Make Lawn Mower Engine Tune-ups a Rite of Spring

MILWAUKEE, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The engine experts at Briggs & Stratton (NYSE: BGG) are making it easier than ever to get your lawn mower ready for spring. From a tune-up kit to an oil evacuation kit to free oil recycling, an engine tune-up for your push lawn mower engine takes only 30 minutes or less. Riding mower engines may require an oil filter or fuel filter, which could add five to 10 minutes to the job.

While many homeowners perform annual tune-ups on their lawn mower engines, there are still many across the country that don't perform this important basic small engine maintenance, putting their equipment at risk.

"Homeowners simply want their lawn mower to start when they need it for that first cut of spring and a simple tune-up can make the difference between a hassle-free start and frustrating trips for service," said Synoilva Shaw, with the Briggs & Stratton marketing department. "While the source of most starting problems is old gasoline, which goes stale in about 30 days, a tune-up can help extend the life of the mower engine and keep it running at peak performance."

Lawn Mower Tune-Up in 4 Easy Steps

Briggs & Stratton research shows that tuning up a push mower engine can reduce engine emissions by as much as 30 percent and involves just four easy steps:

1. Changing the mower oil
2. Replacing the air filter
3. Replacing the spark plug
4. Adding fuel preservative to the gasoline

Step-by-step video instructions are available online at http://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en/support/videos.

Small Engine Tune-up Kit

A basic push mower engine tune-up kit costs under $12.99 and includes an air filter, spark plug, bottle of oil and a pouch of fuel treatment and stabilizer. A lawn tractor tune-up kit includes the same as a push mower kit with the addition of a fuel and/or oil filter and costs under $39.99. Briggs & Stratton tune-up kits are available for purchase online or at authorized Briggs & Stratton dealers and home improvement stores. 

Oil Evacuation Kits for Lawn Mowers

Two options are available for oil evacuation kits – one that removes oil only and another that removes both oil and fuel. These kits help eliminate the need for consumers to tip the mower to drain the oil during a tune-up, making it easier to change the oil and reducing the possibility of an oil spill in the garage or driveway. Oil evacuation kits costs between $23 and $31 and are available for purchase online at www.briggsandstratton.com or at authorized Briggs & Stratton dealers and home improvement stores. 

Disposing of Used Engine Oil

Participating Briggs & Stratton dealers nationwide make recycling oil easy and have recycled more than 200,000 gallons of used engine oil to date. Simply drop off your used oil in a closed container and let your dealer take care of the rest.

Look Before You Pump

Certain gasoline blends should never be used in lawn mower engines and other small gas engines. Fuel blends containing more than 10 percent ethanol, like E15 or E85 gasoline, or gasoline containing other alcohol blends can damage small gas engines. Repairs required because of the use of these unapproved gasoline blends are not covered under the Briggs & Stratton engine warranty. Look for the "Look Before You Pump" warning logo on new models or find more information from the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute at www.opei.org.

Briggs & Stratton Corporation, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is the world's largest producer of gasoline engines for outdoor power equipment. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include North America's number one marketer of portable generators and pressure washers, and it is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of lawn and garden and turf care through its Simplicity®, Snapper®, SnapperPro® Ferris®, Murray®, Branco® and Victa® brands. Briggs & Stratton products are designed, manufactured, marketed and serviced in over 100 countries on six continents. For additional information, please visit www.basco.com and www.briggsandstratton.com.

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SOURCE Briggs & Stratton