Checking the oil in your lawn mower is one of those tasks you want to do on a regular basis. For example, I check my lawn mower’s engine oil every time before using it because I want my mower to perform its best for as long as possible. So, here is my super simple guide on how to check lawn mower oil that will keep your mower running smoothly and make cutting your lawn all that more enjoyable. Let’s take a look.
Checking a Lawn Mower’s Oil Level (The Short Explanation)
To check the oil on your gas-powered lawn mower, you’ll need to locate the oil dipstick. Then, pull the dipstick from the engine and check the oil level on the end of the oil dipstick using the gauge provided. It’s best to clean the dipstick, insert it back into the engine, and then remove it again to get the most accurate oil level reading. Doing it this way will remove any oil from the dipstick that could give you a false reading.
Why It’s Important to Regularly Check How Much Oil Your Mower Has
The oil in your lawn mower plays a vital role in both the performance and overall engine lifespan. So, let’s look closely at what your oil is doing and why checking your lawn mower’s oil is so important.
Engine Lubrication
Inside your lawn mower engine, several moving parts move at high speed during operation. Now, if you rub metal on metal at high speed without oil or with low oil, these internal engine components will rub against each other, expand and wear down.
So, engine oil lubricates these parts and allows them to move freely without wearing each other down. A lack of oil is a sure way to seize an engine as the parts expand and lock together. Basically, the parts expand so much that they don’t have enough room to move.
Engine Cooling
When the engine’s parts are moving, they generate heat. So, even though the oil lubricates the engine to reduce friction, a considerable amount of heat is still generated. A lawn mower engine’s typical temperature when working under load is a few hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
So, if you don’t have the right amount of oil in your lawn mower engine, you’ll see higher temperatures. The oil keeps the engine from reaching dangerous temperatures, but this is only possible if the oil is at the correct level.
Maintain Engine Performance
If you feel that your lawn mower is struggling or not sounding so great, it could be down to a lack of engine oil. When an engine lacks oil, it exerts extra effort to move unlubricated engine components.
For example, if you take two pieces of metal and rub them together for a while, you’ll find that they get hot, and you’ll need to use significantly more effort than if they were coated in oil. This is the same principle for your lawn mower engine.
Avoid Premature Engine Wear
If you add all the side effects of low oil, you’ll end up wearing out your engine. In an extreme case, the engine will seize and lock up. But, if your engine oil is just a little low, then these factors will slowly eat away at your engine over time.
So, while you might not notice any significant symptoms of low oil, your engine is definitely suffering. Therefore, if your push lawn mower seizes after just a hundred hours of use, then low oil is more than likely a contributing factor.
By maintaining the correct oil level, you should get at least 500 hours out of a push mower, if not more, and at least 2000 hours out of a tractor lawn mower’s engine.
How to Check Your Lawn Mower Oil Level (Step By Step)
Now that you have looked at some of the problems low engine oil can cause, let’s move on to how to check your lawn mower oil. First, here’s a quick summary of the steps you’ll need to follow to ensure your oil is kept at the right level.
- Park the Lawn Mower on Level Ground
- Locate the Oil Dipstick
- Remove the Oil Dipstick
- Clean the Oil Dipstick
- Replace the Oil Dipstick
- Remove the Oil Dipstick
- Check the Oil Level
- Adjust the Oil Level
- Replace the Oil Dipstick
Park the Lawn Mower on Level Ground
The first step is to park your lawn mower on level ground. I usually park my lawn mower on my driveway since it is the most level area on my property. Also, it is conveniently close to where I store my oil, just in case I need to top it off.
Locate the Oil Dipstick
Next, locate the dipstick itself. Usually, you’ll find a little handle sticking out of the lawn mower engine’s side or under the oil filler cap. In either case, the dipstick is usually labeled with a picture of a little oil can. If the dipstick isn’t all that obvious, then you can always do a quick search in your owner’s manual for the location of the dipstick.
Remove the Oil Dipstick
Once you have located your dipstick, pull the handle or unscrew the filler cap and remove the dipstick from the engine. Just watch out for any dripping oil. Usually, I have a piece of paper towel ready to hold the end of the dipstick that sits lowest in the engine and to help me catch any oil that might drip onto my lawn mower or driveway.
Clean the Oil Dipstick
With the dipstick removed from your lawn mower engine, use a paper towel to clean off the end of the oil dipstick. Sometimes oil splashes up the dipstick, and cleaning it with a paper towel helps you get a more accurate reading of the oil level.
Replace the Oil Dipstick
Next, place your cleaned dipstick in your lawn mower’s engine. With the dipstick nice and clean, you can now get an accurate reading of the oil level.
Remove the Oil Dipstick
Then, remove the oil dipstick once again, being careful to avoid any dripping, and check the marking on the end of the dipstick.
Check the Oil Level
Looking at the end of the dipstick, you’ll see a few different makings. These can vary with different lawn mowers, but they generally have very similar markings. You’ll be looking for markings showing low oil, full oil, and the space between.
Sometimes you’ll just find a hatched marking, a checked pattern engraved into the dipstick. As long as the oil is sat between low and full or within the hatched markings, your oil is within the correct range.
Adjust the Oil Level
Now, if your oil sits below the hatched marking (closest to the end of the dipstick) or below the low marking, you’ll need to top off with some additional oil. Remember, you can’t use any oil, only specific oil designed for your particular lawn mower.
There are many different types of oil, and not all are designed for lawn mowers. Therefore, look in your owner’s manual for the type and the amount of oil your lawn mower uses. You’ll likely need only a few fluid ounces to top off your lawn mower.
Replace the Oil Dipstick
The final step is to place the dipstick back in your engine and secure it in place. Dipsticks attached to the oil cap must be screwed back in, whereas a pull-out dipstick must be firmly pushed back into its mounting position. The last thing you want is for oil to start spilling out of the engine when you use your lawn mower, making a mess and reducing the oil level in the engine.
Should You Check Lawn Mower Oil When Hot or Cold?
Should you check lawn mower oil when it is hot or cold? Two points here will affect your ability to check the oil accurately. First, checking oil when it is hot can actually be very dangerous. The oil can be over 2-3 hundred degrees Fahrenheit when the engine is hot. If this hot oil comes into contact with your skin, you’ll suffer pretty bad burns. So, I would never check the oil level of my lawn mower when the engine is hot.
The second point to consider is that if the oil is hot, it’s because the engine has just been used. The downside of checking the oil level when a lawn mower has just been used is that the oil is spread throughout the engine. If you take a reading of the oil level after using the mower, you’ll only test the oil that has managed to settle in the bottom of the engine, giving you a low reading.
So, always allow the engine to cool down, giving the oil time to settle in the bottom before checking your oil level. The last thing you want to do is add oil to an already full engine.
Mistakes You Want to Avoid
People make a few easily avoidable mistakes when checking the oil level on their lawn mowers. So, if you follow my step on how to use a lawn mower oil dipstick level and avoid these mistakes, you should have no problem getting an accurate oil level reading. Here’s a list of those issues you want to avoid.
- Checking Oil on Unlevel Ground
- Not Using the Dipstick Markings Correctly
- Not Pushing the Dipstick Into the Engine Correctly to Take a Reading
- Testing Oil While the Engine is Running
- Testing the Oil Level When the Oil is Hot
- Using the Wrong Type of Lawn Mower Oil
- Topping Off With Too Much Oil
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