I just bought a used leaf blower.
It is probably prudent to simply change the oil, but is there any way to
tell if it actually needs it?

I like to taste it, you can taste the grit and grime and a faint taste
of carbon if it needs changed.

leaf blowers are often 2 cycle if so theres no oil to change.........

2 cycle engines are lightweight which makes them ideal for leaf blowers

wrote in message
ups.com...
leaf blowers are often 2 cycle if so theres no oil to change.........

2 cycle engines are lightweight which makes them ideal for leaf blowers

Nope, 4 cycle.

Serious about tasting the oil?!

Serious about tasting the oil?!

What do you think?

"Toller" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...
leaf blowers are often 2 cycle if so theres no oil to change.........

2 cycle engines are lightweight which makes them ideal for leaf blowers

Nope, 4 cycle.

Serious about tasting the oil?!

Sure go ahead, the amounts of carcinogens are probably not TOO high.

It's a leafblower, change it every year at the start of the season and you
should be good to go.

"Toller" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
ups.com...
leaf blowers are often 2 cycle if so theres no oil to change.........

2 cycle engines are lightweight which makes them ideal for leaf blowers

Nope, 4 cycle.

Serious about tasting the oil?!


How old are you?

In article , "Toller" wrote:
I just bought a used leaf blower.
It is probably prudent to simply change the oil, but is there any way to
tell if it actually needs it?

Who cares? You're looking at a couple bucks' worth of oil, and a few minutes
of your time. Big deal. Just change it.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article ,
Toller wrote:
I just bought a used leaf blower.
It is probably prudent to simply change the oil, but is there any way to
tell if it actually needs it?



Yes. For about $40 you can send a sample of the oil to any of a number
of oil analysis/tribology labs.
--
No dumb questions, just dumb answers.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore, Maryland -

"Eric in North TX" wrote in message
ups.com...

I like to taste it, you can taste the grit and grime and a faint taste
of carbon if it needs changed.

Not that far off- if it is black, smells burnt, and you can feel grit
between your finger tips, it is overdue for changing. But seriously, better
to just change it on a schedule based on run hours, 'X' tanks of gas,
whatever. For typical home owner use where it just sits 11 months a year,
change it at the start of every leaf season. People that use them for a
living probably change it monthly when used, and (more importantly) check
the level at the start of each shift. If a seal goes, or it was upside down
in the truck, it is not hard to smoke the engine and seize it up, which
throws off the schedule for the day running out to buy a replacement.

aem sends...

On 14 Oct 2006 17:50:28 -0700, "Eric in North TX"
wrote:


I like to taste it, you can taste the grit and grime and a faint taste
of carbon if it needs changed.

Sounded like a troll to me too, but there really are 4 cycle leaf
blowers. John Deere makes one.

If this was a real question, the answer is:
Change the damn oil.

Toller wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...
leaf blowers are often 2 cycle if so theres no oil to change.........

2 cycle engines are lightweight which makes them ideal for leaf blowers

Nope, 4 cycle.

Serious about tasting the oil?!


I assume this is a leaf blower that is mounted on
wheels since you say it is a 4 cycle. Can't
imagine holding a 4 cycle leaf blower.

To answer the question. No, there is no way.
Most 4 cycle engines should have the oil changed
every 25 hours. Most people do it more often,
like 2 times a year, certainly you need to change
it every year. Change at the end of the use
season so that you have new oil sitting in in over
the nonuse period.

Most small 4 cycle engines use less than 1 quart
and you can buy oil on sale for less $1 or less.
Change the oil the first opportunity you get,
change it at the beginning of winter.

Eigenvector wrote:
"Toller" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
ups.com...
leaf blowers are often 2 cycle if so theres no oil to change.........

2 cycle engines are lightweight which makes them ideal for leaf blowers

Nope, 4 cycle.

Serious about tasting the oil?!

Sure go ahead, the amounts of carcinogens are probably not TOO high.

It's a leafblower, change it every year at the start of the season and you
should be good to go.



Nope, change it at the end of the season so that
it has new oil in it over the winter.

"Eric in North TX" wrote in message
oups.com...


Serious about tasting the oil?!

What do you think?

Well, I wouldn't do it, but have seen people do stranger things than that.

Doug Miller wrote:
In article , "Toller" wrote:
I just bought a used leaf blower.
It is probably prudent to simply change the oil, but is there any way to
tell if it actually needs it?

Who cares? You're looking at a couple bucks' worth of oil, and a few minutes
of your time. Big deal. Just change it.

Nope even if you buy at high retail it is well
under $2. Most small engines use about 1/2-3/4
quart of oil and national brands on sale are less
than $1. Course you have to spend 32 cents for a
stamp and wait 4-5 weeks to get you rebate check,
but where else do you make $5 for 10 minutes easy
work (case of oil).

"Toller" writes:

I just bought a used leaf blower.
It is probably prudent to simply change the oil, but is there any way to
tell if it actually needs it?

A 4-cycle lawn engine should have its oil changed annually. Gas sould
be run out of them before winter.

--
Todd H.
http://www.toddh.net/

Why ask, put in Mobil 1 a superior oil that will get you the most life
out of that thing. Im sure there is no oil filter, its run in a dust
damaging invironment, so how can you overdo it.

And use good brand of oil. Cheap oil doesn't work in air cooled
engines. My personal favorite is Castrol. In my last truck, it was the
only brand that quieted my piston rod knock for more than two days
after an oil change.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"GWB" wrote in message
...
On 14 Oct 2006 17:50:28 -0700, "Eric in North TX"
wrote:


I like to taste it, you can taste the grit and grime and a faint
taste
of carbon if it needs changed.

Sounded like a troll to me too, but there really are 4 cycle leaf
blowers. John Deere makes one.

If this was a real question, the answer is:
Change the damn oil.