Instruction for running-in and operation of a 4-stroke engine Instruction for running-in and operation of a 4-stroke engine What you need to know about running-in and operation of four-stroke air-cooled gasoline engines installed in a garden
Secondly: what kind of oil to fill in the engine crankcase.
Many people consider famous brands of automotive oil to be the best for use in engines for a tiller (cultivator, snowmobile, electric generator, pump, etc.) This is absolutely not the case. Automotive oils are designed to work in water cooled engines, not air cooled engines. The boiling point of automotive oils is lower than that of oils that contain special additives for air-cooled engines.
Use oil with a quality class SF, SG, SH, SJ, CD or higher. Do not use oil additives. Select oil viscosity based on ambient temperature.
SAE 30 (5C and above) is recommended for temperatures above 5C. When used below 5C, it may cause a difficult start.
10W-30 (-18 to 38C) is recommended for variable temperatures. This oil provides a cold start to the engine, but can lead to increased oil consumption at temperatures above 27C.
Check the oil level more frequently at elevated air temperatures.
Synthetic 5W-30 (-30 to 40C). Synthetic oil, provides engine operation over the entire temperature range, as well as easy starting and reduced oil consumption.
5W-30 (5C and below) is recommended for work in winter conditions.
FILL ONLY OILS SPECIFIED IN ENGINE INSTRUCTIONS.
Always check the oil level. The level should be up to the last thread of the filler neck in the horizontal position of the engine (as shown in the figure). The fill and drain holes are located at the front and rear of the engine.
Engine oil fill level
On lawnmowers, pay attention to the dipstick. The dipstick on a vertical shaft motor has marks.
Different engines have different crankcase volumes. If you have a 4, 5.5, 6.5 or 7 hp engine then you need to fill in 600 ml. Oils. Engines 7.5 hp 900 ml is poured. In motors with a capacity of 8, 9, 11, 13 and 15 hp. Respectively 1.1 liters.
Fourth: how is the engine running in.
Air cooled engines do not like idling. Start the engine, warm it up for 1-2 minutes. And run in work. During the break-in try to adhere to 50-75% of the load and take obligatory breaks in work after 20-25 minutes. After a break, when the engine has cooled down (15-20 minutes), you can continue working again. In this mode, the engine should run for the first 4-5 hours, after which it is imperative to change the oil. The run-in is over.
First: what kind of gasoline to use.
We recommend using clean, fresh, unleaded RON92 gasoline. Air-cooled engines are not designed to operate with AI95 and AI98 fuel. The 95th and 98th gasoline contain additives that have a detrimental effect on the piston system of the engine, leading to overheating and breakdown.
Do not mix oil with gasoline. This could result in engine damage that is not covered by the warranty.
Recommendations for the selection of oils from specific manufacturers
Lawn mower manufacturers in the instructions for them must indicate the type that is used in their technology, as well as the frequency of oil changes, usually in hours. Usually manufacturers indicate their branded lubricants and they should be used if you want to keep the warranty on the equipment. But often manufacturers also indicate the general characteristics of lubricants and then you can choose similar lubricants from more widely available automotive oils.
The one recommended by the manufacturer is considered the best for any engine. World renowned Shell Helix Ultra . For 40 years Shell has been developing a new technology for producing synthetic oil from natural gas. Pureplus technology has resulted in an improved base oil composition. On its basis, with the addition of the necessary additives, the leading manufacturers recommended for their equipment are obtained.
Lawn mower features
The engine oil in the mower engine is distributed by the crankshaft: it is scooped out of the crankcase and sprayed onto the parts. Due to this design, the viscosity of the lubricant must be sufficient to retain the oil film on the parts, while it must not be too thick to interfere with the movement of parts or form a hard crust.
On the other hand, lawn mowers operate mainly in positive ambient temperatures and the load on their engines is not as severe as on car engines. For lawn mowers, most often a cold start is not required in the cold, which greatly reduces the service life of a car engine and requires low-temperature properties from lubrication.
The first refueling is designed to run in the engine after five hours of operation, it is replaced, after which the new grease can be used for the whole season. In the future, the replacement is done according to the regulations after a certain number of engine hours, or it is drained at the end of the summer season and a new one is poured in the next year.
What kind of oil should I put in my lawn mower?
Internal combustion engines used in lawn mowers come in two and four strokes. When changing the engine oil in lawn mower engines, the owners have a question: what kind of engine oil to fill in the lawn mower? Today we will take a closer look at this issue and start first with four-stroke engines.
What kind of oil to pour into the mower?
Everyone knows that a car engine requires special care to ensure a long and trouble-free life of the engine. The same rule applies to the motor of a gasoline lawn mower: depending on whether you have a trimmer or a large four-wheel mower, you will be faced with the problem of choosing an oil. What are the basic requirements for lawn mower engine oil?
How to choose your lawn mower oil?
As with any unit, there is an instruction for the lawn mower, which contains not only the main characteristics of the tool, but also the rules for caring for it. So, the instructions will say that only specialized oil should be used for lawn mowers. And some manufacturers insist on using the same brand of oil as the lawnmower itself.
In fact, this fact turns out to be just a marketing ploy by manufacturers, and both automobile and motorcycle engine oil for four-stroke engines can be suitable for a lawn mower. It is enough just to follow the basic rules:
1. The oil must be mineral or semi-synthetic. Fully synthetic oil can burn the engine, so it is best not to use it at all. A lot of sludge is generated when the mower is running on mineral oil, so we advise you to opt for semi-synthetic oil. In addition, mineral oil is difficult to find today.
2. The viscosity of the oil should not exceed SAE 30 or 10w30, and the quality category should vary between SE and SJ. viscous oil can disrupt engine performance, however, less viscous oil can also be affected. All these indicators are necessarily indicated on the packaging.
3. Select oil based on operating temperature conditions. If you mow in cold weather, the viscosity of the oil may be higher than the above, but the next time you turn it on, you will have to change the oil to the correct one.
In lawn mowers with four-stroke engines, oil is poured into a special crankcase and is never mixed with gasoline, since the design of such a gas mower does not imply a mix of oil and fuel. On the contrary, it can cause engine damage. It is enough to change the oil once a season, since the crankcase usually holds from 450 to 600 ml of oil, this is enough for processing large areas. However, do not be lazy to check the oil level before each use of the tool.
How is oil used in two-stroke lawn mowers?
As a rule, a two-stroke engine is installed on trim tabs, and since their design does not imply the presence of unnecessary parts, a separate oil container is not provided. What should be done in this case? Prepare fuel mixture.
For lawnmowers with a two-stroke engine, the same rules apply as for their larger counterparts, with one exception, oil must be purchased for units with a two-stroke engine.
Each trimmer (or instructions for it) indicates the mixing ratio of fuel and oil: from 1:32 to 1:35. This rule only applies to mineral oil! And since it is quite difficult to find it now, and it can scare off the cost, semi-synthetic or even synthetic oil is most often used. Please note that the mixing proportions in this case change, and become 1:50. If in doubt, carefully study the packaging of the oil, it usually contains these data. You should focus on them. To prepare the mixture, it is enough to pour in 100 ml of oil into five liters of gasoline, this should be enough for a whole season of regular mowing. If not, repeat the procedure.
What kind of oil to pour into the lawn mower?
The most important organ of any lawn mower is the engine. In the electrical unit, the motor runs on the mains, in the rechargeable one – on the battery. The most popular mowers are equipped with gasoline internal combustion engines, which can be 2- or 4-stroke. Each of them consists of a large number of parts and mechanisms that are in a state of continuous friction. This leads to heating of the elements and their rapid failure. This is precisely the problem lubrication is designed to solve.
The oil application method depends on the type of gasoline engine. Two-stroke lawn mower oil is added to gasoline and mixed with it in the proportion specified by the manufacturer. For example, if the ratio of 1:25 is indicated in the operating instructions for the equipment, then this means that 40 ml of engine oil must be mixed with 1 liter of gasoline. In the second type internal combustion engine, 4-stroke lawn mower oil is poured into a separate tank through the neck provided in the design. The amount of lubricant used depends on the volume of the tank, and a special dipstick is attached to the bottom of the filler cap to determine the level of oil in the tank.
The quality and composition of the lubricant used plays an important role in the long life of the mower. 4-stroke lawnmower oil is a common automotive lubricant. For servicing units with 2-stroke internal combustion engines, such a fluid is not suitable, since in this case there is a risk of accelerated wear of the mower piston group due to its composition, automobile oil does not mix with gasoline, as a result, poorly washing the walls of the piston and cylinder. When choosing a lubricant for 2-stroke engines, preference should be given to specialized fluids, meeting several criteria:
- Low ash content in the process of fuel combustion, ash accumulates on the surface of the cylinder of a 2-stroke internal combustion engine, acting as an abrasive. In the future, the accumulation of ash leads to gradual damage to the walls of the metal parts of the lawn mower motor;
- Complete combustion capacity 2-stroke lawnmower oil must be completely burned out. In addition, it must mix evenly with gasoline, forming a homogeneous composition;
- Suitable viscosity during the operation of the mower, the oil should form a thin, but sufficiently strong film on the walls of the internal combustion engine parts. Thanks to this ability, the lubricant reliably protects lawn mower engines from increased wear. It is important to remember that 2-stroke engine oils are split seasonally. You cannot use winter lubricants when servicing the lawn mower, as they are emitted by a low viscosity. Such liquids are not capable of forming a protective film.
Many novice users prefer to mix large amounts of fuel for the future. However, this is absolutely impossible to do. The mower should only be serviced with fresh gasoline and lubricant. A fuel mixture that is stored for more than 1 month becomes unusable, since after this time the components of gasoline and oil react, losing their original properties.
Repair and service gasoline lawn mowers
Caring for gasoline-powered lawn mowers includes a certain number of measures aimed at protecting the unit components from premature wear.
IN the number of mandatory procedures includes:
- Use of the highest quality gasoline and engine oil. Users should remember that a lawn mower motor needs constant lubrication. Without it, even the most hardy internal combustion engine will quickly overheat and fail;
- Replacing Filters and Hoses Gasoline mowers include filters and fuel hoses that gradually clog up and fail. It is best to use gasoline and compressed air from a cylinder to clean them. In case of severe wear, filters and hoses must be replaced;
- Timely inspection and replacement of parts of the cutting system, whatever mechanism is included in the design of the mower, rotary or drum, its parts must work as smoothly and stably as possible. The user is required to constantly monitor the condition of the elements of the cutting system, sharpen and align the edges of the blades or change the knife, if necessary;
- Maintenance of the drive system Most often, a belt drive is provided in the device of the unit, which, as a result of prolonged operation, stretches and breaks. In this case, do-it-yourself lawn mower repair comes down to replacing the belt and tension rollers;
- Elimination of vibrations and squeaks over time, many lawn mower users are faced with vibration that appears 12 years after the start of operation of the machine. The reason for this is the loosening of the bolts. To solve this problem with your own hands, it is enough just to tighten the bolts.
During operation of the mower, it is important to regularly inspect the body of the machine. If it is made of metal, then sooner or later, corrosion centers will appear on its surface. In this case, the operator must immediately remove the rust and paint the problem area.
Lawn mower maintenance
The service life of any lawn mower depends on its correct and timely maintenance. Care of the unit is described in detail in its operating instructions. Compliance with the recommendations specified by the manufacturer will help to maintain the operability of the main components of the equipment and avoid the need for their expensive repairs.