lawn mower oil type?

[albert smith]

I have a craftsman 4 horse power... what type of oil should I add? I just bought a 2-cycle oil.... but I don't know if is the right one

thanks

[Geoman]

On your mower is a model number. Write it down and call sears and ask them. If you use a 2 cycle oil in a 4 cycle motor you will probably have to buy a new mower.

[Joseph Meehan]

I don't think they are selling very many two cycle power mowers any more. Two cycle oil is the stuff you mix with the gasoline.

While I suspect you need standard four cycle, it depends on the mower. The manual should tell you, if you lost that check the model number of go to the Sears web site, they may have an on-line manual.

[jhill]

If you mean oil in the crankcase, many mowers use fixed 30-weight oil. Most

[m Ransley]

If it has a crankcase its a 4 stroke , use 10-30. 2 stroke oil is mixed in the gas of 2 strokes

[tnom]

Is it a Briggs and Stratton motor? If so it's a 4 stoke engine that can use either straight 30 weight oil or 10w-30.

Use straight 30 weight if the engine never gets below 40 degrees F on start up, or 10w-30 if the engine might get started at a temperature below 40 degrees.

A straight engine oil is preferred because it's less likely to leave deposits upon break down.

[HRL]

As others have said I expect you have a 4-cycle engine which uses oil in the crankcase. The owners manual will usually specify a 30 weight oil

I found several years ago that air cooled engines are an application where synthetic oil really shows it's stuff.

I recommend 5W30 Mobil 1. Don't let that 5 weight number concern you. That is the viscosity of the oil at 32F. At that temperature it is still thicker than 30 weight when it gets to operating temperature of 212F. (all oil get thinner as they get hot). With an air cooled engine you can see temperatures higher than that. Another advantage of synthetic is that it does not thin as much when it gets hot and therefore does not need the viscosity improvers to make the multi-grade.

[Phisherman]

Two-cycle oil is not the same as regular oil. Read your Owner's manual. My 4-cycle uses 30 weight oil, but yours may be different.

[Yaofeng]

One more question. I know what to use in my 4 cyc mower. Is it okay to use synthetic oil? I no longer use fossil oil for my cars.

[HRL]

Yes. I have used Mobil 1 5W30 for years. I previously posted on that subject on this same thread.

[Steve]

RTFM

[Walt Conner]

If you bought it new, it came with an owner's manual which should say what oil is recommended. If you don't have an owner's manual, asking what oil is like saying "how far is up?"

What brand of engine does it have? Is it a 2-cycle? (doubt it), a Tecumseh? Briggs & Stratton? Honda?

Walt Conner