OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Restoring, Customising and Modifying Victa Walk-Behind Rotary Mowers Victa Commercial 21" 850 I/C SP

The First Oil Change

Contrary to Breaks & Scrapem’s advice, you actually DO need to change the oil!





Some time ago, Briggs & Stratton determined that consumers don’t like changing the oil on their gas-powered lawn equipment. In fact, I would be willing to bet that 90% of gas-powered lawn mowers never get an oil change in their life. According to Briggs and Stratton, because of the advancements in oil technology and engine design, the engines run cooler and negate the need for regular oil changes. Those changes include improved air filter and oil filler seals, which limit the chance of debris entering the oil system. The subsequent tag line being “No Oil Change Required, Just Check and Add”.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/eu...check-add.html



Briggs & Stratton even make note of the environmental savings made by not generating waste oil. I guess they have a point, but if the engine blows up because of degraded or a lack of oil, then I can guarantee Briggs’s would happily sell you another engine that took a lot of energy and natural resources to manufacture. Go figure.

Needless to say, if you want the engine on your lawn mower to go the distance, please change the oil!

NOTE - The above information applies to the consumer-grade EXi OHV engines. This includes the 150cc and 163cc engines fitted with the paper cartridge air filters. Also included, the 190cc 875 EXi, which is the same engine as the 850 fitted to the Victa Commercial but doesn't come with the cast-iron bore, hence being considered consumer-grade.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/e...es/lawn-mower-engines/625exi-series.html
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/e...es/lawn-mower-engines/675exi-series.html
https://www.briggsandstratton.com/e...es/lawn-mower-engines/875exi-series.html

When I first took delivery of the Victa Commercial 21-inch, I filled the engine with the recommended SAE-30 mineral oil.





Having outlined the "No Oil Change Required" above, that actually doesn’t apply to the 850-series engine. I would suspect that relates to these engines being primarily for commercial users, meaning they are being used far beyond the average domestic lawn mower engine. As such, Briggs recommend the first oil change on the 850-series be at 5 hours of use, then every 50 hours or annually going forward. The oil filter replacement is also at 50 hours.

After the first oil change at 5 hours, I go a bit more conservative in doing oil changes at 25 instead of 50 hours. I would normally switch to 10w-30 semi-synthetic at the first change, but I've decided to run SAE-30 mineral for another set.

For oil filters, I do them every second oil change for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the filters are $20 each, which is quite expensive for such a small filter. Secondly, I just don't see the need considering the frequency of oil changes.

Engine Oil Capacity – 540 to 590 ml (wet fill)
Oil Filter P/N - 795 990



These engines can be drained from above or below, but I have always drained them from the dipstick tube to avoid taking off the blade carrier. I've recently invested in an oil extractor to hopefully make oil changes quicker and easier.

Either way, make sure to clean around the dipstick tube beforehand, which you should be doing anyway when checking oil levels. All waste oil is put in an empty bottle and disposed of at the council collection point. I actually rinsed the mower down prior to the oil change, the ceramic coating easily shed the dust debris that was clinging to the deck. See, there was method in my madness!



Once drained, the mower is flipped back up and the new oil added, reserving about 100ml. I then check the dipstick, adding the final 100ml in steps to the correct level is achieved. If the oil filter is changed, make sure to check the oil after a quick test run and add more oil if needed.

As a way of keeping track, I put the date on the oil filter to indicate when the last oil change was.



Something I only just now realized, the 850 engines fitted with an oil filter actually have Pressure Lubrication with an oil pump instead of the splash type lubrication on the rest of the Briggs push mower engine lineup. I've had a few 850's over the years, some have come without the oil filter, some have, including this Victa and also my Mulchmaster. I thought I knew everything about these engines, clearly not.





More to come............................