How to Change Oil in a Craftsman Lawnmower. With Clever Tips

Suppose you have just purchased a lawnmower from the well-known Craftsman brand. Being a gardening fanatic, you are exceptionally touchy in maintaining your equipment. You feel like your device hasn’t had an oil change for some time. And you prefer doing it by yourself as it is not very difficult and saves some time and money compared with bringing it to a workshop. If you’re searching online for tips to change the oil in a Craftsman lawnmower, then you have come to the right place.

Oil changes should never be underestimated, particularly when you’re starting your device after a long time. The synthetic oils currently available lubricate the engine components such as crankshaft, camshaft, connecting rods, pistons. Your lawnmower needs an oil change approximately after 50 hours of use. If your engine is old and not used often, you might need to change the oil after 25 to 30 hours.

How to Change Oil in a Craftsman Lawnmower:

1. Start your engine and keep it running for 15 minutes so that the oil gets warmed up and more comfortable to extract.
2. With the spark plug wire removed, tilt the lawnmower to the side and drain all the oil into a container.
3. If your machine has an oil drain plug, use it to empty the tank’s oil. You can also use a siphon pump to drain the oil instead of the tile method
4. Fill the tank with the right kind of oil recommended in the user manual. Check if it’s at the right level using the dipstick.
5. Clean the work area from the oil spills and start your engine again.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide to the above steps, then stay tuned as we uncover the above information in this article.

Steps to Change Oil in a Craftsman lawnmower:

The detailed steps that need to be followed while changing oil for a Craftsman lawnmower are given as follows:

● 1. Initial Preparation:

Before the oil change is performed, some necessary pre-requisites should be fulfilled, such as:

– Step 1: Run the engine for a while

Pull the cord of your Craftsman lawn mower so that the engine starts running. The purpose of this is to warm up the engine oil so that it flows more easily (reduced viscosity with temperature). This step makes it easier to drain the oil.

– Step 2: Wipe the dusty area

It is always better to clean the area around the oil fill/dipstick cap with a towel or a cotton cloth. This step is because this area being oily, attracts dust and debris the most. This debris might not be mixed with the added oil, so that is why we are performing this cleaning step.

– Step 3: Ready your equipment

The tools needed for an oil change include a towel/rag, oil container, siphon pump, and a wrench. A siphon pump may be desired if you want to avoid draining the oil by tilting your mower to the side. Furthermore, you should also purchase the engine oil for your unit. Usually, most Craftsman lawnmowers use SAE30 type engine oils. Oils used in automobile engines can also be used. But make sure you also undergo what your user manual recommends regarding the oil grade and type.

● 2. Oil drainage:

After you’ve made the initial preps, now comes the time to empty the used oil from the engine, and it is done in the steps below:

– Step 1: Detach the spark plug wire

While performing the oil change, it is an excellent practice to detach the spark plug wire. This move is quite significant if you are looking to tilt the mower for drainage. It prevents the lawnmower from accidentally starting up.

– Step 2: Empty the gas tank

Suppose change is performed using the tilt method. In that case, the safe way is to empty the fuel tank from the gasoline to eliminate any possibility of leakage. Otherwise, you can place the fuel cap of the tank over a sandwich paper securing the opening.

– Step 3: Perform oil drainage

Method 1: Tilt method

The Craftsman lawnmower is tilted to the side so that the air filter is facing upward. Place an oil container underneath thecap. Now, open the cap and allow the oil to flow into the pan until the tank is empty. While draining the oil, care should be exercised as the hot oil can damage the skin.

Method 2: Using the oil drain plug

Some lawnmowers may be equipped with an oil drain plug situated underneath the mower where the blades are located. You can undergo the user’s manual of the Craftsman lawnmower, which shows the blueprints or the exact locations of various parts in the machine. If your machine contains an oil drain plug, carefully place it upside down, ensuring that the spark plug wire is not connected. When you’ve seen the plug, lift the mower slightly so that the oil can be drained. Now, open the oil drain plug and allow all the oil to be drained into the container. This used oil can then be sent for recycling.

Method 3: Siphon method

A siphon pump is used to pump the used oil out from the engine into a separate compartment. This technique is relatively clean and results in little oil spills onto the work area.

Note: Oil can be hot after you have let the engine run for some time, so take care.

● 3. Filling the oil:

With your oil cap open, put a funnel into the tank and insert the suitable oil for your machine via the funnel. Make sure you fill it into the appropriate level. Also, keep checking the oil level with the dipstick’s help to reach the right level.

● 4. Cleaning the work area:

As you fill the oil to the right level, allow it to settle down in the mower for 5 minutes. Start your engine, let the fresh oil warm-up, and lubricate the connecting rods and crankshaft. When you’re done filling, clean the work site from the oil spills that occurred. Make sure you store the drained oil safely and send it to your local dealer for recycling.

Related Questions:

1. How much oil does a Craftsman lawnmower take?

Nowadays, Craftsman lawnmowers consist of 6.5 horsepower 4-cycle single starting engines. Such size means that they need about 20 ounces (0.6 liters) of oil in their crankcase.

2. Where is the oil drain on a Craftsman lawnmower?

Most Craftsman lawnmowers such as series 700 contain an oil plug or drain. You can search your model number online to check if it has any oil plug. Or you can do the following:

– Visually locate the plug:

Visually locating the plug means that you are standing behind the handlebar of your mower. To do that, you look down to the rear left of the engine. Oil plugs are typically located on the rear left corner of the engine top. The oil plug looks like a cap extending from the engine. When located, it can be turned anti-clockwise for removal.

– Check the Owner’s Manual:

The owner’s manual contains information regarding the oil plug or cap location.

3. Can you use car oil in a lawnmower?

Lawnmowers most commonly use SAE30 engine oils. Some manufacturers recommend multi-grade oil for varying temperature conditions such as 5W30 or 10W30. Automobile engines use similar synthetic oils. Hence, you can use car oil in a lawnmower.

4. What is an SAE 30 oil?

SAE30 is an engine oil whose viscosity reading is 30 as prescribed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). The viscosity values vary from 0 to 50, with 0 for least viscous (thin liquids) and 50 for thicker liquids. Viscosity refers to a liquid’s resistance to flow. A viscous fluid such as honey flows with difficulty when compared with water. Generally, high viscosity oils are suitable for warmer climates, whereas low viscosity motor oils are suitable for colder climates. SAE 30 is a single grade oil, meaning it can only be suitable for a specific season. It is generally used in small engines like lawnmowers, chainsaws. Nowadays, most motor oils are multi-grade, meaning that they can adjust their viscosity with temperature. Examples include 10W30, 5W30 oils.

5. Is SAE 30 the same as 10W-30?

10 in 10W30 stands for a viscosity value at the cold start of the engine. (W means winter). This definition means that the oil has a viscosity value of 10 when the engine is cold and 30 when warm. As explained above, SAE-30 is a single grade oil suitable for operations in conditions when temperature variation isn’t much. In case the variation is significant, you should switch to multi-grade oils. In case when the external environment is cold, 5W30 should be preferred to 10W30. This reasoning is because it has a lower viscosity at the cold start, which is desirable.

6. Is a lawnmower engine 2-stroke or 4-stroke?

Lawnmower engines are available in both versions, such as 2-stroke and 4-stroke. In two-stroke engines, it takes on a revolution of the crankshaft to complete the whole engine cycle. In contrast, in a 4-stroke engine, power is generated over two crankshaft revolutions.

Moreover, two-stroke engines have no separate oil reservoir as the oil is mixed with gasoline. In comparison, 4-stroke engines have a crankcase that acts as an oil reservoir.

Final Remarks:

“A well-oiled machinery” is what they say. Oil changes should never be taken for granted as the negligence in an oil change can shorten the service life and add to your maintenance costs time and again. Thus, please avoid trouble by replacing the oil at the right time. The oils most commonly used are the SAE-30 type. Multi-grade oils such as 10W30 or 5W40 are also in use for domestic lawnmowers. In short, we always recommend that if you take good care of your devices to serve you well every time you need them in action.