No Oil Changes

The automotive-style paper air cleaner element and the improved oil fill tube protect the engines from debris, keeping the oil clean, eliminating the need for an oil change.

https://www.briggsandstratton....-add-technology.html

Special engineering allows these engines to run their full life without ever needing an oil change.

https://www.briggsandstratton....series--engines.html

There's one on this mower I e-looked at:

https://www.qcpowerequip.com/n...ower-21311-29008881b

Changing mower oil is so simple even I can do it, I am VERY hesitant to buy this.

Does anyone have one?

Don’t have one of those but I had a mower I bought from Sears decades ago.
After about 10 years I changed the air filter…because it was falling off.
Never did change the oil in 20 years! (I topped it off once)
It never failed to start on the second pull and when we moved it went to the dump.

quote:

The automotive-style paper air cleaner element and the improved oil fill tube protect the engines from debris, keeping the oil clean, eliminating the need for an oil change.

Hmmm... I'd like to see the color of the oil after about 10 years.

color me skeptical. Always had a sponge filter soaked with oil. Changed every fourth cut. New mower with paper filter. Note the design had the filter close to the discharge. No mention of changing filters. Ran rough and took it in under warranty. Home Depot would NOT cover because the cylinder was scored. Last mower I bought. BTW it was a Briggs and Straton.

I can see a time when buying oil at Walmart will be considered the "good old days".

I never change the oil in my lawnmowers either. Never had any problems

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Hmmm... I'd like to see the color of the oil after about 10 years.

Black isn't a color.

The 18 year old oil in my B&S generator that I ran once 18 years ago looked slightly darker than the 18 year old oil in my other B&S generator that had never been run. That oil looked new. I still changed the oil in both before using them to power the my house and a neighbor’s house after Ian. I’ll change it again before I use them again.

I can’t imagine not changing the oil on a mower at some point. I have one in Michigan the gets used 4 times each summer. I change it at the beginning of summer every two years. That works out to 15 months on the same oil with about 16 hours of runtime.

Any engine will "run their full life without ever needing an oil change". How long that life is can vary. But I do believe they could pull off many years in this way. I also believe that an oil change would increase the life expectancy, and that in my mind is unquestionable..

Just depends on how long you want the mower’s life to be. Briggs and Stratton isn’t interested in your engine lasting a long time. Especially now that their main competitor (Honda) has announced that they are going to quit making gasoline powered lawnmowers.

They probably figure their new competition is battery powered mowers “you never have to change the oil on one”!

Interesting.

My previous mower was a cheap push model, probably chinese brand from walmart, used, I got from a cousin. That one, the deck rusted out.

My brother knew I was looking for a replacement and snagged me a Troy-built honda self propelled.
I went to change the oil. No oil plug. WTH?

I bought a pump to extract the oil and the hose wouldn't fit. WTH?

I had to tip the mower over an oil tray to get some of the oil out. WTH?

Why make disposable lawnmowers that are such a pain?

quote:

Special engineering allows these engines to run their full life without ever needing an oil change.

More like special marketing makes you buy another.

The Toro I bought 7 years ago had a B&S engine that said the oil never needed to be changed.

After 5 hours I changed the oil and have done so on an annual basis.

It is still running.

I had a Briggs and Straton powered mower I purchased new in 1989. Never changed the oil on it and only checked it 3 or 4 times. Set it on the curb in 2018 because the carb was shot and it was so old a replacement wasn't available anywhere except ebay.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Scooter123,

It wouldn't matter what the manufacturer says . I would change it at least once a year .

One year I was mowing at the lot and the Toro threw a rod.

On the way home I see a Murray mower setting outside a storage facility, FREE TO A GOOD HOME. So I stop and get the mower and place it in the back of the pickup.

I knock on the door of the office to find out the story of the mower. Seems that the moving company wouldn't take the mower.

In the mean time, two Spanish guys are taking the mower out of my pickup. I had forgot to take the sign off the mower.

That mower lasted a long time and you had drain the oil through the fill tube. The deck rusted out but the engine was still good.

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
It wouldn't matter what the manufacturer says . I would change it at least once a year .

I agree, what some people don't realize is these little lawn mower engines are far harder on oil than their car. They run at maximum power much of the time with the air filter down in all the grit that's being blown up by the blades, and most don't even have an oil filter!
All my mowers do have filters and they get changed with full synthetic oil every Fall after the last mow.

But we've heard the stories "I never changed oil just added it and it lasted 17 years, so I'm not gonna start changing oil now!"

Talk to someone who takes engines apart and rebuilds them, they'll tell you what filthy, worn out oil does to an engine, any engine.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
I has a Briggs and Straton powered mower I purchased new in 1989. Never changed the oil on it and only checked it 3 or 4 times. Set it on the curb in 2018 because the carb was shot and it was so old a replacement wasn't available anywhere except ebay.

So you set it on the curb in 2018 and no one would take it?

Briggs and Stratton sells a siphon kit that is the right size and depth to remove the old oil from EXi engine reservoirs. It says never change it, but that would be a mistake. I think a normal siphon would probably work too, but they also make a bigger 4.0 L version.

https://shop.briggsandstratton...430k-oil-removal-kit

I have one of the yard machines branded mowers with this type of Briggs and Stratton engine on it. You have to check the oil every time you run the mower to make sure the level is within spec. I don't have a ton of hours on mine as of yet but it will need an oil change this summer once the grass really gets going. It makes zero sense that they wouldn't have included a drain plug to maintain it, as this type of engine can last a long time if you keep up with routine maintenance.

My mower is one of the "Never change the oil" but you do have to add oil. The mower is 5 years old with no issues.

I have used the Pennzoil pump from Walmart when the oil was hot.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pen...g=L1600&from=/search