Uh oh- I put 2-Stroke oil in our lawn mower instead of regualr oil.

[lady@jenniebug.org]

I am the dumb wife who was trying to be helpful by mowing the grass. While mowing, it sounded funny, so I thought maybe it needed a little oil (my husband had recently changed the oil because the mower is fairly new. I went to the garage and grabbed the bottle of oil that was sitting near where the lawn mower sits. Apparently it was 2-stroke oil that is supposed to be added to gasoline for our weed eater (didn't know that at the time). I poured it into the engine and checked the dipstick. It made a little whistle sound and I thought maybe that was just what it needed. I went to start the mower and the pull rope was hard to pull at first. Then it felt normal and the engine started right up. I made it about half way around the yard and it started to smell like our weed eater engine and it started t emit smoke/exhaust like it too. I turned it off and returned the mower to the garage. Have I ruined our lawn mower? What do we do now?

 

[Black Bart]

I am the dumb wife who was trying to be helpful by mowing the grass. While mowing, it sounded funny, so I thought maybe it needed a little oil (my husband had recently changed the oil because the mower is fairly new. I went to the garage and grabbed the bottle of oil that was sitting near where the lawn mower sits. Apparently it was 2-stroke oil that is supposed to be added to gasoline for our weed eater (didn't know that at the time). I poured it into the engine and checked the dipstick. It made a little whistle sound and I thought maybe that was just what it needed. I went to start the mower and the pull rope was hard to pull at first. Then it felt normal and the engine started right up. I made it about half way around the yard and it started to smell like our weed eater engine and it started t emit smoke/exhaust like it too. I turned it off and returned the mower to the garage. Have I ruined our lawn mower? What do we do now?

Drain it out and put in the proper oil it will be fine.
You may have over filled it be sure to fill to the right amount.

 

[benski]

Depending on how low the oil level was when you added the 2-cycle oil to the mower, you may or may not have caused some harm. All you can do is follow the first response, and either change it youself or have your husband do the job.

 

[KennyV]

Do you recall How much 2 cycle oil you added? :smile:KennyV

 

[JDgreen]

"When mowing, it sounded funny...."??? I really hope your husband added the proper amount of oil when he changed it. I am sure you meant well but you should never start a 4 stroke engine unless you are sure it has the proper amount of oil in the crankcase.

About the starter rope being hard to pull, that is normal because often the engine is on the compression stroke when you pull it over. You may have overfilled the engine, or it may have been run low on oil, hard to say. Yes, the oil needs to be changed again. Hopefully that will be all that is needed.

 

[crazyoldtractor]

Drain all of the oil, and fill it with the right stuff. Make sure you put enough in, check with the dipstick. If its a push mower it'll take around a half quart, a lawn tractor will take about 1 1/2 quarts. Probably 10w -30 oil. Double check though. Pick some up at the auto parts store.And you probably caused no damage to the mower. Don't worry. :laughing:.