What to do if there is too much oil in lawn mower

What To Do If There is Too Much Oil in Lawn Mower

For your lawn mower to work efficiently, it needs sufficient oil for lubrication. However, you need to be extra careful with the amount you allot to your machine. If there is too much oil in lawn mower, the engine can stop working properly. Thus, you need to know what to do about the excess oil in your lawn mower. From preventive measures to quick solutions, we're here to help keep your lawn mower in top shape.

Effects of Excess Oil

Checking the oil in lawn mower

When there isn't enough oil in the lawn mower, the high amount of friction between the machine parts can result in an engine overheating. Likewise, too much oil is just as problematic. The lawn mower engine would need to produce more heat than usual, which also leads to overheating.

Moreover, excess oil will negatively affect the motion of the crankcase. If the oil drowns the crankcase, you need to remove it as fast as possible. This isn't as bad as having no oil at all, but it's still a bad thing.

A lawn mower engine filled with too much oil will lead to slow and irritating starts. Not every part of the engine needs to be exposed to oil. The muffler could release both white smoke and excess oil during operations.

Read also: How to Make a Lawn Mower Faster

Preventive Measures

To keep your lawn mower engine adequately lubricated, you have to check the amount of oil in the engine constantly. When you've just bought a brand new lawn mower, it's best to read the instruction manual to know the oil requirement for that given model. In case you do not have it, you can contact either the seller or the company. Usually, a lawn mower will need between 16 to 20 fluid ounces of engine oil.

Furthermore, you need to get the oil dipstick out and check the oil level indication. This will inform you about the amount of oil needed to fill up the crankcase. It is best to check the oil level if the engine is no longer hot due to recent mowing operations and if a significant portion of the oil is still in the crankcase. Remember not to do this hurriedly. Instead, you should fill the oil at only two to three fluid ounces per instance.

Removal of Oil

Maintain proper oil level in lawn mower

In some cases, it might be too late to remedy excess oil issues in your lawn mower without seeking professional assistance. Still, there are situations when you can rely on your patience and knowledge regarding proper oil removal.

The first thing you should do is to wipe the area around the crankcase with a clean cloth or rag. This prevents any unwanted dirt and other substances from entering the crankcase. Next, you should unscrew the tube so that you can drain all of the oil.

To ensure that the crankcase will have no oil left, it's best to tilt the machine on its side. This will also prevent both the carburetor and the combustion chamber from being exposed to the oil. If any of the excess oil does go into these parts of the lawn mower, the engine will begin to have problems starting.

At worst, you would have to contact a service professional to clean these lawn mower components. Do not rush the draining process, and make sure that it is drained into a capable oil container. You can also place some newspapers under the container in case some of the oil doesn't go inside.

On a related note, here's a video showing how to change the engine oil in a lawn mower:

Once the excess oil has been drained, it is a good idea to change the oil filter. If you use your lawn mower a lot, we recommend replacing the filter more than once each season. Lastly, the drained oil must be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

In the end, it is important to know the specific oil requirements of your lawn mower to prevent issues related to excess oil. While you can drain the oil yourself, you have to get professional help if the excess oil reaches other engine components.

We hope this article helped you a lot. If you have any questions, do give us a comment.


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