Assuming it's a new mower with the oil filler tube extension: have on hand 20 oz of SAE 30 HD engine oil (find 20 oz bottles of Briggs & Stratton oil at Wal Mart); Run mower until it's warmed up; place a catch pan on the ground beside the mower on the oil fill side; take off the oil fill cap and dip stick and place in a clean location (wrap up with paper towel); tilt up other side of mower from the oil fill and dump the old oil into the pan; after draining for a few minutes, set the mower back on it's wheels and put the new oil in; replace oil fill cap. before changing oil check oil type and amount in the manual, which probably also shows how to change it. Always raise the same side of the mower as you would to change oil for any other work under the deck. Raising the other side can flood the carburetor with oil. Keep an old milk jug for the oil and take it to an oil collection point when full.

Thanks ewalk! Good hearing from you. My Monster has lasted 40 yrs and I have another identical like new waiting minus the motor if needed. I have stock piled Too Much Stuff over the years. I just loaded my last CTR color monitor today to take to GoodWill tomorrow. I have had over 10 complete computer sys here when I was into that. Now I need my âÂÂCloset SpaceâÂÂ, Peace Of Mind for my one 3 yr old GranddaughterâÂÂs projects. Take Care!

Put your concerns to rest. So long as you have sufficient space for the filter to mount up without chafing or rubbing any part of the machine (that could damage the filter body) you will be OK. As pointed out above, having an "anti-drain back" valve (check valve) incorporated into the filter is important. I personally think it is also important that the filter media be of a "waterproof" material (and Wix, to name one, uses waterproof media). ALL internal combustion engines produce water as a byproduct of the combustion process. During "cold start up", a significant volume of this water gets past the piston rings and into the crankcase where it becomes entrained into the lube oil. Usually this is a "temporary" condition as the water is later evaporated back out of the oil as the temperature of the engine and lube oil rises higher than the point where liquid water can exist. This phenomenon does not normally have any effect on filter media that is NOT WATERPROOF, especially in air cooled engines (because of their characteristic higher operating temps), as the water in the oil never remains there long enough to soften or weaken the filter media to the point of "matting over". Cold engines that are started up and shut back down without the engine ever reaching operating temperature are the ones most likely to suffer from water induced filter degradation (or failure). Liquid cooled engines that have a defective head gasket can have water contaminated oil before the complete failure of the gasket makes the defect apparent "otherwise". Liquid cooled engines that are operated with the thermostat removed (or stuck open) will also suffer more from this type of degradation because the engine "runs too cold" for longer time before heating up enough to evaporate the water from the oil. "Matting" of the filter media occurs if the (non waterproof) fibers of the filter lose some of their "structural strength" due to becoming pliable when they absorb water. As the fibers settle (pack down) on top of one another, or swell up in diameter, the filtration rating will increase (catch smaller debris) temporarily. It is "temporary" because once it gets "matted", it can no longer flow the same volume of fluid it was intended to. As the matting effect increase, the filter bypass valve will unseat, allowing some unfiltered oil to "bypass" the filter media altogether. A matted filter might bypass oil during a cold start up due the the inability of the media to flow the viscous, cold oil, and then resume filtering the oil once the oil warms and "thins out". Matting can also lead to tearing or rupturing of the filter media, which then allows some of the trapped debris, and sometimes, bits of the filter media, to be transported out of the filter and into the very engine components that are are supposed to be protected by the filter. Oil filter manufacturers (that use non-waterproof media in their oil filters) hide behind the disclaimer "it's an oil filter, not a water filter" to defend their choice of materials, and (hopefully) for most folks, the fine detail of "waterproof versus non waterproof" media will never become an issue.

febc synthetic oil is less prone to breakdown under high heat conditions. It sounds as though you have a airflow thru the radiator problem. Have you cleaned the radiator fins and checked your cooling fan for proper operation? I would probably concentrate on that area instead of changing to a synthetic oil, the stuff is expensive and really not much better than regular oil, the key to a high mileage engine is proper maintenance, when you have a overheating problem you best repair it immediately, your engine will not last very long if overheats no matter what oil you run in it.