Help Changing Oil

16 years ago

I have a 18.5hp Briggs & Stratton engine on my mower and every spring when I go to change the oil I have the same issues about how much oil to put in and need some help.

My owners manual I believe says that the oil fill capacity is 52oz (1538 ml). So to me when I drain the oil empty thats what I need to put back. Only I noticed that I appear to only drain about 24oz (700 ml) which means I was low on oil to begin with or Im not draining it completely. I dont tip the mower at all, I merely pull the plug and let it drain for about 15 minutes.

I asked someone at Lowes about this issue and he recommended putting in about 46oz to start then check the dip stick. I went ahead and put 36oz in and checked and it looked about right (the dipstick is pretty hard to read imo being clear and all).

Anyways, after about 40 minutes of mowing I stopped and noticed a faint oil burning smell coming from the front of the engine and when I went to check the dipstick I notice the oil was extremely hot. Another year I had what might of been a similar issue and had smoke coming from the engine and was told I had overfilled the oil so I decided this time to drain about 300 ml out. I ran the mower again but only for about 10 minutes but no burning smell. Now though when I check the dip stick its still very hot and definitely reads below the fill lines...

So Im puzzled, am I under or overfilling the oil? Are you supposed to check the dipstick when the engine is hot or cool? Is the oil supposed to be extremely hot? What are some good tips to making sure Im doing this right?

Thanks!

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Comments (4)

rcmoser
16 years ago
First of all read the owners manual on how to check the oil level, you see why later in my post.

First off drain the oil when the engine is hot (within 30 mins after shutdown) it will run out quicker and with dirt will still be supended in the oil. Next when you remove the oil filter the oil you put in the crankcase does not fill the filter up until you start it and run it for 3 or 4 min. So you would pour oil in most LT engine hold little over a quart, but some may hold up to or beyond two quarts depending on the model and size. If I don't know how much oil a Machine takes I measure it when I drain it. Now I got a ballpark Idea of how much oil it will hold plus what is in the filter.

Now you want to use the dip stick fill to top of the XXXXX's and start it up warm the engine up some 3 or 4 min. to let the oil filter fill up. Now let the LT set awhile 5 to 10 min. to let the oil completely drip down to the oil sump. remove the dip stick, wipe it off and install it. Now you got to know weather you manufacture instruct you to just lay the dip stick on top of the tube or actually screw it down to check the oil level? Briggs usually require you tighten the dip stick and Kolher requires it to be just layed in resting on top of the threads of the dipstick tube. Why do you need to know this? cause it will change the oil level by "1/4" to 3/8 maybe more" depending on the dipstick tube design.

OK, once you got the oil to settle in the crankcase and you know how to properly measure the oil level. you will remove the dipstick wipe it clean, drop it in the dipstick tube and pull it out. hole it sideways in the light to see where the oil stops, after the oil filter fills up it should be low, fill it till the oil level is in the dipstick XXXXX's area. Course you would want to add little at a time till you get and Idea how much oil will raise it a certain amount on the dip stick based on how big the oil sump cavity is.

IMO changing the oil once a year is not enough, unless you live in a dust free area where the summer temp. are 70 to 80 degrees and use the LT very little. But, that's my opinion

Once you get it in the XXXXX's area of the dipstick your good to go. I check my oil before every use and done it enough I know to the oz how much oil my engines hole and how much to pour in without over filling them. You just have to be consious of what your doing to get consistant routine. ALso, if you engine uses oil you would want to check it at least when you gas it up, but for me that's not a warm fuzzy feeling when I'm mowing!
ryuiuc
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the advice. Can you tell me though what are some indicators of filling to high vs. too low just so I can flag them. For instance, if I smell burning oil is that definitely due to too much oil being burned off. If it seems to run hot is that a sign of it being too low, etc...
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rcmoser
16 years ago
Yes, I believe the tractor will run hot and smoke if over filled, but if it was over filled enough to damage seals you may see smoke when enough oil leaks out on hot parts. Too low it will run hot also, low enough and it will lock up from the heat and will probably be ruint.

again the most wide spread problem is how to check the oil (screwed in or not to screw in) and not letting the oil settle to get an acurate reading, plus clean oil is hard to see and some oil gets pulled up the dipstick tube when you pull the dipstick out, thus leaving oil blotches above the dip stick itself. confusing some.

Again I would get in the habit of checking before you fire it up course after it has set for days or weeks, this is when the oil is thick and all dripped into the crankcase and can easily be read on the dipstick.
rcbe
16 years ago
IMHO, best not to wait to see/smell something when dealing with tractor engine oil levels. Always best to check it per the manual's procedure EACH and EVERY time you go to use it. An overfull/underfull condition will often do serious engine harm before your eyes/nose pick up on something wrong....