Is my lawn mower done for?

Question

I think I just ran my lawn mower out of oil-- Just my luck, the only time I didn't check the oil before I used it! I was cutting grass and it just stopped on me. Is there anything that can be done to fix it? What cost am I looking at. It's a Craftsman 4.5 Horsepower, 22" sidedischarge.

After it stopped, I put some more oil in it. I checked the gas tank, there was plenty of gas in it. I tried to start it again and the starter rope was too hard to pull. So, I couldn't start it.

Answer 1

That is a bad sign. If it doesn't move when you pull the rope then the moving parts might have seized up from overheating and welded together.

Out of desperation I would think a good first step is to keep trying to move the parts by pulling the rope. You have nothing to lose there.

Second step is to drag it into a mower repair place and see if they will look at it and give you a free estimate for the repairs. If they are not outrageous you might need to leave it for fixing.

Third step if that doesn't work is to start looking at ads for a new mower. None will probably be on sale till springtime so you are out of the lawnmowing actiivity for the rest of the season. You might also look on freecycle and craig's list for a used one

Answer 2

There are several different things that maybe wrong with this lawn mower. I can name a few here w/o having to actually look at it. You could have tilted the lawn mower the "wrong" way while transporting it. This seems to be because some part of the engine has been flooded by gasoline and/or oil. You could have put too much oil in it when you filled it up/topped it off. You could have bad valves, cracked block, or bad piston rings. I would suggest taking it to a mechanic to be sure of this. This is if you do not know anything about working on lawn mowers. Most mechanics offer free estimates to look at it to see what maybe wrong with it. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

There still may be life in it yet. You need to "rinse" the oil pan basically. I had this problem when my Craftsman (B&S) mower developed an oil leak and I didn't notice it.

1. Drain the gasoline. Then fill the mower's oil reservoir with a quart of fresh oil. Seal the oil cap securely and tip the mower so it's upside down. This should allow some oil to get into the engine. Let it sit overnight. (While it's upside down - you might use this time to sharpen the blades!)

2. In the morning, drain all the oil out. Let it drain for a few hours. (Recycle the oil with your local government.) Add fresh oil. Refill the gas reservoir. You might even put a little bit of gasoline additive into your gas can. It can help clean the fuel system - particularly the carbureator.

3. Try to start the mower again.

Answer 4

Due to the relatively low cost of the mower, its done for. What has happened is that with the absence of oil, the metal mechanical parts were allowed to rub together at super high speeds without the cooling lubricant. When this happens, the piston and the cylinder (basically a hole with a plunger) rub together because the gap between their walls is extremely small. The rubbing causes the parts to become superheated until the point that the metal becomes molten (glowing orange from the heat). The friction of the parts rubbing together outweigh the ability to make them move which caused your mower to stop. Once the mower stopped, your mower parts fused themselves together because both the piston and the cylinder wall were extremely overheated. This actually is also a description of how a blacksmith would forge two pieces of steel together which is what your mower parts are.

To summarize, it can be repaired but the cost far outweighs the benefit because even if you can get the parts un-fused, you will continue to have issues with the piston and cylinder wall mating relationship and would probably need to replace the piston rings.

Answer 5

Would be great to know how much oil you put in? and did you check the dipstick?
this engine takes 20 ounces..., so if the stick was reading barely at the end, yes its pretty much toast (as this engine is more then likely a all aluminum engine, aluminum cylinder bore as well) And isn't worth rebuilding...

Try taking the plug out and then turn it over, see if there is any difference..., then if no, try and take the shroud off and while holding the handle at top through this all, try and turn the engine over by hand (spark plug wire removed of course)

None of this helps.., well there is other things to try, little oil down the cylinder to try and free it... but as I said, its a all aluminum engine.., if it runs again after seizing, you run the risk of it breaking the connecting rod and throwing it through the block.

Answer 6

did you check the gas tank mybe you are just out of gas,if you think you ran it out of oil try putting in correct amount back in. it will probaly only take 3/4 of a quart of oil, take spark plug out and clean it . and give her a try again. to see if she starts, good luck

Answer 7

also if you hit something with it rock etc. you might have sheared a very small pin under the fly wheel,hard to get to but the mower wont start without it.

Answer 8

Most likely it is "trash". It would probably be better to buy a new one rather than get yours fixed. Labor costs would be high and a new engine would be needed.

Answer 9

Its a goner. It will be cheaper to go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy a new one. Sorry bout that!

Answer 10

It's trashed... it would be cheaper to buy a new one unless you can fix it yourself, and even then the parts aren't cheap?