Mower maintenance - Battery

This battery is not maintenance free. I usually get the batteries that require maintenance. They seem to be cheaper and last longer if you take care of them. After saying that look how dirty this battery is.

I just wiped it of with a rag. One these types of batteries you need to check and make sure the water is topped off.

Pull the covers off, check the water level. 

If cells are low, add some water. It is important to use distilled water. I just buy a gallon from Walmart and keep it in the garage. I use this small glass bottle because it is easier to control the pour.
Start it and let it run.

Mower Maintenance - Oil Change

Lawn mowers need an oil change like cars do. Even the small push mowers need oil changes. They will last a lot longer, and run better with proper maintenance. 

It was nice out

Things you need to change the oil on a riding lawnmower

• oil filter
• oil
• funnel
• something to catch the old oil in
• oil filter wrench, or some big pliers (Chanel Lock Pliers)
• maybe a wrench, depending on your mower. I did not need it on mine
• Rags are handy for messes

real quick, You may have already known this... I have this drain pan I picked up at an auto parts place. They have plugs, so it is easier to seal it and carry it. There is a plug in the middle where the main hole is. You can loosen it and it sticks up. it seems like that is the way you use it. Ive been doing it that way for years, and its always a pain to screw it back in. The center plug gets all oily after you drain oil into it. I just pull the plug completely out before draining oil into it. Then put it back in when Im done.

Do you the drain tube? A lot of dirt and grim on it. After wiping it off with a rag, its a lot easier to see. 

On this model, the oil drain is just a cap that is on the right side of the mower. You just twist and pull off.  No need for a wrench. It seals by an O-ring. Make sure you have something under it before pulling the cap off. I could not fit the big car drain pan in. I found a clear plastic container that worked perfectly.

Close up of the oil drain cap on

Inspect the o-ring make sure it is not cracked or anything. wipe it off, and put the cover back on once all the oil is drained.

All Drained? Put the cap back on and move over to the other side and remove the oil filter. If you have an oil wrench good, I got a ton of them too. I have found a big set of channel locks works easier for me. 

Inspect and make sure your new filter looks similar to the old one. Look to see if the threads and hole are the same. Also check that the gasket is the same size. Just put them end to end.

Put a light coat of oil on the gasket and screw it back onto the engine. Remember when screwing the filter back on it does not have to be gorilla tight.

Put oil back in the engine - Pull the dip stick out and use a funnel to put oil back in the hole the dip stick came out. Do not over fill. You changed the oil filter, so put some oil in until it reads on the full mark on the dip stick. Start the engine for a few seconds to let the oil circulate in the engine and fill the oil filter back up. Then shut the engine off and check the oil again. Add more to to the full mark. Start the engine and let it run, check for any oil leaks. Make sure no leaks around the oil filter, or the drain cap.

I realize I need to do better with pictures. Im not used to taking pictures while I work. After I got in the house to post this, I see that I should have taken a picture of the marks on the dip stick, and a few others. If you have any questions and need a picture, I will see what I can do.

Where ever you purchased your oil from, most of the time they will also take the used oil back. Always dispose of your used oil properly. We have a recycle center close that takes used oil. Auto Parts stores also take used oil. It is easy to do.

Post a comment, let me know if you like this or not.

Lets move onto the next project!

Mower Maintenance - Air and Fuel Filter

Spring is in the Air... Actually had to mow the yard in February this year.

I needed to do some maintenance on the lawn mower to get it ready for this year.

Some of this stuff may seem simple for some people, and I understand that. Once you know this is not hard. You don't know what you don't know.

Today, I changed the Air filter, fuel filter, oil and oil filter on a John Deere LA145 ring lawn mower.

As you can see, it is extremely dirty. Unscrew the 4 attaching screws to the cover. They stay attached to the cover, so once you loosen them, the cover comes off.

Not the dirtiest filter Ive seen, but pretty dirty. The foam piece under was even dirtier. Air flows through it first. The new one comes with a new foam filter as well. Just put them back on in reverse order. If you have any questions just post a comment

Next I replaced the fuel filter. It is located on the left side. It has hoses connected on both sides of it with some compression clamps. In this picture, Ive already used pliers to move the clamps down the hose some. If you have some vise grips you can squeeze the fuel line so that not much fuel leaks out when you pull the lines off the fuel filter. Pull the hoses off. Some will leak out, so do this in a ventilated area.

Old Fuel Filter

Put the new fuel filter in place. The fuel filter has an arrow tells you which way the fuel should flow. You want the arrow pointing to the engine. Fuel flows from the as tank to the engine. Use some pliers and move the clamps back in place.

With New Fuel Filter

I purchased the fuel filter from Was-Mart as well.

If you have any comments or questions please comment. I want to hear from you.

Next up is the oil change, and topping off the water in the battery.