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I assembled the lawn mower for the first time, job done..

The mower is : Troy-Bilt 3-in-1 160cc Gas Engine FWD Walk Behind Push Lawn Mower, 21-in

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I tried reading the manual but it is more confusing, looks like Chinese to me.

I have few questions,

1- There is engine oil comes with the mower, I emptied it all in the engine, is this too much or too little. i checked the gauge but I could not tell how much it was full!!

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2- Is there any benefit from using the best quality gasoline i.e. 92?

3- what is this thing for?!!

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  • So where did you put in the oil? Did you put it in the proper location (where the oil dispstick is on the side of the motor), or did you put in opening underneath the cap on the top of the mower? If you put it in the top cap, that's the gas, and that's not good at all if that's where you put it. I'd be very surprised if they didn't include the proper amount of oil to start with, so if you're not seeing any on the dipstick after adding the amount of oil they included, then there's something drastically wrong.
    – Milwrdfan
    Aug 12, 2022 at 2:55
  • I know it’s too late, but I was taught to check for metal bits inside (shwarf) before adding oil.
    – Polypipe Wrangler
    Aug 12, 2022 at 11:31

2 Answers 2

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If the mower is on level ground, then you should see the oil level on the dipstick- or you need to add more oil. Make sure you insert the dipstick fully to get an accurate reading.

As far as the gasoline to use- you do not have to use the highest octane gas (92)- more importantly try and find non-ethanol gas. The ethanol additive (which is in most gas) does tend to dry out the seals and the rubber parts in the carburetor- especially for tools that are run less frequently. I have found much better longevity in my gas power tools running non-ethanol. It is available here, but not every gas station has it.

The fitting on top of the mower that you show in your last picture is to attach a garden hose- it is for cleaning the cut grass that gets stuck inside.

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    Also make sure to use a clean paper towel to wipe off the dipstick before checking the oil level. The proper procedure is to pull the dipstick out, wipe it off, put it back in, wait 5 seconds, then pull it back out to read the oil level.
    – Milwrdfan
    Aug 12, 2022 at 2:52
  • I highly recommend a non stick treatment for the under the mower deck like mo-deck spray. I use it and it makes a huge difference in the amount of grass that sticks to the deck. Now is the time to do it, when it's clean and brand new.
    – George Anderson
    Aug 12, 2022 at 4:14
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Everything you need is in the manual.

  • Gasoline - page 7 - 86 octane or higher, ethanol no more than 10% (E10)
  • Oil - page 3, figure 3 shows the dipstick, which is also the oil filler cap. Instructions on checking and filling the oil are on the bottom of page 7 and top of page 8. The oil pouch matches the oil refill amount (12 oz.) so I suspect they initially put some in to test the engine and then drain most of it out, so that the included pouch is just the right amount.
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  • For small engine carbs would try to use non ethanol gas. Have had to clean a few carbs out to get rid of the ethanol sediment.
    – crip659
    Aug 12, 2022 at 11:09
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    @crip659 I agree. But manual says E10 is acceptable, and in my area it is hard to find (if not impossible) regular gas without ethanol. Premium is available but right now costs a lot more. (Separate issue is whether we should use corn as fuel or to feed people when grain is in short supply, but....)
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Aug 12, 2022 at 11:26
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    E10 is acceptable if you run it fully out every time, and don't leave gas in the carb for 2 weeks until you mow again, and especially don't leave any E10 gas in all winter until next spring! Otherwise, non-ethanol gas will help you run a maintenance free mower for much longer.
    – Glen Yates
    Aug 12, 2022 at 21:40

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