Brigg Straton Engine No Oil Change Required

[street]

I have acquired an EXi 7.25 lawn mower that doesn't require an oil change. I also got one my son didn't want and have used it for several years now. I did change the oil on it once and will check oil level on it before every use and if needs oil I will add.
This is what B&S says to do just add, if need be, no change necessary. You can change oil if you want to the manual said also.

Does anyone have a mower that requires no oil changes and has anyone heard of them.

I'm not saying it is the thing to do but that is what you can do. I for some reason can't post the links from B&S about these engines.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/n...es/push-mower-engines/exi-engine--series.html

 

[folivier]

I have to confess that my lawn mowers seldom got the oil changed. Especially the small push mowers. I just added oil when it needed it and they kept on chugging. Don't recall ever having to replace one because the engine was bad. Most were replaced because the frame or handle rusted out.

 

[street]

I have to confess that my lawn mowers seldom got the oil changed. Especially the small push mowers. I just added oil when it needed it and they kept on chugging. Don't recall ever having to replace one because the engine was bad. Most were replaced because the frame or handle rusted out.

Yes, that is true. I have always changed every spring all the small motors I have. Just a quick count I have 11 I believe. I know a guy that has a rider that is 20 plus years old never changed oil as of today.

My son gave me a push mower he never changed oil in the seven years he had it. I got changed oil and most likely won't on it because it is one that doesn't need an oil change also.

Just wondering how many have had one or even heard of the engines that require no oil change.

 

[38Chevy454]

Have heard of the no oil change needed small engines. I don't have any specifically labeled as such. But I like to keep my equipment in top shape and operational for a long time. So changing the oil is cheap insurance to ensure reliability and long term operation. Those small engines take like 20 oz of oil total, just over half of a quart. Even with my lawn guy (see other thread reference, LOL) that uses my mowers, I make sure they have oil changes. My FIRE budget allows this extravagant expense. Just a data point, but my 60 inch zero turn gets about 75-85 hours per season, plus it's a real pressurized oil 24 hp engine. It gets oil and filter changed yearly. My small trimming hand mowers get oil changed every 4-5 years.

If your engine doesn't have a drain plug, just tip it sideways and use the fill as the drain. Obviously do with empty or near empty gas tank. Sharpen the blade while doing the oil. It will cut a lot nicer.

 

[street]

Have heard of the no oil change needed small engines. I don't have any specifically labeled as such. But I like to keep my equipment in top shape and operational for a long time. So changing the oil is cheap insurance to ensure reliability and long term operation. Those small engines take like 20 oz of oil total, just over half of a quart. Even with my lawn guy (see other thread reference, LOL) that uses my mowers, I make sure they have oil changes. My FIRE budget allows this extravagant expense.

If your engine doesn't have a drain plug, just tip it sideways and use the fill as the drain. Obviously do with empty or near empty gas tank. Sharpen the blade while doing the oil. It will cut a lot nicer.

Yes, that is how I have done mine also. I bought one of those suction fluid extractors and they work so well. You can also add fluid with it also, like in transfer cases with the flex hose can go in or out with fluids.

I still change oil every year in those small engines but might skip a year or so if not used much because I use all 5/30 full synthetic. I realize that loses its quality also and it's not because of the little money I would save but my time doing it.

 

[Jerry1]

I have a mower with no drain plug and I found and used this method.

 

[street]

Yes, they work so well and make life easier. That is a pretty cool way to make one!

 

[Time2]

I had a neighbor throw away a mower, my wife, "The Scrapper" thinks I can fix anything. Well it was an easy fix! But then I then I found "no oil Change"
I drained it and changed it anyway! She used it several times instead of the riding lawn mower.
Anyway since I fixed that one, she decided I should have two more that she dragged home. I'm being slow to look at those.

 

[street]

I had a neighbor throw away a mower, my wife, "The Scrapper" thinks I can fix anything. Well it was an easy fix! But then I then I found "no oil Change"
I drained it and changed it anyway! She used it several times instead of the riding lawn mower.
Anyway since I fixed that one, she decided I should have two more that she dragged home. I'm being slow to look at those.

LOL!

That is interesting!!

This one mower I just got was in the junk pile at a local repair shop. I had broken a plastic wheel off of another mower deck and that junk pile anyone can go and get parts. While I was there this almost new mower sat there.

Electric start variable speed self propelled mower. I loaded it up and all that was wrong with it was the no choke system had a bad spring. I fixed that and it is like a new machine. It is a NO Oil Change Mower.

 

[Koolau]

I always changed oil (IIRC) at 25 hours. Never heard of a no-change, but there are lots of things I never heard of. YMMV

 

[dmpi]

I got my Dad's old Toro mower around the year 2000 and I've never changed the oil. And I don't think my Dad's even changed it either. There's a oil filler removable plug so I think you can change it if you want to. The mower still works but I can sense it's getting old and tired. I'm going to replace it with a electric when it finally gives up.

 

[Telly]

A couple months ago, looking for something else, I came across this expose' on the topic. Definitely worth watching!:

B&S did something similar on their later Intek V-twin engines used by John Deere on lawn tractors. There, they plugged the oil drain port, put in a funky special $45 oil filter gizmo, and you change only the special filter with it's oil in it. Mm yeah...
Many have bought an aftermarket kit that restores the engine's original oil drain, and adds the original oil filter adapter back. So it is then like the B&S Intek V-twins of earlier years, before B&S suffered a marketing and engineering mental illness.

 

[bloom2708]

Sure no oil changes. Never clean the air filter.

It will last 3-4 years and then you put it on the curb for junk day and buy a new one.

Disposable world.

When you mow in dry conditions, the dust and dirt and grass clippings are everywhere. That stuff seeps into the oil.

I guess having dirty oil is better than having low oil that is dirty.

 

[CRLLS]

I have to admit I hardly ever, if ever, changed the oil in my B&S self-propelled mowers. They never died. When I upgraded to a rider with a Kohler Courage engine, I did change oil every year. That was maybe 40 hours of operating. About 10 years later, the block cracked. I'm not sure it was oil related. I replaced it with a Deere E-130 rider with the "Easy Change 30-Second Oil Change System" as Telly mentioned. According to some reports, it changes only about 60% of the oil. I immediately changed it to the earlier version and change oil every year, all of it. Deere's warranty is only for 24 months. I expect mine to last that many times over.

I'm not sure that I would be so rigorous in my routine on a small splash lubricated B&S engine. As a matter of fact, my snow blower has a Tecumseh small engine and I don't change the oil in that. But it is fairly new to me with a Frankenstein 30 year old engine.

 

[ksr]

I bought a Craftsman self-propelled "no oil-change" mower with B&S engine 3 years ago. I have not (and don't intend to) change the oil on it, although I do check the oil every few mows. So far, no problems.

The last mower I had made it about 8 years and I'll be satisfied if I get about the same from this one.

 

[Walt34]

I'm with Chickanic and call BS on the "no oil change" and suspect she's right about it simply being a method to make the engines wear out sooner. I looked up what the average life of a lawn mower is and got "about seven years". Yup, that's what I'd expect from an engine that never gets the oil changed. I change the oil annually and will continue to do so, and expect to continue to get 20+ years from a lawn mower.

Also the air filters, which are much, much cheaper if you get them from Amazon, and as far as I can tell are identical to the price-gouging B&S filters.

 

[jollystomper]

I have a mower with no drain plug and I found and used this method.

Nice! Added to my "fun and simple workshop projects" list .

 

[street]

Not sure I totally agree with no oil change, but I have heard of many mowers that last 10 to 20 years without one.

I have a friend that has a rider it is 20 to 25 years old never changed the oil. It low he adds and doesn't smoke and still get the job done.