Miss adventures of lawn mower maintenance

[lemers]

So I bought a cheap 100 euro gas lawn mower when I moved to Europe 3 years ago. Nothing special simple push mower with no assist features.

So in the Spring time it came to first mow after the winter. I pulled out the lawn mower and started cutting, but after about a third of the way the mower just puttered out like it was out of gas. I check the tank and there was plenty of gas. Not knowing much and never doing my own maintenance I was left in a dilemma. I could A) buy a new 100 euro mower or B) pay someone around 100 euro to fix the old one.

I took C) and watched a couple of videos on YouTube to see the take apart and clean a few brass pieces.

Well plan C) worked and I finished the lawn a few times since no problem.


This weekend gave me another opportunity to kill my mower. I was cutting near so bushes when I heard a terrible sound coming from the engine and I immediately turned off the mower. This sounded like medal on medal. I looked down to see oil pooled up on the mower itself. I looked it over to see that the oil fill pipe had come apart.

I feared that I just killed my mower and I now would have to buy another. So I did what anyone else would do. I reattached the oil fill pipe and filled the mower with the only motor oil I had laying around...5w-50 left over from my BMW.

I was able to finish the lawn and put away the mower. At this time my only hope is to keep this thing going through next summer's move.

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[scrubber3]

So I bought a cheap 100 euro gas lawn mower when I moved to Europe 3 years ago. Nothing special simple push mower with no assist features.

So in the Spring time it came to first mow after the winter. I pulled out the lawn mower and started cutting, but after about a third of the way the mower just puttered out like it was out of gas. I check the tank and there was plenty of gas. Not knowing much and never doing my own maintenance I was left in a dilemma. I could A) buy a new 100 euro mower or B) pay someone around 100 euro to fix the old one.

I took C) and watched a couple of videos on YouTube to see the take apart and clean a few brass pieces.

Well plan C) worked and I finished the lawn a few times since no problem.


This weekend gave me another opportunity to kill my mower. I was cutting near so bushes when I heard a terrible sound coming from the engine and I immediately turned off the mower. This sounded like medal on medal. I looked down to see oil pooled up on the mower itself. I looked it over to see that the oil fill pipe had come apart.

I feared that I just killed my mower and I now would have to buy another. So I did what anyone else would do. I reattached the oil fill pipe and filled the mower with the only motor oil I had laying around...5w-50 left over from my BMW.

I was able to finish the lawn and put away the mower. At this time my only hope is to keep this thing going through next summer's move.

I think you will have a hard time killing it since you keep saving it. You're doing great at it btw. I am a firm believer in fixing what's broke. Especially since we are currently in a generation of people wanting to buy something new every time something breaks.

Good on ya!

 

[VinnAY]

Given that you catch it when it happens I'm sure you're fine and I use 5W-20 in my riding mower for years. They don't list a spec oil on it like the car does so I use what I have.

 

[HISSMAN]

I used old oil from my cars that I strain the dirt out of in my mowers. They have been running like that for years. No problems. Stuff like that is usually very tolerant. It is a synthetic oil that I am reusing, and usually only has around 5K miles on it. I change the oil in my mowers about every 20 hours.

 

[lemers]

I feel that every time I go to cut the lawn from now on there will be something else. Hopefully something that I can watch a DIY Fix-it video just to keep this thing going. At the end, I'll have to figure out how to donate it for parts, since I just cant easily get rid of it like I can in the states. I'll try putting it out on the street with a Free Sign written in German on it. Or ask if the landlord will allow it to stay for the next tenant.

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