Cleaning and replacing air filters is a necessary part of lawnmower maintenance. There are three main types of lawnmower filters. Foam filters that need oil to trap particles, paper filters, and dual filters that have both foam and paper components.
Full Answer
What is the air filter on a lawn mower?
Air filters are essential to keeping the lawn mower engine clean of debris to extend the life of the engine. There are four things an engine needs to run: air, fuel, spark and compression. I’ll go over the first requirement for an engine to run – AIR.
Where is the Air Filter Located on a Lawn Mower?
The air filter is typically located near the top of the engine above the carburetor. This location allows the engine to pull in clean air. The filter is found behind a plastic or metal shroud (cover) that protects the filter. The filter shroud is most often held on by thumb screws or clips.
Why does my lawn mower smoke?
Having an excessively dirty filter can be one of several reasons why your lawn mower starts smoking. There are other items that can cause your lawn mower to smoke including bad gaskets, piston ring problems and more.
Why does my lawn mower stop running?
The engine must have air, and clean air at that, before you can get the engine to run. A clogged air filter can cause your lawn mower to stop running, begin to smoke or cause significant damage to your engine.
How to clean a paper filter?
Cleaning a Paper Filter – Tap the filter to knock the dirt from the filter. Hold the filter up to light. If you see areas of the filter where light does not shine through, you must replace your air filter.
How to lubricate a filter?
Once the filter is dry, use a filter oil to lubricate the filter. Get it wet enough to be lightly saturated with oil, but not too much where it is dripping of oil. It can help to use paper towel to absorb excess oil.
How to remove dirt from air filter housing?
Remove the air filter from the housing being careful not to knock dirt into the intake. Remove any dirt remaining from the air filter housing with a dry cloth.
What is the purpose of an air filter on a lawn mower?
The main function of an air filter in a lawnmower is to act like your skin – it is essentially the first line of defense against the elements. This means dirt and grime are less likely to enter into the engine through the carburetor, thus allowing the machine to work properly. While the air filter is only one cog in the system of the lawnmower, ...
How to prevent oil from getting in air filter?
As a summary, remember to follow these guidelines in order to prevent future concentrations of oil in your air filter: Always turn your lawnmower air filter side up. When additional space is not needed, tilt your mower onto its handlebars. When working on your mower, be sure to disconnect the spark plug cap and keep the engine turned ...
Why does my lawn mower oil drip?
Air filters of lawnmowers get soaked in oil naturally over time. If the air filter gets soaked in oil more frequently, the issue is most likely based on turning the mower over on the wrong side. By flipping the mower over with the air filter down, oil in the engine will leak out and drip onto the air filter, eventually soaking it ...
What to do before flipping over a lawnmower?
Before flipping over your lawnmower over to do maintenance or check to see if an obstruction is present, be sure to remove any potentially dangerous barriers . In order to keep safe, get in the habit of following the steps listed: Allow the engine to cool off first.
What are the two types of air filters?
Now that this is out of the way, there are two mentionable types of air filters: paper and foam. Paper Filters. When it comes to paper filters, once it has been stained or soaked in oil, there is one solution and one solution only to making your mower serviceable: replace it.
What is the most common problem with a lawn mower?
But, inevitably, you’ll run into issues with your mower. One of the most common is an oil-soaked air filter. Whether it be today or in the unwritten future, understanding why a lawnmower’s air filter is soaked, and how to solve it, ...
Can a lawn mower be contorted?
This way, the mower can be contorted in all sorts of directions without leaking any significant amounts of oil. Again, this is only if additional freedom is needed for maintenance. As a bottom line, when shifting the position of a lawnmower, be sure to keep the air filter facing up. Ensure the spark plug if facing the sky, as opposed to the ground. ...
Tilting your lawn mower
Tilting a lawn mower at an angle more than 15 degrees with its carburetor facing downward will make oil to escape from the crankcase into the other parts of the engine including air filters. In most cases, this is also a reason why your lawn mower is smoking white or blue.
Overfilled Oil Crankcase
Overfilled crankcase will push the excess oil to spill into any direction. Most engine parts below the crankcase will get soaked as the oil also moves into the carburetor and out through the air filter. When adding engine oil, always adhere to the recommended safe limit.
Blown head gasket
If you notice oil leak on air filter and your lawn mower is not starting, then chances are that the head gasket is blown or damaged. Other than sealing the combustion gases within the cylinders, head gasket also help in preventing engine oil from leaking into the cylinders, carburetor and other areas.
Oversaturated air filter
After cleaning your lawn mower air filter, application of little oil makes it effective in trapping dust particles. Oversaturating your air filter with oil not only make it ineffective but also a threat to other parts of the engine. The excess oil will leak into the carburetor and impair its performance.
Final Thought
It is not a surprise for a lawn mower air filter to get clogged or soaked in oil. We have seen why this happens and how to fix the problem. Cleaning or replacing a lawn mower air filter is also recommended for protection of the carburetor and engine against dust, dirt and debris that would cause damages.
What happens if you turn a lawn mower over with the air filter down?
If you turn the mower over with the air filter down, the engine oil will leak out and into the filter, clogging it. Air filters do get oily over time, however, so if it is not a consistent problem, then most likely your filter just needs to be changed.
How to stop air filter from clogging mower?
To prevent your air filter from clogging in the future, always turn over the mower air filter side up. If you cannot remember this step or need more freedom of movement when working on the mower, the best bet is to run the machine out of gasoline and then remove the engine oil using a siphon. If your mower is running less efficiently ...
What are the dangers of an oily air filter?
Oily air filters prevent lawn mowers from functioning normally. They trap dirt and grime as well as particles of mown grass, and if the filter is dirty enough, can allow such particles to pass into the engine.
Why is my air filter clogged with oil?
Why Is My Air Filter Getting Clogged With Oil on My Lawn Mower? If you find your air filter is often clogged with oil and other grime, the most likely cause is you are using incorrect procedures when turning the mower over to perform maintenance. Before doing any sort of work on your mower, always allow the engine to cool and remove ...
How to clean a foam air filter?
If it is made of foam, you can clean it with hot water and dish soap, then wring it out. Before you reinsert the air filter, saturate it with engine oil and wring it out using a cloth. Though this last step may seem counterintuitive, air filters are actually supposed to be oily, just not clogged with oil.
Why do we need an air filter?
The purpose of an air filter is to allow air into the engine so that it can mix with gasoline and combust, says Jack's Small Engines, but if it lets in dirt or does not provide adequate air passage , it isn’t doing its job.
