Seattle, Washington (NAPSI) - Investing 30 minutes on a spring tune-up for your lawn mower can pay dividends for years to come. Those who don’t perform this important basic maintenance before the weather turns warmer often end up putting their equipment at risk.
The good news is that the engine experts at Briggs & Stratton are making it easier than ever before to get your lawn mower ready for spring—from tune-up kits to oil evacuation kits to a free oil recycling solution, you can keep your lawn mower running smoothly. An engine tune-up for your push mower takes only 30 minutes or less. Riding mower engines may require an oil filter or fuel filter, which could add five to 10 minutes to the job.
A Spring Tune-up Is Key
“Homeowners simply want their lawn mower to start when they need it for that first cut of spring and a simple tune-up can make the difference between a hassle-free start and frustrating trips for service,” said Synoilva Shaw with the Briggs & Stratton Engine Marketing department. “While the source of most starting problems is old gasoline—which goes stale in about 30 days—a tune-up can help extend the life of the mower engine and keep it running at peak performance.”
Prepping A Push Mower
A tune-up for a push mower engine can reduce engine emissions by as much as 30 percent and involves just four easy steps:
1. Changing the mower oil
2. Replacing the air filter
3. Replacing the spark plug
4. Adding fuel preservative to the gasoline.
Step-by-step video instructions are available online at www.briggsandstratton.com.
Tune-up Kits
A basic push mower engine tune-up kit costs under $12.99 and includes an air filter, spark plug, bottle of oil and a pouch of fuel treatment and stabilizer. A tractor tune-up kit costs under $32.99 and includes the same as a push mower kit with the addition of a fuel and/or oil filter. The kits are available online at the company’s website or at authorized dealers and home improvement stores.
Oil Evacuation Kits
Two options are available for oil evacuation kits—one that removes oil only and another that removes both oil and fuel. These kits help eliminate the need for consumers to tip the mower to drain the oil during a tune-up, making it easier to change the oil and reducing the possibility of an oil spill in the garage or driveway.
Oil evacuation kits cost between $23 and $31 and are available online at www.briggsandstratton.com or at authorized dealers and home improvement stores.
Disposing Of Used Oil
Participating Briggs & Stratton dealers nationwide make recycling oil easy and have recycled more than 200,000 gallons of used engine oil to date. Simply drop off your used oil in a closed container and let your dealer take care of the rest.
Look Before You Pump
Certain gasoline blends should never be used in lawn mower engines and other small gas engines. Fuel blends containing more than 10 percent ethanol, like E15 or E85 gasoline, or gasoline containing other alcohol blends can damage small gas engines.
Repairs required because of the use of these unapproved gasoline blends are not covered under the manufacturer’s engine warranty. Look for the “Look Before You Pump” warning logo on new models or find more information from the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute at www.opei.org.