No oil change required….ever?

[Ohio91]

Over the holiday weekend I had to purchase a pressure washer due to my old one being 25 years old and finally gave up. I ended up buying a pretty nice one on sale at Lowe’s with the Briggs and Stratton engine. Unpacked it, put the oil from the little container they send with it and all was good, wife’s car was clean again. While enjoying the evening I got curious as to how many hours before it needed an oil change. I opened the book and to my surprise it says no oil change required just check and add. Looked at the sticker on top and it says the same thing. Am I correct in assuming that now a days small engines are throw aways? Seems absolutely insane and wrong you pay $400 for something and you are told right off the bat to neglect it until the point it starts using oil. I have a small pump I think about mid summer I will extract the oil and do an oil change anyway. My grandpa called it a millennial engine I’m not entirely sure he is wrong

 

[Blinker]

You can still change the oil if you want but yes, small OPE engines are consumable items now. I suspect you will have issues with the pressure pump long before you have engine issues.

 

[Ohio91]

You can still change the oil if you want but yes, small OPE engines are consumable items now. I suspect you will have issues with the pressure pump long before you have engine issues.

There goes the small engine repair shops. Well I guess they could transition from engine repair to engine sells.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I think they're capitalizing on people who get 20 years of service out of these things without ever changing the oil anyway. Same with lawnmowers and snowblowers. Some people never change the oil in their home lawnmower or snowblower and it still lasts until it rusts away.

 

[BMW Dom]

I would change it after 5 hours. Then once a year.

It only takes about 5-10 mins.

 

[Dennywires]

my craftsman mower is the same concept i still change it every season..

 

[Kira]

1) "Seems absolutely insane and wrong you pay $400 for something and you are told right off the bat to neglect it" Even the Pope condemned the manufacturing of throw away stuff as immoral and wasteful.

2) Assuming the term, "millennial" can mean, "younger than me" (and it does) please remember that pimple-faced kids didn't make the corporate decision to make cheap, self destroying engines. Older guys did while hiding behind the credo of "maximizing profits for our shareholders".

3) Why don't we teach, "anti-wastefulness" in schools?

 

[yowps3]

1) "Seems absolutely insane and wrong you pay $400 for something and you are told right off the bat to neglect it" Even the Pope condemned the manufacturing of throw away stuff as immoral and wasteful.

2) Assuming the term, "millennial" can mean, "younger than me" (and it does) please remember that pimple-faced kids didn't make the corporate decision to make cheap, self destroying engines. Older guys did while hiding behind the credo of "maximizing profits for our shareholders".

3) Why don't we teach, "anti-wastefulness" in schools?

The world needs more minds like you.

 

[JC1]

They want people to be of the throw away mindset. I still change my oil every year.

Next warning will say to never use fuel stabilizer and use e85 only..... .

 

[carviewsonic]

To change oil on these engines would you lay it on it's side and drain out through the filler?

 

[xgmad]

To change oil on these engines would you lay it on it's side and drain out through the filler?

Yes, even that aren't marketed as no oil change is the same way. The smaller briggs engines don't have drain plugs.

 

[Snagglefoot]

To change oil on these engines would you lay it on it's side and drain out through the filler?

Yes, also that’s how you change it on a normal GCV Honda engine anyway. They never had drain plugs. You’ll probably spill oil the first time. I just use my oil pan that I use for my car.

 

[BigCahuna]

Alot if not most ope don't have oil drain plugs from the factory. That only leaves manually turning the motor upside down to drain the oil, or sucking it out thru the oil fill tube. There are a couple of U-Tube videos, that show you how to make a suction device from a shop vac, and old soda bottles, and some clear plastic hose. They seem to be cheap easy to use and fast. No need to turn anything upside down, maybe just tip it up to try and get every drop out of it. The one guy says it takes under a minute to drain a lawn mower's oil. But look's like it will work on mowers, power washer motors, snow blowers ect. Even if you have a drain plug, this looks to be a faster way to do it.,,,

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Yes, even that aren't marketed as no oil change is the same way. The smaller briggs engines don't have drain plugs.

That's how my parents is. Theirs isn't a briggs or even a MTD unit, but have to tip over and dump out the fill hole to change.

 

[JavierH19]

probably is an oil burning failure of a design that the marketing team salvaged and turned into a never change just add feature.

 

[Woody71]

Toro mower I bought a year ago has the same instructions and I will continue with annual OCs. I've always tipped the mower on its side to drain the oil, takes 10 minutes, part of my maintenance routine.

 

[ecotourist]

Yes, even that aren't marketed as no oil change is the same way. The smaller briggs engines don't have drain plugs.

The Honda engine on my 15 year old Craftsman mower doesn't have a drain plug either.

I tip the mower onto its side and drain the oil through the combined add and dipstick hole. And that's not as easy as it sounds. I put the wheels on that side up on a 2 X4 (to get enough height to completely drain the pan) and have my wife hold a small drain pan under the lip as I tip the mower over (so the used oil doesn't spill all over). But it still starts on the first or second pull so I'm not complaining.

 

[CharBaby]

Yes, also that’s how you change it on a normal GCV Honda engine anyway. They never had drain plugs. You’ll probably spill oil the first time. I just use my oil pan that I use for my car.

That's why HONDA want you to turn off the fuel flow to the carb and use up the gas in the carb. Years ago, I heard that when HONDA small engines are turned over to change the oil, the fuel/gas left in the float bowl can mess up the carb when turned over...IDK!

 

[Job]

My mower has a drain plug on the bottom, and on the side. I find it easier to tip it and put the oil pan under it. I think Briggs tells how they did it, better sealing and a good and well fitted air filter in part. They didn't just change the old engines to no more oil changes. I wouldn't have trouble following their advice, but wouldn't follow their advice, because I am older and crotchety about anything new or different.
Someone gave me a very new mower for free once, Craftsman. What she did was buy it and run the engine until it stopped, not puting any oil in it. Then some advisor told her it has to have oil. So she fills it all the way up to the top of the fill tube. More is better, right? Wouldn't run. I drained the oil and put the right amount of oil in. It started up after a few pulls and I gave it back to her. As far as I know it is still running it's a sure thing it has not seen an oil change or an oil check since I did it.

 

[Duffyjr]

My first couple B&S had a drain plug under the deck, what a pain that was, I'd much rather tip it on it's side or suck it out.