new craftsman mower..

Digital2k2 · Aug 17, 2004

yesterday I checked the oil in my new eager1 4.5hp 22" push mower and the dipstick had little metal flakes on it! this was only after 5 hours of use..
so I drained the oil and it was silver in color, a BUNCH of break in metal. put in some supertech hd30 for now, but eventually I want to put synthetic in it.. how many short intervals do you guys think it will take to flush out most of the break in metal before going to yearly changes with synthetic?

the main reason I want to put synthetic in it is hoping it might use a bit less gas and maybe keep it from bogging down as much in thick grass. think it'd really do much with either of those going from a 30 weight to 10w30 synthetic?

darrenc · Aug 17, 2004

On my Honda, I changed mine at 2-hours, 5-hours, and 10-hours. Now I just change it each year (about 25-hours/year). I never had visible metal particles with the Honda. However, on my B&S 3.5 edger motor, I did see lots of sparkles after the first change. By the second or third change, the oil was sparkle-free. I guess Honda has higher manufacturing tolerances (no real surprise here)

I broke both motors in with they oil they came with, then 10w30 Chevron Supreme. I now run Amsoil 10w30 or 15w40, or Schaeffer 7000 15w40. Basically, whatever I have on hand for my vehicles. I’ve never noticed any appreciable power difference with any of the oils I’ve run. But, when I use synthetic, the pull starter pulls easier.

Bill Kapaun · Aug 17, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Digital2k2:

the main reason I want to put synthetic in it is hoping it might use a bit less gas and maybe keep it from bogging down as much in thick grass. think it'd really do much with either of those going from a 30 weight to 10w30 synthetic?

Well.... you certainly won't save enough gas to pay for the synthetic.
I doubt you'd see any noticeable power increase due to the viscosity differences between HOT syn 10w30 & HOT 30 weight dino.
Keeping the blade sharp is FAR more important to cutting performance.
Cold starting should be a little easier with the syn during COLD temperatures. My 16 year old Honda takes 2 pulls during the early Spring instead of its usual 1 pull during the summer using 15w40.

Synthetic may be better, but you have to change your oil often enough to keep the grit/dirt down to manageble levels with either syn or dino. You don't have a filter to do that for you.

Steve S · Aug 17, 2004

Try a syn 20/w50 ,Amsoil or Redline and let us know if there is a difference in how the mower runs.

Digital2k2 · Aug 17, 2004

thanks for the replies, I'll probably change it one or two more times with dino then just for the heck of it give Mobil 1 10w30 a shot.
It only uses about half a quart so almost 2.50 a change isn't too bad =p

Digital2k2 · Sep 1, 2004

well, it's been about 3 more hours of use or so and the oil had a darker color with a few metal flakes in it again so I changed it tonight.

now that I just checked it after running it for about 5 min's with the new oil in there's a few lone flakes of metal and sometimes I'll get a dark streak on the dipstick. must be from the old oil that didn't get all the way out.

unfortunately this mower doesn't have a drain plug, so I have to tip it on its side and wiggle it back and forth doing my best to get the oil out the fill neck.

anyways, you guys probably aren't interested in all this babble lol but just thought I'd post.. figure I'll do at least one more dino change and short change interval then jump to synthetic.

Tremo · Sep 2, 2004

The absolute best thing you can do to minimize engine bogging in the tall grass is to sharpen the poop outta the blade. I mean get it razor sharp. Of course, you'll need to make sure all the rocks are removed from the lawn, hit a rock and she ain't sharp no mo'.

I removed the blade from my Sears mower, clamped it in a bench vise, then started in on it with a grinding stone chucked into the drill. get it as sharp as you can with that, then smooth it off with a 10 inch flat file.

Works wonders, my engine hardly slows at all now in the thick stuff.

Sounds like your recent oil changes are rinsing out some break in metal that's in the crankcase. I'd just run cheap Wally's World oil in it and change frequently until all that crap is out, then switch to a good oil.

If OTOH you're consistently getting metal flakes, that sounds like there's some problem in the engine. You might want to tear it down and see if you can spot a problem area.

I did not have an inordinagte amount of metal in the oil of my mower during breakin, and today there is none. I have the big 6.75 HP Tecum engine, runs like a champ. LOTS of power. I just wish it had a normal throttle instead of the ON/OFF crap you get in California these days.

You guys know any way around that? My engine has 2 speeds, full tilt or off. Any ideas?

Blue99 · Sep 2, 2004

Digital, try flushing the engine with a rinse, such as kerosene, to get the remainder of the metal particles cleaned out.

Draining thru the dipstick tube makes it tough to remove all the old oil!

The_Jeff · Sep 3, 2004

quote:

I did not have an inordinagte amount of metal in the oil of my mower during breakin, and today there is none. I have the big 6.75 HP Tecum engine, runs like a champ. LOTS of power. I just wish it had a normal throttle instead of the ON/OFF crap you get in California these days.

You guys know any way around that? My engine has 2 speeds, full tilt or off. Any ideas?

It's not really "full tilt or off" it's governed to a "safe" blade speed. On a briggs, and tecumseh might be similar, there's a governor that fights a spring that closes the throttle. Tightening or loosening the spring will change the blade speed. In the old days the speed adjust moved the other end perch of the spring. Maybe you can find a linkage off a scrap mower from the dump or fab one up.

Bill Kapaun · Sep 3, 2004

quote:

Originally posted by Tremo:
.... I just wish it had a normal throttle instead of the ON/OFF crap you get in California these days.

You guys know any way around that? My engine has 2 speeds, full tilt or off. Any ideas?

They are pretty much making them that way now, due to EPA regulations.
Chances are, the carb doesn't even have an idle circuit. Why put one in if it's not used?

Tremo · Sep 9, 2004

You're probably right about no idle circuit in the carb. There appears to be 2 adjust screws on the side of the carb, and both are locked down with some sort of strange locknuts that look to require a special tool. OK, so it's not "full tilt", but some lower and goverend RPM. I guess it would be more correct to say it's either off or on. The run speed on this bigger 6.75 HP engine seems to be a bit slower than on some of the smaller engines (with throttles) from years past. Anyway, the governor works pretty good, it maintains that one RPM regardless of load. Even in the heaviest of grass it maintains speed.

Do these new engines have "catalytic mufflers", with some catalyst action built into the thing? Seems I read something like that. I know a regular replacement muffler won't go on, there's no threads in the head's exhaust port. Muffler is held on by 2 bolts.

Digital2k2 · Sep 11, 2004

quote:

Do these new engines have "catalytic mufflers", with some catalyst action built into the thing? Seems I read something like that. I know a regular replacement muffler won't go on, there's no threads in the head's exhaust port. Muffler is held on by 2 bolts.

I sure hope they do. it's nice getting all the exercise pushing them around the yard, but the thought of breathing in all the harmful emissions isn't very comforting..

new craftsman mower..

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