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Changing the engine oil of any type of snow blower is an essential maintenance task, especially if you own a Toro Single-Stage Snow Blower. The older your oil is, the more difficult it becomes to protect all the vital parts of your snow blower’s engine. To keep your single-stage snow blower performing at its best, watch our quick video guide to learn how to properly change your engine oil.
Video Transcript:
Do you own a single-stage snow blower? If so, here’s something you shouldn’t overlook.
No matter what kind of snow blower you use, regular oil changes are super important. Over time, the heat, dirt and agitated air in your engine’s crankcase can make the oil dark and dirty. Older oil loses the ability to coat and protect vital engine parts. That’s why Toro recommends changing the engine oil at least once a year, and after the first two hours on new snow blowers. The procedure varies from model to model. So if you own a two-stage snow blower, check your manual or watch our video covering two-stage models. Let’s get to it!
Before you change the oil, run your engine for 5 minutes. This warms the oil so it drains easier and stirs up any debris from the bottom of the engine so it comes out with the old oil too. If there’s any fuel left in the tank, run it until it’s dry. Or siphon it off to prevent any spilling.
Move the machine onto a level surface. Lay down some cardboard to catch any spills. Place an oil drain pan directly under the drain plug. Then remove the plug and tip the machine backward to drain the oil into the pan. Once the oil drains completely, reinstall the drain plug and tighten it securely. Next, wipe around the oil fill cap to get rid of any dirt that might fall into the filler hole. Then remove the cap and add oil.
The type of oil you use depends on the outdoor temperature range. If the lowest temperatures in your area never get more than a few degrees below zero Fahrenheit, that’s -17 Celsius, a 10W-30 oil will do. For colder climates, use a 5W-30 grade. A synthetic 5W-30 will work for most winter temperatures. Check your manual for more details.
Carefully pour oil into the fill hole. Fill until the oil level reaches the maximum mark. But be careful to not overfill. If your snowblower has a screw-in dipstick, don’t screw the dipstick into the threads when you’re measuring the oil level. If you do, you won’t get an accurate reading.
That’s all there is to it! If you keep your engine oil clean, your snowblower will thank you.
