OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping Idle Chatter New engine from Briggs that with no oil changes...

Came across this today new from Briggs and Stratton, I'd be keen to know how they have achieved this, or have they dug their own grave in our throwaway society...

If you start off by recognising that most Briggs engines never have their oil changed anyway, and most of them never have it checked or topped up, it gets a bit easier to see where they are going. Let's say they will last three years or so even if they made no changes at all from existing engines. Then what if they throw half a cupful of molybdenum disulphide into the sump at the factory?

I bought an old junk Honda engine once that had nothing but molybdenum disulphide in the sump, apparently put in after it became badly worn and impossible to keep oil in. The stuff was still there and still keeping it from seizing, when I got it. Of course it was so badly worn that I had to throw the whole base engine away, but boy, was it worn. I had another Honda that still had oil in the sump when it was worn nearly as much, but that one oiled a clean plug and stopped running in about 1 minute from a cold start, and meanwhile it smogged out the whole street. The molybdenum disulphide was a much better, and much cheaper, solution. (Not as good as putting new rings in the engine when it started to smoke of course, but if you can't do that yourself, it is unaffordably expensive.)

When you go to Cunnings next time have a good look at the B&S mowers.
On the side there is a sticker stating that the engine is EPA compliant for X years or until Y.
Most times it will only be 3 or 4 years by which time it will be illegal to be used in a few USA states.
So if the mower can only be used for 3 or 4 years and remembering a mower only does about 50 hours a year, not hard to make a mower that will never need an oil change.
I have a shed full of B&S moweres that never needed an oil change,,,,,,,, till it was too late and some are better than 15 years old.

As grumpy says most don't have the oil changed anyway and briggs is relying on people to top the oil up which still does not happen. They say they have logged hundreds of hours testing it and even in florida where it is very dusty!. Whoopee
! Obviously they won't be selling it here then. Sounds like a minefield of complaints waiting to happen for the poor old dealer.
Have read of the press release.




Calling it an end to a messy annual ritual, and a first for the outdoor power equipment industry, Briggs & Stratton Corp. has developed a lawn mower engine that never needs an oil change.

The new engine will be available this spring on certain Toro, Craftsman, Snapper, Troy-Bilt and Yard Machine walk-behind mowers. Its air intake system is sealed tighter so that dirt doesn't get inside the engine and contaminate the oil, and the engine runs cooler so that heat doesn't break down the lubricant.

"If an engine runs cooler, with less debris in the oil, it will last longer," said Rick Zeckmeister, Briggs vice president of marketing and planning.

The four-stroke mower engine is designed to last the life of the equipment it's used on, which could be about 12 years, without an oil change. Briggs says the engine will set a precedent in the lawn and garden equipment industry, and none of its competitors has an engine that doesn't require an oil change.

The new design stems partly from consumer research that showed people understood the value of changing engine oil, to increase the life span of their mower, but they didn't necessarily perform the maintenance.

Walk-behind mowers usually have to be tipped upside down to drain the oil, and then there's the hassle of disposing the used lubricant. If you're not careful when doing an oil change, you also could introduce dirt into the engine which causes premature wear.

"It's just messy, and sometimes you do more damage than good," Zeckmeister said.

The new engine comes on mowers priced from $250 to $400, in power ratings of 6.75- and 7.25-foot pounds of torque. Briggs says it has an automotive-style air filter to keep out debris, a new cooling fan for optimum airflow, an automotive-style piston and rings, and an overhead-valve design that rejects exhaust heat through the cylinder head, away from the oil.

The engine is being produced at a Briggs plant in Poplar Bluff, Mo. The plant was completely rebuilt to provide better control over the manufacturing process, Zeckmeister said.

Oil is the lifeblood of an engine. It protects the moving parts but gradually loses that ability as heat, dirt particles, moisture and air break down the lubricating properties.

The new engine uses the same oil as other Briggs engines. You still have to add it occasionally, but an improved oil-fill tube helps keep debris out, and an improved fuel spout helps prevent gasoline spills.

Briggs, the world's largest manufacturer of small gasoline engines, has logged hundreds of hours testing the new design, including field tests in dirty conditions in Florida. In the future, the company plans to use the design on other outdoor power products besides walk-behind mowers.

The challenge was to produce an engine that was powerful enough, durable, affordable, and didn't require an oil change. "Nobody wants a disposable lawn mower," Zeckmeister said.

Still, some say that consumers now expect to use all kinds of products a few years and then throw them away.

"People don't buy something with the idea of maintaining it for 10 or 12 years. Unfortunately, that's not the mind-set anymore," said Patrick Hanson, an engine mechanics instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

The lack of maintenance is the No. 1 reason lawn mowers fail prematurely, Hanson said.

Even an engine that the manufacturer says never needs an oil change would benefit from it, according to Hanson.

"I would still recommend changing the oil once a year," he said.

With its other mower engines, Briggs recommends an oil change about every 25 operating hours.

"Just like the oil in a vehicle operated in extremely dirty or dusty conditions at high speeds, the oil in a lawn mower or other small engine breaks down faster under tough conditions such as wet grass, heavy dust, high temperatures, and rough or hilly terrain," the company says on its website.

There's no need to change the oil with the new Briggs engine, but it won't hurt if you do it anyway, according to the company.

Hmmmm.... Looks like another B&S Sprint motor that has never had an oil change, is low on oil and has never had the air filter cleaned, Naah won't happen!

Yeah, riiiiight... It's a bit sad, but consumer level mowers are just another throwaway appliance, these days. Just how it is...

The air cleaner servicing issue used to occur as far back as the 70's, FWIW. Our family dealership used to fit chrome ring sets to extend the motor's life somewhat, back then. Running the engine with a clogged air filter resulted in excessive bore wear, in aluminium bore engines.

Then after the tariff barriers were dropped by the Whitlam Govt, it became cheaper to fit a new short motor....