How much oil to put in a gasoline lawnmower

Can I put motor oil in the lawnmower?

Most modern lawnmowers use two-stroke, air-cooled gasoline engines. The working volume of the power units rarely exceeds 200 cubic centimeters. This design allows for moderate weight and efficiency.

In some cases companies make lawn mowers with water cooled four cycle engines. In this case, you should buy oil suitable for car engines. the construction of the internal combustion engines in this case will not differ.

General recommendations for lawnmower oil selection

Based on the above design of the engines, it is best to use a special lawnmower oil, and it must be suitable for the temperature conditions to which the machine will be subjected. Specialized SAE 30 grade grease is considered optimal. It is used at temperatures above 5 degrees.

If a special one is not available, you can use automotive grade greases:

These greases, too, are designed mainly for positive ambient temperatures and a maximum above 35 degrees.

According to the type of lubricant. mineral and semi-synthetic is allowed. Fully synthetic oil is too expensive. API performance level. “SF”, “SG”, “SH”, “SJ” and higher. The label should say “4T” on the engine label for four-stroke garden equipment engines.

About the frequency of oil changes

This is a particularly important aspect. it’s not just important to put fresh oil in the engine, but also to know when to do it. Too frequent changes would be a waste of money. Exceeding the recommended interval will result in increased engine wear.

The optimum oil change interval for your lawnmower model is indicated in the owner’s manual. Here, by the way, you can probably find recommendations for the most suitable lubricant brands. If there is no documentation, then you can rely on general recommendations:

• A new engine that’s just starting out should be drained and filled with oil after an average of 5 to 6 hours. Then repeat the procedure several more times at intervals of every 5-10 hours of machine operation.
• In engines operated in normal mode, change oil every 50-60 engine hours.
• The more mileage the engine gets, the more often you need to change the oil in it. In order not to miss the deadline, monitor not only the quantity but also the quality of the lubricant. If it has become quite dark, it is better not to top up with fresh oil, but to change it completely.

If you spend less than the normal number of hours mowing the lawn on your property over the season, you should refill with fresh oil before conserving the mower for the winter. And it is not unreasonable to use winter frost-resistant oil instead of summer oil. At least it will not degrade and change its volume under the influence of negative temperatures.

Better oil for lawn mower with a 4-stroke engine

Motors with 4-stroke systems determine by themselves how much oil is needed for fuel enrichment. There is no need to calculate and mix anything manually. You just pour the lubricant into a special tank and that’s it. Now you need to top it up as you use it up. It’s practical and handy, but these lawnmowers are expensive, and they cost a pretty penny if they break down. But the oils are even simpler. In fact, any summer motor oil with viscosity 30 units will do. But it’s better to use a specialised oil. It contains an extended range of additives designed specifically for these engines, taking into account all their peculiarities.

ROLF GARDEN 2T is a high-performance motor oil for small agricultural machinery. Compliant with API TC and JASO’s highest class TD for two-stroke engines.

Contains high-quality additives that provide the fluid with excellent detergent properties and ability to be used in a variety of conditions. Suitable for high load operation, meeting the strict environmental protection requirements and minimizing the amount of harmful emissions at work.

What to look for when choosing oil?

When selecting oil for your lawnmower, you need to pay attention to the manufacturer of the products. The brand you prefer is the one listed in the instruction manual. A large number of manufacturers of this equipment produce their own oils. These are to be used. They have a positive effect on the performance and service life of the equipment. When choosing, pay attention to the general characteristics of the lubricant listed in the instructions. It does not matter what you encounter, no matter what lawn mower: self-propelled or gasoline lawn mower. You do not need to buy the most expensive lubricant, it may not fit to a specific model. There is no “one size fits all”.

It is recommended to change the oil every 50 to 60 hours of mower operation

LIQUI MOLY 2-Takt-Motoroil

LIQUI MOLY 2-Takt-Motoroil 3958 is a semi-synthetic two-stroke motor oil with high quality synthetic and mineral components in combination with a special additive package. Ensures high reliability of the engines and protects them from damage and corrosion. The oil allows the use of various garden and motor vehicles in any season.

Honda lawn mower oil change

It’s time to change the engine oil in your Honda lawn mower. Honda typically installs GCV series engines on its lawn mowers. The recommended oil change interval for lawn mowers with Honda GCV engines is

I. First oil change after 5 hours or after the first month of operation.

II. Subsequent replacement should be done once every 50 moto-hours or once every season.

If operating in dusty conditions, the interval should be reduced.

To change the oil yourself you need to be prepared. First, prepare a site of at least three lawnmower area, we do not recommend changing on the sidewalk. Secondly, you need an oil-resistant small container with a capacity of about a liter. We also need a cotton rag and the oil for changing.

Before changing the oil, warm up the engine, turn off the engine, remove the spark plug boot cap and close the fuel tap. Then unscrew the oil filling plug, which also serves as a dipstick for checking the engine oil level.

We put a container under the drain, tilt the lawnmower and pour the used engine oil out. The oil volume in Honda GCV 135-190 series engines is 0.55 liters. You can leave it on its side for a while to let the oil drain out. After the draining procedure put the lawnmower on its wheels. And if you regularly check the level, then about half a liter of oil will be drained out!

Next, take the oil you have prepared for replacement. this is the oil that suits the operating conditions. If operating at temperatures between 0°C and 20°C, the oil must have a viscosity 10W30 of the SF or SG classification. if your lawnmower is working at temperatures between 5°C and 25°C the oil consistency should be 10W40. If operating between 0°C and 32°C. the oil viscosity should be 15W40, 15W50. And accurately through the oil-filler neck, if necessary, using a funnel, pour the oil into the crankcase. The volume of oil filled MUST NOT exceed the recommended oil volume, therefore when filling the engine, you should measure with a dipstick!

After pouring in oil, screw in the oil filler cap, put on the spark plug cap and start the engine. Then turn off the engine and after a couple of minutes, once again check the oil level. If the level is OK, the oil change is complete!

But we remind you that this is not all that is included in the procedures for regular maintenance, we recommend contacting us, we will perform a full set of works and prepare your lawnmower for trouble-free operation.

The next step in mower maintenance: Cleaning

Quality lawnmower maintenance is not possible without the elementary cleaning of the deck and the engine from the grass.

Getting rid of grass on the deck

Grass itself has an incredible corrosive effect on the machine, so periodically clean the DEKO

It is important to understand that the wet lawn can not be mowed in any case, because then the negative impact will increase in 2 times

Dry vegetation will fall away from the object by itself, and it will be possible to clean it with an air compressor or blower as well as possible. Some models are equipped with a special flushing nozzle that saves the user.

Getting rid of vegetation from the motor

As the motors of mowers are supplemented with air cooling, the entire system will work well only if the ribs will not be contaminated. Otherwise, you should expect overheating of the device and its rapid failure.

Best oil brands

Brands that produce high-quality motor oils:

• Mobil. this brand is characterized by fuel economy and efficiency;
• Zic. a product with a reasonable price and high quality;
• Castrol. a compound that increases the life of an engine;
• Shell. the highest quality synthetic oil from a German manufacturer;
• Total is a product made in Germany, recommended for Volkswagen cars;
• Motul oil. a lubricant for the engine, working with high loads.

Choosing an oil for a car, the user can find information about the product on the official website of the manufacturer.

Signs of Contaminated Fuel

Oil. not the only contaminated fuel. Water, sludge, and sticky gas left in the tank for a long time can cause engine problems. This contains that the engine spins and does not start, runs irregularly or loses power, dies during use and the engine smokes profusely.Often these difficulties can be solved by flushing the fuel tank with fresh fuel and cleaning or replacing the fuel filter. You can clean clogged fuel lines by running a pipe cleaner with petroleum solvent through them.

Oil gets in the fuel line

If you put oil in the gas tank and don’t see it until you try to start the engine, it’s probably in the fuel line and fuel pump.In this case, remove and change the fuel line. After changing the line, you can try starting the mower; if it won’t start, spray a little starter water into the carburetor of the motor and try starting again.

Features of lawn mowers

In the lawnmower engine is distributed by the crankshaft: it is taken from the crankcase and sprayed on the parts. Because of this design, the oil viscosity must be thick enough to keep the oil film on the parts but not too thick so that it interferes with part movement or forms a hard crust.

Lawn mowers, on the other hand, operate mostly in positive ambient temperatures, and the strain on their engines is not as severe as on car engines. Lawn mowers most often do not require a cold start in freezing temperatures, which greatly reduces the life of a car engine and requires low-temperature properties from lubrication.

The first refill is designed to work in the engine after five hours of operation, it is replaced, after which the new lubricant can be used all season. Subsequently, it is replaced according to the regulations after a certain number of hours of operation of the engine, or it is dried at the end of the summer season, and the next year is filled with new.

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Changing the engine oil in lawn mowers with two-stroke engines

The two-stroke engine is usually installed on grass trimmers (hand-held grass clippers). These machines have small dimensions and weight, so the number of parts in them is minimized. They do not have a separate oil tank and must be mixed with petrol and oil. This is where the amateurism is not appropriate. it is necessary to use only special oil for two-stroke engines and mix it with gasoline in the proportions specified in the instruction manual for the grass trimmer.

It is necessary to pay attention to the type of oil to determine the correct mixing ratio: for mineral oils, the ratio of oil and gasoline should be from 1:32 to 1:35, and for semi-synthetic. 1:50.

We would like to draw your attention once again. the canisters with oil for two-stroke engines MUST have “2T” marking!

The fuel mixture for two-stroke engines is prepared as follows:

• The canister is filled with the exact amount of gasoline (e.g. for a grass trimmer 5 liters),
• Then, using a dispenser, add oil (semi-synthetic. 100 milliliters)
• Close with the lid; stir well

Ready fuel mixture can be stored for not more than two weeks in a metal or polypropylene container.

Preparing the fuel mixture

To obtain a fuel mixture, engine oil is mixed with petrol in certain proportions. See manual for recommended ratios. For example, mineral lubricants are mixed with petrol at a ratio of 1 to 35, synthetic at 1 to 50.

• pour the exact amount of gasoline into the canister;
• add, using dispenser, required volume of oil;
• close the container with a lid
• mix the composition by shaking the liquid.

The prepared fuel mixture is simply poured inside the petrol tank, using a watering can for convenience.

The proportions of oil and petrol in the fuel mix are given in the table below. The manual is designed for rapid mixing of different materials.

The prepared mixture of gasoline and oil can be stored in polypropylene or metal containers for not more than two weeks. Do not store the composition in plastic bottles. This is due to the fact that gasoline reacts with the container material, and the resulting products get into the working mixture. Because of this more soot will be produced in the combustion of the composition.

It is allowed to refuel only when the engine is almost completely cooled down. It is important not to overfill the tank, as some space must be left for the thermal expansion of the fuel.

Follow the rules of fire and personal safety, when working on preparation and pouring the working composition away from the sources of fire.

Read the label on the oil

SAE number is a code used to classify oil according to its viscosity. Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of the fluid to flow, sometimes called the “thickness” of the fluid. The smaller the number, the easier the fluid flows. Engine oils are labeled from 5 to 50.

Temperature can affect the viscosity of the fluid, so different oils are rated for winter, indicated by the letter “W”. Different grades of oil (e.g. 10W-30) can be used at both summer and winter temperatures because the oil will not thicken at lower temperatures due to the additives.

Lawnmower oils

So what oil to put in your mower? One factor to keep in mind is the climate of where you are. Different oils work best at different temperatures, and not all are suitable for your equipment.

Make sure to check your owner’s manual for the manufacturer’s recommendations for your lawnmower. We’ve written this guide to help you choose between the most common oils.

SAE-30

This is the most frequently used oil type for lawnmowers, as it is ideally suited to temperatures between 4°C and 37°C. If it’s colder than 4 degrees outside, you hardly need to mow your lawn. Overall, this is the best choice for an inexpensive oil that can be used in a lawn mower from spring through fall.

SAE 10W-30

This oil has a wider temperature range, from.17°C to 37°C. Since this type of oil can withstand colder temperatures, it can also be used in other engines. Snow blowers, for example. If used at temperatures above 28 degrees, oil consumption may increase.

SAE 5W-30

This oil performs best at temperatures below 4°C. So it’s perfect for your snow blower, but not for your lawn mower.

SAE 5W-30 Synthetic

The synthetic version of the 5W-30 oil has a wide temperature range in which it can be used, from.28 to 48°C. This oil works year round. This oil helps start engines and lowers consumption, but is also more expensive.

SAE 15W-50 Synthetic

This oil also has a high temperature range, from.6 to 54°C, but performs best at higher temperatures. It is usually used for commercial lawn mowing equipment.

Oil for four-stroke engines

For petrol lawnmowers with four-stroke engines the lubricant must be filled into the opening in the crankcase and the petrol in the petrol tank. The owner’s manual for each petrol and lawnmower includes recommendations for how often to change the lubricant. However, keep in mind that the effectiveness of the lubricant decreases after about 50 hours of total machine operation. In cases where small areas need to be mowed, even in one season this many working hours may not be accumulated. This means that you only need to change the lubricant to preserve the machine for the cold season.

The process of changing the lubricant step by step is as follows:

• First of all, the engine unit run for 15 minutes at idle speed, in order to warm it up (in this case, the viscosity of the old substance will decrease, but its fluidity, on the contrary, will increase);
• Next, the plug of the oil hole on the crankcase is unscrewed;
• The lawnmower itself is tilted in the direction of this drain, previously placing a container for the collection of used lubricant;
• After draining the used material, the plug is screwed;
• The unit is placed on a level surface;
• The upper crankcase opening is opened and a new lubricating substance is poured in, its level being checked periodically with a dipstick;
• When the level reaches the correct level, the filler hole is screwed tightly with a plug (standard volume of grease can vary from 500 to 600 milliliters).

Professionals believe possible (and it justifies the practice) to use in four-stroke engines, not only brands recommended by the manufacturer of the mower oil, but also their close analogues. For example, “10W40” can be substituted for “SAE-30”. Practically any lubricant in the “SF” class and above will do for most modern mower models. During the cold season and for conservation purposes, special frost-resistant brands should be used.

Masters advise not to pour the used liquid directly into the soil. it is very harmful to the environment. It is better to use special containers for collecting “waste” and dispose of it at special landfills.

Rating of the best lawnmower oils for 2022

Oils for four-stroke engines

This lubricant has several degrees of protection, so if you buy it in almost any store, you can be sure of its quality. Judging by the feedback, this fluid is of high quality and can be successfully used in appropriate engines. It contains a balanced set of additives, providing increased efficiency, and the medium consistency significantly expands the temperature range of application. Installed