When your lawnmower demands the best. 
Let's Talk About Oil and Lawn Mowers
- Thread starter BMW Dom
- Start date
I accidentally put the half liter of Castrol 0W-30 oil that I was keeping for the next oil change on my BMW in the mower. I guess it'll do the job.
It won’t hurt a thing. The next oil change that I do on my mower will get a mix of leftover Frankenblend and Rotellata T5 15W40. The Frankenblend is around a 9W35. The mower will get 1 liter of each.
I run a Synthetic 5w30 in all my ope. Been doing for years and only replaced mowers from rust not engines. Louisiana heat can be brutal in summer. I did 1/2:the yard today with temps in mid 80`s. John Deere with 160 hours ran 3 hours straight, push mower got used, then although different weedeater also used. I keep up 3 acres along with tilling a garden. All equipment will get used in heat of the day.
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- Oct 6, 2020
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what?
Pushers get SAE 30
Grasshopper gets Schaeffer's 15w40
Grasshopper gets Schaeffer's 15w40
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- Dec 13, 2020
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Follow owner's manual. In general, old flathead B&S engines use 30; newer OHV engines use 5w30 & 10w30 synthetic. Just change it frequently. Clean engine cooling fins. Most of all...keep air filter clean / replaced. Sucking in dirt will shorten engine life. Also clean undersides of mower deck + sharpen blades to make cutting easier on engines.
Of these, I would use the Rotella 15w40 (unless the OM specifies a different weight, in which case I would use the specified weight).
No an hour meter shows the hours in use for lawnmowers, snowblowers etc.
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You better slap a M badge on the mower deck, failure to do so may result in the engine blowing up prematurely.
I was given a mower with a perceived oil use problem. When I first checked it it was just about empty. I did some clean up to the carb and blade, oiled the cables adjusted wheel height and that sort of stuff. I filled it up with oil from the oil drain can to see if it smoked, no smoke I could see after 10 minutes of running. So I drained that stuff out and replaced with rotella t 15/40. It ran smooth and quiet for all of last year , with no oil needing to be added. And this year it has been used about 6 times, still with no oil needing to be added. My opinion is that if your having to add oil during the mowing season, even if your using the recommended straight 30 wt, bump it up until you don't need to ad additional oil during usage. Temps where you mow, height of grass, hours of use effect how hard the mower is working so oil is not a one grade fits all situation.,,,
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- Oct 6, 2020
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I never have had an oil consumpiton problem. This mower is about 10 years old. I bought it used a few years ago. I switched to 10w30 synthetic this year. I changed it last november before I put it away for the season. Incluiding the oil change and a slight top off. I have used 16 ounces of oil since I changed it last November. I plan on changing the oil soon.
It's weird, that for some reason, now the mower starts up on the first pull. But once it is warmed up, it has a hard time restarting.
I would flip it over and look for leaks from the shaft. A small mower can't have a sumping problem because the oil is always in the sump. I check my levels on flat ground before I start it up. If you rest the dipstick on the tube vs screwing it all the way in might give you different readings. One other thing I do just to keep things from getting gummed up, is throw a few oz's carb cleaner in the mowers gas tank and run it thru. Cleans any gunk out when running. if it stment screws, it might be time to give them a tweek. If not , maybe the jets need cleaning. I would try the carb cleaner first...
FWIW I use full syn 5W-30 as per the Briggs service manual. Their preferred oil is straight 30. I have also used truck oil (15W-40) with good results too.
I save the leftover oil from the oil changes on the Buick Encore, it's 3/4 of a quart each time. It's a mix of QSUD and PP 5w30. At the beginning of the season I have more than enough to do the 24hp B&S vtwin and the 16hp B&S single cylinder on my old Craftsman mowers.
There are some very stout sae 30's like a voa or uoa once done on the briggs and stratton but sae 30 can be a hit or miss. The briggs had a very impressive analysis where another detergent sae 30 was kind of crap. If it was my engine I'd just use an api CK only diesel oil.
