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I took my mower into the repair shop because it wouldn't start after running for the first time for just a few seconds. They said they would tear the engine apart to see if oil was in it when started (which there was some). My question is how can they tell if a mower had oil in it when started?

Aaron Roberts
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  • First thing to come to mind is to ask the mechanic. Approach it from a learning/knowledge stand point rather than confrontational. I guess the question is did the mower have oil in it when you took it to the mechanic? I think there is more to this story... – Tim Nevins Jun 06 '18 at 19:02
  • Yes it did. I was just wondering how they would know whether it had oil in it or not when it was running? Like is their something mechanically they can check to say for sure it was ran with oil/without. Asking more from a learning perspective for myself. – Aaron Roberts Jun 06 '18 at 19:10
  • I don't claim to be a small engine expert, but if it had oil in it when you took it in, it is extremely unlikely that someone took the oil out right before you tried to start it and put it back before you took it in. Am I not understanding something here? Also assuming a small engine they generally rely on splash lubrication (no oil pump). If it has an oil filter it probably has a pump. Perhaps the mechanic thinks you added oil AFTER it woudn't start? Possible, i suppose. – Tim Nevins Jun 06 '18 at 19:37
  • So he made it seem like he could tell for sure whether it had oil in it when it was started by taking the engine apart. I'm wondering how he can tell that? Like would you see oil in the engine etc? – Aaron Roberts Jun 06 '18 at 20:04
  • Probably because if the engine stopped running due to lack of oil, the piston would be seized against the cylinder wall. – renesis Jun 06 '18 at 20:14
  • A few seconds shouldn't cause even an unoiled motor to freeze. It takes time to build the heat to melt aluminum. Check spark, sparkplug, carb and air filter before going to mechanic. Also make sure choke and throttle cables do what they are supposed to, and that whatever starnge safety feature setup the mower has has not been triggered and is functioning normally. – Wayfaring Stranger Jun 07 '18 at 14:14

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