Sears Craftsman Lawn Mower

[metroplex]

My dad has this 1990s Sears Craftsman lawn mower - I forget what engine he has, but he's kept it running very smoothly. He uses conventional 10w30, but I kept telling him to switch to synthetic.

Do you know what oil would protect the engine the best? the manuf specified 10w30.

 

[metroplex]

BTW he's had it for like 13 years, it's super quiet... compared to my neighbors brand new lawn mowers, his Sears mower is super super quiet and actually cuts right. The newer mowers for some reason can't cut for sh*t and make a huge racket. I keep telling my dad to get Mobil 1 10w30 in that engine, so he can grab a few extra ponies

 

[penzdude]

i beleive that the earlier eager 1 craftsman engines were made by tecumseh. ususaly these called for a 30hd oil. the newer ones are made by briggs and may in fact call for a 10w30. {ohv motors} i have used mobil 1 10w30 in my lawnboy which has a tecumseh which specifies 30hd with no consumption problems etc. but why argue w/success? if it's quiet, cuts well, and has lasted 13 yrs he must be doing something right! lol. i use the mobil 1 10w30 supersyn in my 41/2 hp briggs on a yardman leaf vac and honda 5hp ohv motor as well. mike

 

[metroplex]

Hi Penzdude: Yeah I just checked it.
It's a mid to late 80s Sears Eager 1 (solid state ignition).

My dad claims the manual says to use 10w30 only. He blew up a lawnmower that called for SAE 30 by using 10W-40. Don't ask me how but he killed it rather quickly. So he got a new Sears Eager 1 and followed the instructions to a T. So far its been running quieter than everyone else's (that are actually brand new models) and cuts like its got something against grass. Maybe its the moly in the Pennzoil?

 

[NThomas]

sears mowers are made by AYP and is now called EYP they do you Techumseh engines for the most part even today. they also use Briggs & Honda engines. but cutting the grass well has nothing to do with the engine and more on the blade and deck design.I am, however, surprised that the mower lasted this long but there are a few still out there.(Sorry hate Sears mowers) the biggest reason for mower engines to fail is dirt consumption. I have always used SAE 30 in my mower with no problems. just remember to change airfilter, sharpen blade, and change oil at least once a year.

 

[cangreylegend]

I thought all "Craftsman" products have lifetime guarantees?

 

[Propflux01]

That pertains only for the tools..

 

[sbc350gearhead]

I just bought a craftsman mower last weekend. Everyone that I know who owns one, loves it and won't own anything but. I have never owned a craftsman mower, so we'll see how it goes. My mother has a Airens, which is the biggest piece of crap that has ever been called a mower. It has a 5hp tecumseh engine that is terrible. She has owned it 10 years and every year it goes into the shop for repair......usually 100 bucks a pop. The POS has used about 6 ozs of oil per use since it was brand new. I don't think I would ever own a tecumseh engine after seeing that one.

 

[bretfraz]

The Tecumseh manual I have for my mower states to use 30W only but that 10w30 is OK and 5w30 is suggested for temps under 32F. 10W-40 is a no-no and is not suggested under any circumstances. My engine manual states in block letters: DO NOT USE SAE 10W-40 OIL.

If the 10w30 has been working for dad for the past 13 years I see no reason to switch. I've tried Mobil 1 10w30 in my 4HP Tecumseh with no noticeable improvements over Scheaffers 30W Moly Bond. Both are great oils for a lawnmower engine but are prolly overkill.

[ July 13, 2003, 11:11 PM: Message edited by: bretfraz ]

 

[Schmoe]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[FowVay]

I have one of those late 80's/early 90's Craftsmen push mowers. It has actually been a great little mower. It has a Tecumseh 3.5 horsepower engine (I believe) and other than the typical Tecumseh carburetor problems, it's been trouble free. The sticker on the side calls for either SAE 30 or 10w30. I used the German Castrol 0w30 in it for the first part of summer and it worked well except the exhaust smell was just too strong. I didn't notice that the oil was being consumed from the dipstick but it sure was burning something. Just this weekend I replaced the Castrol with Schaeffer's 10w30. Hopefully it will reduce the exhaust smell to a less headache inducing odor.

I removed the head from the engine on saturday just to see how it looked and it was hideous. I used my exacto scraper to scrape the 1/8th inch thick carbon from the head and from around the valves. I then took the wire wheel on my drill motor and gave it a thorough decaronizing. I'll check it again at the end of this summer to see if I just have a dirty running engine. I must admit that the little round airfilter hasn't been changed as frequently as it should have and this may have caused the rich condition which would contribute to the carbon.

I sure am in a talkative mood this morning...

 

[TheTanSedan]

Keep running in it what works. Straight 30W is hard to beat. Just change it more often.

On the other hand, LUBE CONTROL sure cleaned up the piston crown on an overnight soak on mine (Tehcumseh, 3.5 or 4.0 HP), and a quickie flush with same sure didn't hurt.

FUEL POWER definitely smoothed out the running on this and on the other equipment.