Lawn Mower Oil Lubrication – Why It’s Important and How/When to Do This

Engine oil runs through all the vital parts of the engine and reduces friction between the moving parts. Its value is the same as the blood running through our veins.

In this article, we are going to discuss the importance of an adequately lubricated lawn mower engine and what benefits you can get from it. We will also walk you through the process of changing the engine oil and when do you need to change the engine oil.

Let’s look at the importance of engine lubrication for lawn mowers

Importance

The basic purpose of engine oil is to stop metals colliding with each other. Its most important functions are listed below

Reducing Friction and Corrosion – Engine oil helps in reducing friction between the moving parts by acting as a cushioning layer among them. Engine oil has corrosion inhibitors which stop corrosion and wear and tear as oil oxidizes and guarantees better performance and longer engine life.

Cooling the Heat – A properly lubricated engine will ensure that the engine does not get overheated. The engine oil absorbs heat and keeps the moving parts cooled and properly functioning in their optimum temperature range. Cooling prevents energy loss, enhances performance, and fuel efficiency.

Cleaning – Engine oil keeps the sensitive parts of the engine clean and does not let dust accumulate on them. It has detergents added as additives that remove impurities and send it to the oil filter where they are trapped. It ensures engine cleanliness and stops any severe damage.

Sealing – Engine oil ensures that a film of engine oil is always deployed between the piston, cylinder, and other moving parts. It ensures zero-damage and gives better performance.

Fuel Efficiency – Engine oil and lubrication ensures better fuel efficiency. Your lawn mower will work more on less gasoline and give better results.

When to Change the Engine Oil

A lawn mower may use an oil change more frequently than your cars because of frequent heating and cooling. To assess the right time for engine oil for your lawn mower, you can do the following.

Hour Meter Reading – Some latest lawn mower models come with a digital working time meter. You can consult with the meter reading to pinpoint the right time for an oil change. For working hours with one oil change, you can check the user manual for details.

Estimated Running Hour Method – Most of the models do not come with an hour meter. They need an oil change after 25, 50, 75, or 100-hour working. The exact running hours will be mentioned in the user manual for each model. If you have such a lawn mower, you will need to keep a record of the running hours or estimate your running routine. We recommend that you change the oil at least 5 hours before the deadline. For example, if the recommended time is 50 hours, change the oil at around 45 hours of running.

Dipstick Method – After frequent uses for a couple of days or a week, you can check the engine oil manually. Take out the oil level dip and wipe it on a clean white cloth. If the cloth gets too dirty or black and has impurities in it, it is the time to change the oil.

Annual or Seasonal – Another way to ensure that your lawn mower does not run on dirty oil is a seasonal or yearly oil change. At the end of a mowing season, you must not only change the oil but also do general cleanup, tuning and sharpening the blades is recommended by lawn mower experts. It increases the life of your lawn mower and eliminates little problems.

How to Change Engine Oil

Changing the engine oil of your lawn mower is an easy task to do. Most of the people do it themselves. We will explain the procedure in detail. It will just take 10 minutes for the whole process.

• Tools Needed for Engine Oil
• Socket wrench for the drain plug
• Spark plug wrench
• Container for oil
• Disposable Gloves
• Mopping Cloths
• Newspaper/plastic sheets for covering the work area
• Bricks or timber for raising the mower from the ground
• New Engine Oil
• Oil Filter
• Oil Funnel

First of all, you need to find a suitable place for changing oil. Your garage, driveway, and outdoor places with concrete floors are suitable places for an oil change. Place a newspaper or a plastic sheet on the surface of the area where you plan to change the oil.

Prepping the Engine for Oil Change

You need to add little gas in the lawn mower and keep it running for 5 minutes. It helps drain the engine oil properly as it will make it more fluid. If you run the engine for a long time than 5 minutes, then its temperature will go up, and you may burn your hands while working. Put the lawn mower on bricks or timber for easy working and easy drainage of oil. Remove the spark plug as it is a safety measure.

Draining the Oil

Now you need to drain the oil. To find the exact location of the engine oil drainage nut, refer to the user manual. Open the nut and place the container below it to let the oil drain completely. Make sure you stay away from the flow of oil. The oil plug is unscrewed anticlockwise. Remember to drain all the oil. You may have to tilt the lawn mower a bit for the total removal of engine oil.  Do not throw away the drained oil in a drain or anywhere else. You can give it to a recycling facility or get it dropped at an oil change facility later on. If you are unable to drain the oil by tilting method, you can also use a siphoning pump for oil drainage.

Replacing the Oil Filter

If your lawn mower has an oil filter, it is recommended that you change the oil filter along with an oil change. Locate the oil filter with the help of the user manual. Use a wrench to open the bolt of the oil filter in an anticlockwise direction. Once the oil filter has been removed, clean the gasket opening and lubricate with clean and new engine oil. It must be properly lubricated, and all the dust must be wiped off from the service. Put in the new oil filter and twist it with your hand. Once it becomes difficult to tight it further with your hand, use a wrench to tighten it completely.

Refilling the Engine Oil

The last and next step is to refill new engine oil. Locate the engine oil opening. Put it the funnel to avoid spills. Now pour in the required amount of oil in the container and wait for the funnel to get empty totally. Make sure you do not let any dust particles enter the funnel. Do not overfill. Always put in the oil in quantity recommended in the user manual. Close the opening and check the level of oil with the help of dipstick. For a more accurate estimation of oil level in the engine, start your lawn mower for a minute or two and then check the oil level with the dipstick. Wipe off any spilled oil with the cloth, and you are good to go. Remember to connect in the spark plugs or any removed connections before you started working. It is also recommended that you check for any leaks.

Final Word