Pumping Oil Out Of Lawnmower Engine?

[shoppa]

How big is your lawnmower? Tipping it over is the usual method, at least for a small push-mower!

Tim.

[Gideon]

Bill,

I've been using the "tip it over to drain" method for decades and it works fine for me. I always do this down at the curb. I place the drain pan in the street by the curb and I roll the mower up near the street with 2 wheels on the concrete curb and 2 wheels on the lawn. I then tip the mower so that 2 wheels remain on the curb.

I usually let the mower idle for a few minutes before draining the oil so that the oil flows better. I refill with oil, mow the lawn, and then drain/refill again. That may be obsessive, but we don't change oil that often and the extra cost and effort is really rather minimal.

My first mower was a cheaps generic model with a B&S engine. It lasted

25 years with oil changes once per year and the engine looked fine when I tore it down before tossing it in the trash. I needed/wanted a better mower with self-propel since my 11 year-old son was starting a mowing business. Otherwise, I probably could have gotten another decade out of the old mower. (Note: I changed the oil once per month during the first year. See comments below about break-in.)

If we still had 4 cycle engines on our main mowers, then I'd be changing oil at least once a month since the son is mowing about 10 lawns per week now. I switched to 2 cycle engines, so obviously we aren't concerned with oil changes anymore. We do have 2 backup mowers which seldom get used and they get the "tip it over to drain" treatment every fall, even if they haven't been used all season.

By the way, if your engine is well broken-in, consider a switch to "Mobile 1" or a similar high quality synthetic motor oil. I would consider the mower to be broken-in at the end of one mowing season, assuming that you are mowing at least once per week throughout that season. Likewise, if you are very concerned about optimal treatment of the engine, then you should consider adding a ounce or so of "Tufoil" along with the "Mobile 1". But only after the engine has been properly broken-in. Tufoil contains extremely fine PTFE particles (ie, "Teflon" particles) plus soluble molybdenum and is considered the best engine oil additive by many serious DIY types. Cheap PTFE additives have poor quality control and may contain poorer grades of PTFE (all "Teflon" is not the same) and improper particle sizes.

Also, if this is a new mower, then change oil frequently during the first season. There is no filter on a typical push mower engine and the engine produces a lot of very fine metal filings when it is going through the break-in period. This is a normal and necessary process, but it is important to minimize subsequent damage which can be caused by those fine metal particles. Draining and replacing the oil frequently during the break-in period is the only way to prevent the damage from this debris.

Good luck, Gideon

PS: Most advise that I have listed above is also applicable for auto engines, although I've had poor luck tipping the minivan over at the curb to drain the oil. But I'm still trying. :)

==============

Bill

[m Ransley]

They all have oil drain plugs

[Harry Everhart]

Hi Bill -

My lawnmowers have drain holes at the bottom of the engine - just remove the plug and it drains. Check around the bottom of the engine for a bolt

- loosen it - see what happens.

Harry

[notspike]

I have a toro self propelled that doesn't have a drain plug. I hav eto tip the mower on its side to drain out the fill tube.

[SteveB]

You have to understand Ransley. His mentality is that if he hasn't seen it, it doesn't exist. And it doesn't help that you write in that you have one, and it has no drain plug.

He doesn't believe there is a Statue of Liberty, St. Louis Arch, or a Grand Canyon, either, because he has personally never been there.

So, when dealing with Ransley, you must understand who and what you are dealing with.

HTH

STeve

[m Ransley]

I have never seen a motor without a drain plug somewhere, whether it is under the deck or not it may be hard to find. Draining from the lowpoint will remove more sediment , or it will stay inside not fully draining. Many plugs are magnetic to hold metal shavings, this is another reason to remove and clean the plug.

[JimL]

I've heard lots of guys say NOT to use synthetic oil on old engines

- 100,000 miles plus. What's your take on that?

[sleepdog]

Tip it carb side up, you can do it with a walk behind mower. How do you expect to sharpen the blades?

[Bill]

What is a cheap and effective method of removing oil from your lawnmower engine? I want to change the oil in my lawnmower and I am seriously considering just tipping it over to drain the engine oil...

Bill

[Bill]

it's just a John Deere self propelled walk behind mower with a Kawasaki engine on it...

Bill

[Joseph Meehan]

My mower has a drain plug and the manual recommends either using that or just removing the oil cap and tipping the mower, which is what I do. Easier than fooling with some sort of pump.

[Pop]

No, they don't! Most do would be correct. Some, like one I have, give instructions on how to tip it over to get the oil out, or suggest siphon or drill-pump.

Never say never I guess.

Pop

[Stormin Mormon]

Chrysler minivans took care of that for you. One of the mini engines they made, the threads for the oil filter were a tiny bit smaller than the usual filter. You'd go get your oil changed, and a hundred or so miles later the oil filter would pop off. And a mile after that the engine would sieze up.

[Stormin Mormon]

Some walk behind mowers have a drain plug. I just put two buckets about a foot apart, lift the mower up. Drain pan under the mower, and then lay on my back to get at the drain plug with a wrench.

Some models, tipping it over is also pefectly valid.

[Pop]

True, tipping the mower is OK to do if there isn't a drain plug or it won't come out.

Only caveat is, when you turn the mover over, position it so the spark plug doesn't point downward during the tip. You can end up letting the oil into places that will make it awfully hard to get started. The oil systems is NOT sealed on most lawn mower engines, plus oil can seep in between the rings in an older engine.

Pop

[Gort]

One thing that seems to not get mentioned ( except in the manuals, which obviously don't get read) is that before tipping a mower for ANY reason it is imperative that the spark plug wire be disconnected. Unless, of course, you want to be known as "3-fingers Jack", or some such.

Pontification concluded; we now return you to your scheduled broadcasting. ;-)

[Joseph Meehan]

Will I have never had a mower get 100,000 miles on it, but for cars the advice was given because synthetic for a couple of reasons would tend to seep past oil seals and start leaking on some older automobile engines. This does not apply to lawnmower engines. Nor does it apply to current synthetic oils or cars, as both have changed.

I have never bothered to use synthetic for a mower, but I can't see why it would hurt and it would have some advantages.

[Joseph Meehan]

Nice trick. I would have to use that, or something similar.

PTFE should not be a problem in mowers, but I would not use it in a modern automobile engine.

[ds549]

ive worked on some honda mowers that had no drain plug and the manual said to drain out of the dipstick tube. i dont think you get it all out tipping or removin the drain plug.many shops are goin to the suction method, but i have to tip the mower to get the blade offf so i pull the drain plug if it has one and let it drain while sharpening the blade.. lucas

[Red Sox Fan]

You could try an oil extractor. These are great. Use din marine applications, also used for autos. Try

for oil extractors.