Fixing up an Old Lawnmower

[Nifty]

There is a product for cleaning the interior of the fuel system called sea foam.

Funny you should mention that... I had actually bought a bottle of it and added it to my gas and engine oil!

I'm a huge fan of this youtuber and got the idea of seafoam from him:

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Funny you should mention that... I had actually bought a bottle of it and added it to my gas and engine oil!

I'm a huge fan of this youtuber and got the idea of seafoam from him:

My father taught me about Marvel Mystery Oil, a solvent from long ago, that he would use on aircraft and on our vehicles. Its really mild but a good cleaner for soaking parts too. I suspect sea foam is just the more modern expression of the idea as it seems to work a little better. There is a madlad that tests everything on a yt chan and he has an old mower that he put a clear plexiglass head on so you can see everything happening in the head. It got my attention, and in one of the segments he tested MMO and Sea Foam against each other. Not a lot of difference but seafoam was marginally better.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I used to work for a major oil company. During one of those meetings where the big bosses would come to town and give a speech, they took a few questions from the audience. I always figured these questions were plants but the guy that asked said it wasn't, he came up with it on his own. Maybe.

He asked why should we pay extra to buy major brand gasoline instead of the discount brands. The executive said it was because of the detergents. The major companies all had their own detergent which made a lot of difference in performance compared to the discount brands. Then he said something I thought remarkable and made me think he was trying to be honest. He said we should fill up with one brand for three months, say Texaco when it was a company, then fill up with Chevron for three months. Then go back to Texaco or maybe do Shell for three months. Three months gives then time to work and, since each was different, they'd clean up different deposits.

Seafoam and Marvel Mystery Oil are detergents. I'm sure there are differences in formulation. I would not use both at the same time, not sure how those chemicals would react. But just using one could help.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I have a 25 year old Lawn Boy. It runs and runs and runs. I've never had it repaired.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

I used to work for a major oil company. During one of those meetings where the big bosses would come to town and give a speech, they took a few questions from the audience. I always figured these questions were plants but the guy that asked said it wasn't, he came up with it on his own. Maybe.

He asked why should we pay extra to buy major brand gasoline instead of the discount brands. The executive said it was because of the detergents. The major companies all had their own detergent which made a lot of difference in performance compared to the discount brands. Then he said something I thought remarkable and made me think he was trying to be honest. He said we should fill up with one brand for three months, say Texaco when it was a company, then fill up with Chevron for three months. Then go back to Texaco or maybe do Shell for three months. Three months gives then time to work and, since each was different, they'd clean up different deposits.

Seafoam and Marvel Mystery Oil are detergents. I'm sure there are differences in formulation. I would not use both at the same time, not sure how those chemicals would react. But just using one could help.

I have never thought of those products in that way. How to wash your machine inside and out.

 

[seedcorn]

I was taught to pick a good brand of oil and stick with it. The different detergents in the oil would mess with your seals and gaskets-not a good thing.
I use detergents in GM products as their gas intakes tend to plug and here comes the “check engine” light.

 

[Zeedman]

Finally was able to do some overdue weed abatement

Where some see tall grass, I see free mulch ready for harvest.

 

[Zeedman]

I was taught to pick a good brand of oil and stick with it. The different detergents in the oil would mess with your seals and gaskets-not a good thing.
I use detergents in GM products as their gas intakes tend to plug and here comes the “check engine” light.

Back in the 80's, I took an engine overhaul class. As part of the class, everyone brought in an engine to work on. After the classroom portion of the class, the instructor asked everyone what type of oil they used, and took notes. When we began to take the engines apart, he pointed out the differences in sludge & deposits between the different oil brands - and explained why he recommended against using certain brands. The differences were noticeable, and surprising... some engines were still bare metal inside, while others looked like all inner surfaces had been coated in brown lacquer.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Back in the 80's, I took an engine overhaul class. As part of the class, everyone brought in an engine to work on. After the classroom portion of the class, the instructor asked everyone what type of oil they used, and took notes. When we began to take the engines apart, he pointed out the differences in sludge & deposits between the different oil brands - and explained why he recommended against using certain brands. The differences were noticeable, and surprising... some engines were still bare metal inside, while others looked like all inner surfaces had been coated in brown lacquer.

Using a small engine generally means 1 or 2 cylinders doing all the work. On a mower, tip speed is part of the work, but the motors are generally setup for single speed operation. I understand this is harder on an engine? I wonder about the lubrication quality or perhaps the right word is lubricity of that brown laquer. I wonder about its gap filling capacity for worn rings or valves as well. I understand oils can be formulated with soft metals to improve the properties for older engines. I believe I read zinc and magnesium were commonly the metals added to oil for older motors. I do not really want a lot of "stuff" in the oil as it seems counter to what I understand are the best properties of oil.