You can improve your push lawn mower’s efficiency and prevent costly repairs by performing regular maintenance that keeps every component running smoothly. Routine checks and part replacements ensure your mower starts easily, cuts evenly, and consumes fuel efficiently throughout the mowing season. By following your owner’s manual, inspecting for worn parts, changing oil and filters, using fresh fuel, and troubleshooting early performance issues, you’ll extend your mower’s lifespan and minimize downtime. This article explains each of these maintenance steps in detail so you can keep your mower performing like new all summer long.
1. Review the owner’s manual maintenance instructions.
2. Inspect for worn and damaged parts and replace as needed.
“For safety and to prevent premature wear of parts, use only replacement parts designed for your particular model,” said Jeff Linderman, outdoor power equipment specialist for RepairClinic.com. “Avoid parts marketed as a universal fit. This is particularly important with blades.”
3. Change the oil using the correct formula as recommended by the lawn mower manufacturer.
4. Ensure the air filter is clean.
Paper air filters cannot be cleaned and must be replaced. Gently scrub foam air filters with hot water and a dime-sized amount of detergent; be sure to allow the filter to dry completely before reinstalling it. As a general rule of thumb, lawn mower air filters should be replaced every 25 hours of use or once per season.
5. Install a new fuel filter.
Clean fuel filters are important to the efficient operation of a lawn mower. Due to likelihood of damage, fuel filters cannot be cleaned.
6. Add fresh fuel.
Empty any remaining fuel and add fresh fuel. Be sure to add fuel stabilizer every time you refuel; which helps stop the fuel from breaking down which could result in clogged fuel lines or stuck intake valves.
7. Troubleshoot and repair as needed.
Changes in performance such as difficulty starting the engine may indicate key component issues that should be addressed as soon as possible to avoid downtime and costlier problems.
An engine tune-up kit is the most efficient way to find everything you need to tune up your lawn mower engine; most kits include an air filter, spark plug, fuel filter and oil. It is easy to find engine-specific tune-up kits on RepairClinic.com: https://www.repairclinic.com/Shop-For-Parts/a21c114/Lawn-Mower-Tune-Up-Maintenance-Kit-Parts
