Briggs And Stratton Oil Capacity Guide

Briggs and Stratton are a major supplier of mower engines besides making some of the best riding mowers you can find. While you may not think a mower takes much abuse cutting the grass for one or two hours at a time, they take their fair share of abuse.

As part of your routine maintenance, you need to change your oil and thus would need to know the recommended Briggs and Stratton lawn mower oil capacity for the mower you have.

In our guide, you can learn the oil type your mower uses and how much you need to add for your Briggs & Stratton small engine to perform at its optimum.

By the end, you can learn how much oil you need and how to carry out oil changes without needing to search further for motor oil types.

Can I Use 10W30 Instead of SAE 30 in My Lawn Mower?

It isn’t possible to use SAE 10W30 rather than SAE 10W as it is different in viscosity or thickness. At lower temperatures, the oil has a thickness comparable to SAE 10W and an SAE 30 viscosity when running at higher temperatures.

The W denotes ‘Winter,’ and in temperatures below 40°F (4°C), the use of SAE 30 results in hard starting of mower engines. It is recommended to use SAE 30 for warmer climates of 40° F and higher. (Find the Best Riding Snow Blower)

Recommendations for Small Engine Oil Types

• Use SAE 10W-30 for a temperature range of 0 to 100° F as it improves cold-weather starting. It can, however, increase oil consumption in temperatures over 80° F
• Synthetic oil Briggs, Stratton 5W-30 is best for cold temperatures of -20 and up to 120° F. It delivers the best protection at all temperatures with better starting and lower oil consumption. Synthetic oils don’t change the engine service levels.
• It would help if you used SAE 5W-30 in extremely cold temperatures that reach 40° F and below.
• If you have any machine in continuous use, like commercial lawn mowing, use Vanguard 15W-50 Oil for temperatures of 20°F to 130°F.

How Much Oil Does a 22 Horse Briggs & Stratton Hold?

On this lawn mower engine, you can find two Briggs and Stratton oil capacities. These vary slightly based on mower engines having an oil filter or not.

• Oil Capacity 60 fl. oz. (1.8 L) w/o filter
• Oil Capacity 64 fl. oz. (1.9 L) the engine is equipped with oil filter

If you have a Briggs & Stratton 40H700 Series Engine, then note, two bottles are required to meet your engine oil capacity. It is also a recommendation to use 100% Synthetic Briggs, Stratton SAE 5W-30. 18 oz. for the Classic.

How Much Oil Does a 10 HP Briggs and Stratton Take?

With being a smaller engine series, you can find that your mowers need less oil to run. On a Briggs & Stratton 204400 Series Engine, you will need an oil capacity of 28 fl. oz. Using the right oil and you get protection for longer engine life, and you will skip by your engine warranty easily.

Horsepower	Vertical Shaft Engines Oil Capacity	Horizontal Shaft Engines Oil Capacity
3.5-3.75 HP	20 fl oz (.59 l)	–
4.0-4.75 HP	20 fl oz (.59 l)	–
5-6 HP	22 fl oz (.65 l)	–
5-6.5 HP	20 fl oz (.59 l)	–
6-6.75 HP	22 fl oz (.65 l)	–
8-11 HP	36 fl oz (1.06 l)	28 fl oz (.77 l) OHV
9-13.5 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l)	–
12-14 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l) (Single Cylinder)	–
15-16 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l)	–
13.5-17.5 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l)	–
15.5-17.5 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l)	–
18-20 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l)	–
16-23 HP	48 fl oz (1.42 l)	48 fl oz (1.42 l)
22-26 HP	60 fl oz (1.77 l)	–
2.4 HP	–	13.5 fl oz (.4 l)
3.5 HP	–	20 fl oz (.59 l)
5-7 HP	–	16 fl oz (.47 l) Intek Snow
5.5-6.5 HP	–	20 fl oz (.59 l)
6 HP	–	24 fl oz (.71 l)
7.5 HP	–	20 fl oz (.59 l)
8-10 HP	–	30 fl oz (.90 l)
8-11 HP	–	44 fl oz (1.3 l)
9-11 HP	–	32 fl oz (1.2 l)
11-12 HP	–	32 fl oz (1.5 l)
11-13 HP	–	28 fl oz (.77 l)
16-23 HP	–	48 fl oz (1.42 l)
18-19 HP	–	48 fl oz (1.42 l)
.75-1 HP	–	3.0 fl oz (80ml)

What Kind of Oil Does a Briggs & Stratton Engine Take?

Use Briggs, Stratton SAE 30W Oil when over 40°F for any series of mower engines, including the 12.hp Briggs and Stratton engine.

To maintain optimum performance, oil is required to be changed following the first five hours of use. Once you do this, you can then do so each year or following 50 hours of use based on which comes first. (Read our Briggs and Stratton Snow Blower Reviews)

Here you can find the steps to change your oil.

Check oil-level regularly according to the lawn mower manufacturer. (You will discover air-cooled engines may burn around an ounce of oil in each cylinder, in every hour of operation)

Only meet your oil capacity and fill to the dipstick mark and make sure not to overfill.

Changing Lawn Mower Oil

1. Start your mower so the engine will run warm.
2. Stop the engine and disconnect the spark plug cable and hold it away from the plug.
3. Clean the area around the oil fill and drain plug sections to stop dirt from accessing the crankcase
4. Remove your dipstick if your engine has one

Draining Your Oil

1. Tilt your mower, so the air filter or spark plug side faces upward.
2. Place newspaper and an oil pan beneath the mower
3. Use a 3/8-inch drive socket wrench and extension. Turn the plug counter-clockwise, so the old oil drains.
4. Replace the drain plug with a clockwise twist, and then tighten. (If your mower engine has no oil filter, skip this step)

Oil Filters

1. For any engine with an oil filter, it is advisable to replace it once per season.
2. Replace your oil filter by twisting counterclockwise with a filter wrench.
3. Check the sealing surface on your oil filter adapter and clean if required.
4. Lightly oil your filter gasket using fresh engine oil. Install the new filter by screwing by hand and tighten another 1/2 to 3/4 turn.

Add New Oil

Once you replace the oil filter, add approximately 4 oz to the dipstick mark. If there are two oil fill plugs (yellow or white) on either side of your engine, either can be used to fill the oil. (Read Does Gold Tarnish)

Walk-behind mowers:

• Oil capacity is typically 15oz or 18oz.
• Change engine oil every 50 hours of operation or once per year, whichever comes first.

Riding mowers:

• Oil capacity is usually 48oz 48 fl oz. (1.42 l) or 64 oz*.
• Change engine oil every 100 hours of operation or annually, whichever comes first.

*Never overfill the engine with oil. Effects of excess detergent oil in your lawnmower engine would generate more heat than it normally does. Excess oil in a lawnmower engine affects the crankcase, and if oil drowns the crankcase, you will have to remove it quickly. (Read Briggs and Stratton Won’t Start When Hot)

Small engines use SAE 30 single-weight detergent motor oil service-rated SG or higher. Although some use multi-viscosity oils like 10W-30 or 10W-40