Photo: www.briggsandstratton.com“Just check and add” is the promise behind the first gasoline-powered, walk-behind lawnmower engine that doesn’t require oil changes, according to the engine’s maker, Briggs and Stratton. Users simply check the oil level and add as necessary.
The EXi Series from Briggs and Stratton was designed to eliminate the issues that contribute to the need for oil changes by creating an engine that keeps oil both clean and relatively cool. The new engine prevents dirt from getting into the oil by using an automotive style paper air-cleaner element with a press-fit design, as well as an improved oil-fill tube, which has an extended flange to prevent debris from entering the tube during routine oil checks.
When oil heats during regular engine use, it breaks down and begins to form a sludge, which of course makes the engine run less efficiently. Briggs and Stratton says its EXi Series engine features an overhead valve design, which, when coupled with other design features and what the company calls its “cooling package,” keeps the engine oil significantly cooler than a typical walk-behind mower engine. Thus, the oil in the EXi engine decays more slowly.
Briggs and Stratton also touts these other features of the EXi Series walk-behind mower engine:
- ReadyStart Starting System with no prime and no choke.
- No tools are required to change the air filter.
- Lightest in its class for easy maneuverability.
- Angled fuel neck to make filling up easier and less messy.
