 20 oz of Quaker State 10w30 SL. Used the plug this time versus rotating the unit 90 degrees as I do normally.

Appears that Sears uses a plastic plug!

Threads were almost toast from the last guy who serviced it via the plug...so I wrapped a thin layer of Teflon tape on and put it back...seemed perfect. Is that OK?

Plug is pretty black...have to get new one.

Does the air filter attach to the carb?

Thanks everyone.

Warlord · Mar 9, 2007

On most mowers I've seen the air filter is attached directly to the carb either on top or off of the side. Lawnmower carbs are pretty simple so I always tear mine apart and clean out the built up crud. It seems to help a bit. I wish mowers were built like they used to be. I had a B&S from 81 that ran for years with absolutely no maintenance. I used it to clear small bushes and vines out of the woods beside my house. Now I can't keep a briggs running right for more than a year.

1999nick · Mar 9, 2007

Quote:

For what it is worth, if I run any multi-vis oil in my 5 hp briggs lawn mower, it will consume oil fairly fast. It consumes almost no oil when I run the recommended 30 wt.

This is exactly what B&S says is expected to happen when regular multigrade oil is used. They recommend and sell under their own brand name a 5W30 synthetic oil. I use Mobil 1 5W30 in my mower, for the last 7 years. I change oil once a year, at about 60 hours of use, and have never had to add oil between yearly changes. Oil still looks pretty good, too, and I am always tempted to let it go two years, but I always end up changing it.

1sttruck · Mar 9, 2007

I've used a Tecumseh mower for about 12 years, bought used from the original owner, and pretty ended up doing what doubleclutch does. I've changed the oil, checked the plug, cleaned the filter, and sharpened the blade on a regular basis all these years, but should have paid more attention to keeping the underside cleaned and oiled as it's gotten a bit rusty. I use whatever I use in the cars, and don't notice oil consumption with multi-viscosity or synthetics.

Keeping the blade sharp makes the most difference for performance.

A friend just gave me his much newer Briggs and Stratton, so I'll see how that works.

ccs v2.0 · Mar 13, 2007

Quote:

For what it is worth, if I run any multi-vis oil in my 5 hp briggs lawn mower, it will consume oil fairly fast. It consumes almost no oil when I run the recommended 30 wt.

D

I have the same experience with our 6.5 hp OHV B&S engine. I didn't realize it until my wife tried an at home service for the mower when I was overseas last year, and the tech used SAE 30 wt oil. At the end of the season, the mower had not burned any oil and we mulch constantly during growing season.

1999nick · Mar 13, 2007

Quote:

For what it is worth, if I run any multi-vis oil in my 5 hp briggs lawn mower, it will consume oil fairly fast. It consumes almost no oil when I run the recommended 30 wt.(Quote)

You say you get oil consumption with "any" multi-viscosity oil. B&S says you can expect consumption with a multi-grade if it is not synthetic. Have you tried synthetic? I see that many have, and have experienced no usage.

1999nick · Mar 13, 2007

Quote:

Quote:

For what it is worth, if I run any multi-vis oil in my 5 hp briggs lawn mower, it will consume oil fairly fast. It consumes almost no oil when I run the recommended 30 wt.(Quote)

Click to expand...

H2GURU · Mar 16, 2007

Probably one of the best techniques to use is the COMPLETE running out of fuel. It is recommended in all small engine supplemental manuals in days of old. Some opt for the STA-BIL route, but everyone I know that does this , eventually develops a carb. problem? The "non-run" season is quite longer here in the Northeast and I'm sure this adds to the problem. Weigh in here BROR if you read this!

Sparkman · Mar 16, 2007

I run sta-bil/FP AND run it out of fuel. I've had some trouble with doing one or the other, doing both has never let me down.

An air filter and plug is certainly not necessary every year for me. On my larger engines I run a oiled-foam prefilter that I clean and oil every year, and the paper element underneath lasts a long long time as a result of having the prefilter over it.

Sharpening is the most important. I use my 4" angle grinder to remove damaged blade material, use a file to break the edge a little, then balance on a nail. This takes a fair amount of skill, YMMV. I spent years mowing 3 acres, and I got intimate with all mower maintenance related tasks.

If you care to maintain the underside it should be done BEFORE the off-season IMHO.

I find that acetone is the best for cleaning carbs if they've been allowed to gum up, carb cleaner is almost worthless in general as a solvent. I haven't bought a can of carb cleaner in 10 years, yet I still have several around. Acetone of course is VERY aggressive and one must be careful.

I think my 6 HP B&S will be going to 5w-40 this year, as it's been using some 10w30. I'm going to run this thing 'till it dies, which may be 10 years from now, and buy a new non-self-propelled bagger. I really want a bagger, maybe I need to sell it and upgrade.

Lawnmower Maintenance

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