How To Drain Oil From Your Lawnmower

During the grass cutting season, which traditionally runs between March and October (weather dependent) your lawnmower is a vital garden appliance, and one which is called into action on almost a weekly basis.

As a result, it comes under a lot of stress which can result in faults developing. Key to minimising the risk of such faults is to provide your lawnmower with regular maintenance, and this includes draining the oil at certain points during the cutting season, as outlined below.

Changing the oil in your lawnmower will effectively help maximise the mower’s lifespan and performance, as such it’s a vital part of the regular maintenance you should carry out if you want to get the most out of your lawnmower.

By taking the time to change the oil in your lawnmower, as per the advice below, you will help to keep the oil clean and reduce the wear and tear the lawnmower engine faces. This is particularly important when using a new petrol lawnmower, as after the first five hours or so there is a risk small bits of metal from some of the parts will have fallen into the oil.

You’ll also need to drain the oil from your lawnmower if it has been sat idle for roughly 3 months or more, as the oil (along with the petrol) can become stale, leading to difficulties in starting your lawnmower.

As with the oil on your car, the oil in your lawnmower needs to be drained at specific times during your lawnmower’s life, if you want to keep it working to its full potential and reduce the risk of faults developing.

As a rule of thumb, you should drain the oil in your lawnmower…

• After the very first 5 hours of using a new lawnmower
• After 25 hours of operation, if the lawnmower has been used under a heavy load or high ambient temperatures
• After every 50 hours and 100 hours of usage
• At the end of each cutting season

Thankfully draining the oil from your lawnmower is neither a difficult nor time consuming task, and it can be done in a number of ways, depending on your own preferences. For example on most four-stroke Flymo petrol lawnmowers, the oil can be drained by removing the sump plug under the engine.

Alternatively, on all petrol lawnmowers it is possible to siphon the oil out directly from the oil fill tube, before depositing it into a suitable container. However, it is worth noting that this method can be considerably time consuming.

At eSpares, we recommend when it comes to draining the oil from your lawnmower you do so by following the steps below. And it is worth remembering, key to being able to drain the oil from your lawnmower easily, is to do so whilst both the engine and oil are warm – and we mean warm, not hot. If either (particularly the engine) are too hot, there’s a risk of accidents occurring.

1. Disconnect and remove the spark plug from your lawnmower to minimise the risk of any accidents occurring whilst you’re carrying out maintenance work.
2. Once the spark plug has been removed, clean the area around the oil tank, making sure to remove any dried oil or debris. This will help prevent anything from falling into the oil tank whilst draining the tank, reducing the risk of any faults developing.
3. Tilt your lawnmower onto its side, making sure the air filter is kept facing upwards, as this will help to prevent the engine of your lawnmower becoming damaged by oil or petrol leaking into it.
4. Place a suitable container under the oil fill hole before removing the dipstick, allowing the oil to drain out. Once the oil has drained, return your lawnmower to its upright position, wipe away any remaining oil drops and replace the dipstick.

Once you’ve drained the oil from your lawnmower, you can safely store it away until it is next needed. If you’ve drained the oil during the cutting season, we recommend refilling it with fresh, new oil (as per your lawnmower’s manual) straight away. If it has been drained at the end of the season, refrain from adding new oil until the lawnmower is next used.

Taking the time to drain the oil from your lawnmower, along with carrying out regular maintenance will help make all the difference to the performance of your garden appliance and help increase its life expectancy. Should you need to purchase any lawnmower spare parts and accessories, such as lawnmower oil, you’ll find it with eSpares.