Oil Check on Cub Cadet 18M push mower

[Brybo86]

Do you guys check oil when the engine is stone cold or check it 5 minutes after shut down? Thing is I get drastically different readings depending on when I check it.

Owner's Manual says... "NOTE: Be sure to check the engine on a level surface with the engine stopped." So that means check it when the engine is hot? Or not? I have been checking per the manual rec of wiping dipstick clean and inserting it but not screwing it in.

When I check it after sitting for a few days the level is typically about 1 cm over the high mark.
When I check it a few minutes after turning off the engine the level is dead on the High mark.

Oil type is a leftovers frankenbrew of mostly 10w30 but some 15w40/10w40 and a bit of 5w20.

I do get a bit of blue smoke on cold starts for about 15-20 seconds.

 

[nitehawk55]

I like to check when cold before I use .
A few seconds of blue smoke on start up is normal and harmless unless it's using a lot of oil .

 

[boraticus]

I've found that when the oil is hot, I get a higher reading than when it's cold. Probably due to heat expansion. Check the oil when it's cold. That's the state it's in when you do a fill, right? Accordingly, that's the temperature you should be reading it at. Not that there's a great deal of difference. As long as the oil is registering somewhere in the readable range of the dipstick, it should be fine.

Nothing wrong with your "frankenbrew". Many of us do it and our mowers don't object. You'd be amazed how oil/lack of oil tolerant mower engines are.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Brybo86
When I check it after sitting for a few days the level is typically about 1 cm over the high mark.
When I check it a few minutes after turning off the engine the level is dead on the High mark.


Does it have an oil filter? The oil might be draining out of the filter when it sits causing the oil level to show high.

I could check it 3 minutes after shutoff and consider that the accurate reading myself.

 

[Brybo86]

No oil filter on this one, although I was just reading the service manual and it has a pcv valve...? go figure

 

[toneydoc]

Probably does not matter when you check it as long as it has oil that shows it is in the "safe" zone. If it burns a little, add a little brewski. It will not matter in the long run

 

[Dean85]

I check when the engine is cold.