Stop over-filling your lawn mower oil - a neighbor's engine blew last Saturday

I saw a guy at the shop today bring in a mower that was smoking like crazy because he filled the oil way past the full mark, and the service guy said it's the #1 mistake people make that kills small engines, so has anyone else been taught wrong about how to check oil levels?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_hayden22d ago

My buddy blew up his old Craftsman last year from the same thing, but honestly I think people overhype how often this really happens. I've seen guys run mowers with oil halfway up the dipstick for years and they still fire up fine. A little bit over the line probably ain't gonna grenade the engine right away, it takes a lot to actually cause real damage. Most of the time they just smoke a bit and you move on.

victor_jones9922d ago

Nah, that's terrible advice. I've seen too many blown seals from just a little too much.

brianl5321d ago

...and I'm the guy who's done the "just a little bit over" and ended up with a lawn ornament that smoked like a barbecue pit. @the_hayden might have dodged a bullet for years but my luck ran out on a 2001 Toro with a B&S engine. Overfilled it by maybe half a quart and that thing started blowing white smoke like a fog machine at a Halloween party. Seals never recovered.