Most lawnmower owners tend to ignore the engine oil level where very few check the engine oil level before each mowing. This is a good practice that will keep your engine long-lasting. But do you know how often to change lawn mower oil?
You should at least change your oil for every 50 hours of mowing. Or if you leave your mowing idle for a long time, drain the previous oil and add new engine oil. If you have used the mower for not more than 30 hours and the previous mowing season is going to end, you should change the oil. This prevents the malfunctioning of the engine and removes unwanted friction.
Why Should We Change Engine Oil?
The best thing you could do to reduce huge expenses on lawnmower maintenance is to change the engine oil periodically. You can clean the carburetor, use the right kind of gasoline, etc. But changing the engine oil for every 50 hours of mowing is the best thing you could do to keep your engine running without any problem.
Changing the oil constantly will keep harmful debris, dust, and acid particle at bay. If you don’t change the oil periodically, the oil will lose its quality and can result in the degradation of engine parts by harmful acids. Clean oil will help the engine to cool down faster and help distribute the heat. This will allow you to use your engine longer than usual.
Not draining the old oil will become sludge and will engine’s stress and insulate the heat that is trying to get out. Continuous usage of a mower with the old oil eventually leads to catastrophic failure in your engine.
How To Change The Engine Oil
We are going to see how to change the engine oil of your lawnmower. In order to change the oil, you have to drain the oil first. You can’t simply drain the oil by pouring them down. So you have to follow the instructions.
First, run the engine for 10-15 minutes which will let the engine warm up the oil. At room temperature, the engine oil’s viscosity will be higher. When the viscosity is higher, we can’t drain the oil. To reduce the viscosity, we are running the engine for a few minutes to warm up the oil.
Then, turn off the engine and pull out the spark plug. This is a vital step to prevent the engine from accidentally turning on. You don’t want the oil to splash all over your face when you are trying to drain it. So, remove the spark plug beforehand.
The next thing you should do is check the engine oil level. You can do it by using a dipstick. Most lawnmowers have a dipstick attached to the engine oil tank. You can remove the dipstick by rotating the dipstick cap anti-clockwise. You can see the engine oil level on that dipstick. If it is lesser than 50% it needs to be changed immediately.
Now tilt the machine in a way that the carburetor and air filter are higher than the engine oil tank. This is to prevent the engine oil from entering into the carburetor while we are draining. Make sure to have a cloth rag or drying pan beforehand to catch the spillage.
Use the dipstick tube to remove the oil from and pour it on the drying pan and wipe off excess oil with a cloth rag. Don’t let the oil splash on any other parts of the mower. Reinsert the dipstick to check whether there is any oil left in there. If you find no trace of oil in there, we can proceed to fill in the new oil.
Take a funnel and place it in the mouth of the tank. This is to prevent any wastage of new engine oil by spilling it. Now pour the oil into the tank through the funnel until it is 95% full. Don’t let it overflow which can later cause some issues in the carburetor. Close the lid or cap tightly and run the engine for only 5 mins. Now, your engine will perform like a new one.
How Often To Change Honda Lawn Mower Oil
You have to change oil for a honda lawnmower just like every other lawnmower. But the advantage of a honda lawnmower is that you can delay oil change for up to 60-70 hours. A typical lawnmower requires an oil change every 50 hours of mowing whereas you can change oil for a honda lawnmower after 70 hours of mowing.
However, it is advisable to change oil within 50 hours like every other lawnmower. If you are using the lawnmower for the first time, it should be changed within the first five hours of use.