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In my mower's manual, it says to change the oil every 12 hours and the spark plug every 56 hours.

In the real world what should I reduce those to ?

I have already made up my mind to reduce the oil change time to 5-6 hours (that is basically a years worth of mowing for me so that is easy to keep track off, just change it at the start of every mowing season!), and as for the spark plug, what (if any) should I reduce that to ?

Mower:

2011 Sovereign
Push mower
149.3CC, 3.5 Horse Power Briggs & Stratton engine


Thanks in advance! :wink:

12 hours? Really? I would expect that to be for the break in...then longer after that. If you plan to change it every 5 to 6 hours (your season), that would be fine. I would change the plug every few years, and don't forget the air filter.

In reality, you could change the plug, air filter, and oil at the start of each season; and it wouldn't hurt a thing.

Nope, it says 5 hours for run in, and then 12 hours after that.

Also, would the 10W40 4 Stroke oil I'm using just now be fine ? As I think the manual says to use 10W30...

Does it really make any difference with those B&S engines ?

Wow...I feel bad now...I have an older 3.5HP B&S that probably gets the oil changed every couple years if its lucky! I probably put over 50 hours on it between changes! And I'm not sure I've ever changed the plug!

These newer engines have tighter tolerances, and some don't like 40W oils. I'd probably find a 30W oil since you only need a small quantity and only once a year.

There are two thoughts on oil that I've read...I personally run a dual-rated HD engine oil ("diesel-rated") like Rotella because they protect a little better than the current US passenger car oils. I actually run 15w40 in my 3.5HP B&S because I had it on hand, but its also probably an 1980s model. The other thinking that I have seen recently is to run a motorcycle oil because they are designed around an air-cooled and high revving engine like OPE.

In the intervals you are speaking, it probably wouldn't make any difference as the oil shouldn't even begin to stress.

steved said:

Wow...I feel bad now...I have an older 3.5HP B&S that probably gets the oil changed every couple years if its lucky! I probably put over 50 hours on it between changes! And I'm not sure I've ever changed the plug!

These newer engines have tighter tolerances, and some don't like 40W oils. I'd probably find a 30W oil since you only need a small quantity and only once a year.

There are two thoughts on oil that I've read...I personally run a dual-rated HD engine oil ("diesel-rated") like Rotella because they protect a little better than the current US passenger car oils. I actually run 15w40 in my 3.5HP B&S because I had it on hand, but its also probably an 1980s model. The other thinking that I have seen recently is to run a motorcycle oil because they are designed around an air-cooled and high revving engine like OPE.

In the intervals you are speaking, it probably wouldn't make any difference as the oil shouldn't even begin to stress.

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Ouch! Get that oil changed before you do the next mow! And at least change it every 20 hours MAX!

Luckily those B&S engines are super reliable and can cope with poor maintenance, but it doesn't mean they'll like it much...

jmurray01 said:

Ouch! Get that oil changed before you do the next mow! And at least change it every 20 hours MAX!

Luckily those B&S engines are super reliable and can cope with poor maintenance, but it doesn't mean they'll like it much...

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I got it used without a manual, and only changed the oil once a season...it held up fine. It boils down to your choice of oil...it drained looking absolutely fine at the end of the season.

I rarely use it anymore...at one point it was used to cut our postage stamp and the wife's grandmother's place...but we moved (requiring larger equipment) and it sits, I really should sell it.

I'd keep it if I were you. You'd be lucky to get $20 for an 80s mower these days.

steved said:

("diesel-rated") like Rotella because they protect a little better than the current US passenger car oils.
The other thinking that I have seen recently is to run a motorcycle oil because they are designed around an air-cooled and high revving engine like OPE.

In the intervals you are speaking, it probably wouldn't make any difference as the oil shouldn't even begin to stress.

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You are right his oil, any type oil, should be fine with annual changes or even longer...

My gas engines get an annual oil and air filter change ...and spark plugs every 30 years or so... :smile:KennyV

Strange thing with my mower though, is that no matter how hard I look (even in the manual) I cannot find the oil filter!?

Where (if it is even fitted) is it!?

Most small engines (typically, under 10HP) don't have filters.

Ah, OK. That isn't very wise really, as mowers are quite prone to getting bits of grass in the oil.

Oh well, frequent oil changes it is!

How do they get bits of grass in the oil?

The sump should be fully enclosed and only have two openings: one is the fill port and the other is the vent tube (which is vented behind the air cleaner). Unless it happens to fall in when your checking the oil level??

Am I missing something?

I'm talking about it falling in via the top-up tube when you check the level.

Although I'm very careful to clean the area before opening the cap/dipstick, a lot of inexperienced owners may just open it unaware of the consequences of grass getting into the oil.

Actually grass is relatively soft... It would take a hand full to plug anything up in a small engine... the thing that a filter is good at removing is tiny hard particles, like carbon... but small engines usually do not have a pressurized lube system and there fore can not push oil through a filter.. :smile:KennyV

Ah... Does that mean that non-filter engines are more prone to oil related failures ?

jmurray01 said:

Ah... Does that mean that non-filter engines are more prone to oil related failures ?

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Yes they do and did...
Filters were not common on automobiles prior to the 50's... the unfiltered engines were very rare that got to 100,000 miles without a heavy blue smoke cloud behind them at every stop...
By contrast today it is rare to see an engine puffing out oil smoke... and engines go WAY past 100k miles...

Your earlier statement "Oh well, frequent oil changes it is!" will serve you well... if you can't filter it replace it... but with the number of hours you put on a mower in a season... annual oil changes should still work...
PLUS todays oils are MUCH better than 'good old day' oils... :smile:KennyV

jmurray01 said:

Ah... Does that mean that non-filter engines are more prone to oil related failures ?

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I'm not sure if this applies to your engine but most of the older Briggs engines had a "splash" system for distributing oil in the crankcase.

Automotive engines (and some small engines -- including the Honda engine I have on my brush mower) have an oil pump (and a filter -- but some have a pump but no filter) which delivers the oil via a system of ducts to the bearings etc.

An engine with a splash system may be prone to problems with not enough oil getting to certain bearings if the mower is being used on a steep grade. There may not be enough oil at the bottom of the crankcase to be splashed where it is needed. So a system with an oil pump would distribute oil better when the engine is tilted.

I have a Liquid Cooled B&S Diesel in my Tractor , but it is a 23.6hp unit and a little bigger than what you are talking about :biggrin: Oil and Filter change are first 25 hours then every 100 hours. Oil looks brand new every time I change it, which is how it should be. These engines should last forever if maintained properly.

jmurray01 said:

Nope, it says 5 hours for run in, and then 12 hours after that.

Also, would the 10W40 4 Stroke oil I'm using just now be fine ? As I think the manual says to use 10W30...

Does it really make any difference with those B&S engines ?

Click to expand...

You should be fine with changing your oil, spark plug and filter at the start of each mowing season. In very dusty conditions I wash and reoil the foam filter on my B&S engines. BTW, when I use to be a tech, Briggs recommended 30 weight oil, non-detergent. That's been a few years ago so maybe the oil specification has changed. Good luck with your mower.