How to Change the Oil in a Lawn Mower

When the oil in your lawn mower gets old it will turn dark in color and may have small pieces of debris in it. To keep your mower starting and running well it is a good idea to change the oil every spring. Here's how.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ratchets
• Oil pan
• SAE 30 wt. oil

1. Clean the outside of the lawn mower and remove any grass, dirt and debris from underneath the mower.

2. Tilt the lawn mower back and rest it on the handle. Locate the oil plug and drain hole, this should be somewhere around the mower blades.

3. Place the oil pan under the plug and loosen the plug with a ratchet. Using your fingers, finish removing the plug and wait for the oil to drain out into the pan. The oil will drain out quicker if you change the oil while the engine is warm.

4. Put the plug back in the drain hole and tighten it with the ratchet when the oil is done draining.

5. Tip the mower back upright and remove the dipstick or cap from the top of the lawnmower oil reservoir.

6. Fill the reservoir to the fill line using the oil recommended in your owner's manual or SAE 30 wt. oil.

Tips & Warnings

• When draining the old oil out of your mower do not worry about getting every little bit out. Some old oil will always remain inside the machine and that will not create any problems.
• As a safety precaution disconnect the spark plug wire before changing the oil so the mower's engine does not accidentally start while you are working on it.

[sorensentrees]

on 7/27/2009 I just saved myself a ton of time and a whole big mess by using an oil change vacuum pump to suck all the oil and debris out through the dipstick tube. I bought the LiquiVac system at Lowe's for $35 and changed my oil in just minutes. Plus, all the oil was sucked out into a portable container so I could transport it to the recycling center. You've got to try this thing. I found their website: http://www.liquivac.com