All walk-behind, gasoline-powered lawn mowers need maintenance twice a year, and the procedures that make sense are different in fall and spring. Begin by reading your owner’s manual for tips on required mower maintenance, then follow the list here.
Spraying special oil into the air intake of a running engine before long term storage is called fogging. It’s the best way to prevent internal engine corrosion of the piston, cylinder and valves of your mower during the off-season. Fogging oil is especially important in regions with cool, damp winters that trigger condensation inside the engine. Winterizing your mower will keep it in good condition for next year.
Run the Mower Dry
Operate the mower until all gasoline is completely consumed from the tank and carburetor and the engine quits on its own. If you’ll be fogging, remove the air filter and spray the fogging oil into the open carburetor as the last of the fuel is consumed.
Clean or Replace the Air Filter
The air filter removes dirt from the air before it’s drawn into the engine and burned. A dirty air filter reduces the power of your mower and increases fuel consumption. Clean and replace your current filter following the owner’s manual or install a new one.
Pull the Ignition Wire Off the Spark Plug
This ensures that the mower can’t start accidentally while you’re working on it. If the spark plug is more than three years old, replace it with a new one of the same type so you’re ready for next spring.
Change Engine Oil
Most lawn mowers have four-stroke engines that use a bath of engine oil in the crankcase. This oil should be changed every 25 to 100 hours of operation during the season. But no matter how little you used your mower this year, the oil should be changed before storage. Fresh oil is the best protection against corrosion of the crankshaft and bearings.
Two-stroke lawn mowers don’t have an oil bath crankcase so there’s no oil to change. Your owner’s manual will tell you want kind of engine you’ve got. Take the used oil to an auto garage or municipal collection facility for safe disposal.
How to Change Oil in Lawn Mower
UP NEXT
Gallery: 15 Home Maintenance Tips for the Fall Season (The Family Handyman)
Three Easy Winterization Steps for Your Lawn Tractor
Before your tractor hibernates for the winter, take a few minutes to prevent springtime troubles.
Moisture inside an unused engine leads to corrosion. ‘Fogging’ the engine—spraying an oily mist into each cylinder—prevents this. All you have to do is remove the spark plugs and blast in some aerosol fogging spray (sold at auto parts stores). Then reinstall the spark plugs.
Storing a battery that isn’t fully charged can lead to permanent damage, especially in cold weather. Connect the battery to a battery charger and charge it until you get a reading of 12.7 volts.
Stored gas will slowly gum up the whole fuel system, and the repairs can be expensive. So add a fuel stabilizer such as STA-BIL or Seafoam to the gas tank before winter. (Adding stabilizer to your gas can year-round is also a good idea.) But remember that stabilizers aren’t effective in gas that contains ethanol. If you don’t know whether the gas contains ethanol, run the engine until the tank is empty.
Another tip: Cover the air intake and exhaust openings with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to keep critters from homesteading in your engine over winter. Here are some more neat ways to use plastic wrap.
Winterize Your Gas Grill
If you’re not a winter griller, now’s the time to pack away your grill before it’s covered with a foot of snow. In addition to giving your grill a thorough cleaning to remove grease and food scraps, take these steps to help prevent any unpleasant surprises when you fire up your grill again next spring.
Shut off the gas at the LP tank, unfasten the burner, slip the gas tubes off the gas lines and lift out the unit. Coat the burners and other metal parts with cooking oil to repel moisture that can build up over the winter and to prevent rust. Then wrap the burner unit in a plastic bag to keep spiders and insects from nesting in the gas tubes during the winter. This is a common problem that can make for balky starts, uneven flames or even a one-alarm fire the next time you light your grill.
If you’re storing your grill outside during the winter, just keep the propane tank connected (but shut off) and put a protective cover over the entire grill when you’re done cleaning it. If you’re storing the grill indoors, don’t bring the tank inside, even into the garage or a storage shed. A small gas leak can cause a huge explosion if the tank is stored in an enclosed space. Instead, disconnect the tank and store it outside in an upright position away from dryer and furnace vents and children’s play areas. Tape a plastic bag over the grill’s gas line opening to prevent insects from nesting.
Winterizing a Sprinkler System
You can pay the irrigation company $125 every year to blow out your sprinkler system, or you can use your air compressor and do it yourself. You just have to be careful not to leave any water in the line or it might freeze over the winter and burst a pipe. Also be aware that even the largest home compressor isn’t powerful enough to blow out the entire system at once, so you’ll probably have to blow it out zone by zone.
If you’re into number crunching and you have the original irrigation layout showing the gallons per minute (gpm) of each sprinkler head, just divide the total gpm of each zone by 7.5. That’ll give you the cubic feet per minute (cfm) your compressor needs to blow out the zone. Otherwise, just rent a 10-cfm compressor and hose from your local tool rental center.
Set the compressor air pressure regulator to a maximum of 80 psi for rigid PVC pipe systems, or 50 psi for flexible black polyethylene pipe. Then turn off the water supply and set the system timer to open just one zone. Next, open the manual drain valve at the end of that zone (if equipped).
Close off both valves on the backflow preventer. Then remove the plug on the blow-out port and screw in a quick-connect hose adapter. Snap on the air hose and connect the other end to the compressor (see photo). Then blow out the line. The heads should pop up and spit out water. Disconnect the hose as soon as they run dry.
Don’t overdo the blow-out—without water cooling the plastic gears, they can melt in less than a minute. So move on to the next zone and allow the heads to cool. Then go back and blow out each zone a second time.
Sprinklers clogged? Here’s how to fix them.
Winterize Your Pressure Washer or Ice Might Destroy It
I once owned an electric pressure washer. I refer to it in the past tense because a few years ago, I left it in the garage over the winter without draining the pump. The water froze and expanded, and when I fired up the washer the following spring, water sprayed from every part of the machine except the end of the wand. I should have disconnected the hoses and sprayed in a pump antifreeze/ lubricant like Pump Saver from Briggs & Stratton. That forces the water out and replaces it with antifreeze and lube. Pump antifreeze/lubrication is available at home centers. And if your air compressor stalls out, here’s how you can fix it yourself by replacing the unloader valve. — Mark Petersen
4 Critical Places to Lube Your Car Before Winter
When cold weather is right around the corner, that’s the time to get your car ready for winter driving: lube locks, latches, hinges, window channels and weather stripping. Proper lube can prevent binding and freezing and save you the cost of a busted regulator. You can lube your entire vehicle in less than 20 minutes. All you need is dry Teflon spray, spray lithium grease, a rag and glass cleaner.
Start with the window channels. Lower the window glass and shoot dry Teflon spray down the front, rear and top window channels on each door. Soak the channels. Then run the window up and down several times to spread the lube. Finally, raise the window and clean off overspray with glass cleaner.
Then shoot the door and trunk/hatch lock cylinders. Use the spray straw to force the lock ‘door’ open. Then inject a quick shot of dry Teflon spray into the lock cylinder. Insert your key and rotate the lock to spread the lube.
Next coat all the weather stripping with dry Teflon spray. Then spread it with a cloth. Finish the job by lubing the hood, trunk or tailgate latches with lithium grease. Then spray the door hinges. Operate the latches and doors several times to spread the grease. Here are 10 best practices for winter driving to help you feel confident and keep you safe out on the road.
Extreme Temperatures
Paint doesn’t handle extreme temperatures very well. So, if you live in a cold climate, add this to your fall chore list: Bring the latex/acrylic paint into the house. And while you’re at it, don’t forget the latex caulk. Freezing ruins both latex paint and caulk.
Another temperature-related painting mistake is painting when it’s going to freeze. Paint can’t dry properly in freezing temps. It will only dry partway and will easily come off when touched. At the other end of the thermometer, painting a hot surface is also a bad idea. The paint starts to dry before you can spread it evenly and can bubble and slough off. Plan your painting to avoid direct sun if possible. Or at least try to paint south-facing walls in the morning or evening when the sun is less intense.
Protect the A/C Compressor or Risk Damage From a Falling Icicle
There’s no reason to wrap your entire air conditioner for the winter, and many manufacturers advise against it because it can invite rodents and cause condensation, which can lead to early corrosion. But it’s not a bad idea to set a piece of plywood on top of the unit to protect it from falling icicles. And see our maintenance guide to learn how to clean your air conditioners in the spring.
Get Your Property Ready for Snow
Before the snow flies, take a few minutes to inspect your property. Remove rocks, dog tie-out cable, extension cords, holiday light cords and garden hoses. Then stake out paths that run near gardens so you don’t accidentally suck up rocks and garden edging. Mark your walk and driveway perimeters by pounding in driveway markers. If the ground is frozen, just drill a hole using a masonry bit and your battery-powered drill. Here’s 10 more drill hacks you probably didn’t know.
Clean Weep Holes
Weep holes may be the tiniest feature of many sliding windows and vinyl replacement windows, but they serve a big function. The little holes, located on the exterior bottom of the frame, are an outlet for rainwater to drain away from the home, but they often can become clogged up with debris. To make sure they’re working properly, spray the outside of the window with a garden hose – a steady stream of clean water should exit from the holes. If it doesn’t, use a wire hanger or compressed air to force the blockage out. Re-test with fresh water to ensure they’re completely cleaned. While you’re at it, do these 10 more vital home maintenance tasks you’ll regret if you forget.
Drain Garden Hoses or Waste Money on Replacements
Due to circumstances (laziness), I sometimes neglect to drain garden hoses before putting them away for the winter. Usually it’s not a problem. But every once in a while, freezing water splits a hose open. I’ve lost a few cheap hoses this way and a super-expensive one (ouch!). That’s just dumb because draining hoses is so quick and easy: Blast out the water with an air compressor or stretch them out on a sloped yard or driveway. If you need to buy a new garden hose, learn how to do a simple test, right in the store, to see if the hose will be kink-free! Gary Wentz, Editor-in-Chief
Gutter Cleaner
An old plastic spatula makes a great tool for cleaning debris from gutters! It doesn’t scratch up the gutter, and you can cut it to fit gutter contours with snips. Grime wipes right off the spatula too, making cleanup a breeze. Don’t feel like putting in that much elbow grease? Consider a gutter cleaning robot!
FH11DJA_514_05_002
Carbon Monoxide Season
You’ve got a house full of guests, so the oven and stove are working overtime, the water heater is struggling to keep up with demand, the fireplace is burning and the furnace is fighting the cold. It’s the perfect setting for carbon monoxide buildup. So if you don’t already have a UL-listed carbon monoxide detector, put it at the top of your shopping list. Detectors are available at home centers and discount stores. Get more information about carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms and keep your family and friends safe all year.
Check Your Chimney or Risk a Fire
Creosote buildup causes chimney fires. You should have your chimney professionally inspected or cleaned after every 70 fires. If you burn wet wood (which you shouldn’t), have it inspected or cleaned every 50 fires. Don’t remember the last time you had it cleaned by a pro? A quick way to tell if your chimney needs cleaning is to run the point of your fireplace poker along the inside of your chimney liner. If you find a 1/8-in. layer (or more) of buildup, call a chimney sweep. For additional expert chimney maintenance advice, check out what two certified professional chimney sweeps have to say.
15/15 SLIDES
Clean the Underside of the Mower Deck
All lawn mowers develop layers of caked grass under the mower deck, and these layers can cause poor cutting performance. Set the mower on some sawhorses or tip it up on the ground and use a small pry bar or stout scraper to remove all caked-on grass.
The underside of the deck does not have to be super-clean, just remove material down to the metal. If the grass clumps are too hard and dry to scrape off, soak the underside of the mower with a garden hose, let the grass soften for an hour, then scrape it clean.
Inspect the Blade
If your lawn mower blade is pitted or the cutting edge is rounded over, remove the blade for resharpening or replacement. Doing this in the fall gives you time to gather parts and get things ready for mowing again in the spring.
Inspect Drive Belts
Most lawn mowers don’t have a drive belt, but some do, especially self-propelled models. Your owner’s manual will explain if your mower has a belt and where it is. Inspect the belt for cracks or frayed edges and buy a new one if necessary to have on hand for spring.
Spring Mower Maintenance
Replace the Blade and Belt
Install the new or sharpened blade if you didn’t do that in the fall. Use a socket wrench to tighten the single mounting bolt or bolts. Install a new drive belt if your mower needs one after fall inspection.
Reconnect the Spark Plug Wire
Simply push the connector on the end of the wire all the way over the end of the spark plug as far as you can. Do not reconnect the spark plug wire until the mower blade is secured.
Fill the Tank With Fuel
Make sure the fuel is fresh. If you have old fuel that sat in a can over winter, add it to your vehicle gas tank next time you get a fill-up.
If your mower has a four-stroke engine, it’s made to burn unmixed gas just as it comes from the pump. If your mower has a two-stroke engine, it requires special oil to be mixed with the gasoline before it goes into the tank. The owner’s manual will explain how much oil to add to a given volume of gas.
Oil the Axles and Controls
A few drops of machine oil on each wheel axle and all control pivot points makes them work much more smoothly. This is a little thing that makes a big difference.
Roll the Mower Outside and Fire It Up
If your lawn mower was running well in the fall, it should start up after a few pulls in the spring. If your mower doesn’t start, remove the air filter and pour a teaspoon of gasoline down the intake port of the carburetor. Replace the filter, switch the ignition ON, then pull the cord. You should be all set for another great looking lawn this season.
![](https://www.msn.com/{"default":{"load":"default","w":"80","h":"80","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19Lpt8.img?h=799&w=799&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size3column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"62","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19Lpt8.img?h=624&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"},"size2column":{"load":"default","w":"62","h":"62","src":"//img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/BB19Lpt8.img?h=624&w=624&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f"}})
