oil change on possibly neglected snowblower ?

[Wheel]

I've come into an older ('88) snowblower with an 8 hp Tecumseh Snow King engine. The oil is dark looking, and I've got no real idea when it was last changed. It runs fine, but I'd like to change the oil in it.
I'm thinking any detergent oil might make a problem for the seals, but especially synth. It calls for 5W30, (in SF, SE, SD or SC rating !) and I was thinking M1, PP, or NAPA synth.

Am I likely to create a problem by using synthetic ? Or am I doomed either way to be changing seals?

 

[Danno]

I have the same engine on my snowblower, about same age as well. I have used franken (left overs from oil changes on my cars) oil in mine since new and changed annually at the end of the season. Runs great. It gets about 15 - 20 run time hours a year. I would use a dino 5W-30 such as PYB on this and future oil changes and sleep well.

 

[TWG1572]

I bought a similar age snowblower with the 5hp Snow King. I bought it non-running(carb plugged up), and the oil was nasty. This was back in the days when I ran PP in OPE, so I did a quicker OCI with 5w30 and it cleaned right up. The first change came out nasty, the second was much better.

Today, I'd throw 5w40 Rotella in it and call it a day.

 

[Zaedock]

I'm running GTX 5W30 in my 10 year old 8hp Tecumseh and it runs perfectly fine. No need for anything special. Just change it out before next season.

 

[Nyati]

What's a snowblower?

 

[Wheel]

Thanks everyone, I'm going to check the forecast and change it after a good run.

I'll send you a slushball Nyati

 

[ARCOgraphite]

My SK leaked with syn. Im running 10w30 t5 shell rotella currently. Its hard starting with the 10w in -15c temps, but runs much better when warmed up than the DEFY 5w30 or MC5K - smooth quiet and powerful. I would not run a GF5 with low HTHS in a powerful aircooled engine - 3.5hp briggs vertical shaftys dont seem to mind, though.

 

[bmod305]

Tecumseh flat head Snow King engines are easy on oil. Anything will work. I use 5w-30 of any flavor or type-the engine could care less. The most critical thing on them is to never ever run them with less than the oil level at full. They can & will throw a rod out the side of the block with low oil level. Use fresh gas and any 5w-30 oil at full level!

Dave

 

[eljefino]

Even if your seals are shot it should be a relatively slow leak. The crank is way higher than the typical oil level, and it's just splash lubricated.

But syn does not dissolved seals make, anyway.

 

[Dufus2]

Originally Posted By: TWG1572
I bought a similar age snowblower with the 5hp Snow King. I bought it non-running(carb plugged up), and the oil was nasty. This was back in the days when I ran PP in OPE, so I did a quicker OCI with 5w30 and it cleaned right up. The first change came out nasty, the second was much better.

Today, I'd throw 5w40 Rotella in it and call it a day.


I have the same snowblower, I ran 5w30 Amsoil in it and later changed over to their small engine 30w and worked the snot out of it. Just bought a qt of Rotella 5w40 to put in it this time since it has not been used in like 3 years lol

For a china clone engine, it sure does run good.

 

[Darkfire]

Originally Posted By: Wheel
I've come into an older ('88) snowblower with an 8 hp Tecumseh Snow King engine. The oil is dark looking, and I've got no real idea when it was last changed. It runs fine, but I'd like to change the oil in it.
I'm thinking any detergent oil might make a problem for the seals, but especially synth. It calls for 5W30, (in SF, SE, SD or SC rating !) and I was thinking M1, PP, or NAPA synth.

Am I likely to create a problem by using synthetic ? Or am I doomed either way to be changing seals?

Try Mobil 1 HM 5w-30. Great cleaning oil with conditioners for the seals.

 

[Wheel]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Even if your seals are shot it should be a relatively slow leak. The crank is way higher than the typical oil level, and it's just splash lubricated.

But syn does not dissolved seals make, anyway.


I am more worried that the seals have become hidden behind sludge and are likely to leak because they've dried out. Probably any new oil has enough detergent in it to dislodge this when I change it, but synth has the history of being very good at removing sludge.

If the crank is higher than the lube level anyway, I won't worry much about it.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Wheel
I'm thinking any detergent oil might make a problem for the seals, but especially synth. It calls for 5W30, (in SF, SE, SD or SC rating !) and I was thinking M1, PP, or NAPA synth.

Am I likely to create a problem by using synthetic ? Or am I doomed either way to be changing seals?


ALWAYS run a detergent oil in combustion engines. PERIOD! You are not one of those guys that runs non-detergent oil in small engines are you? If you are, you are wrong.

I would run any dino 5W30 engine oil in that engine, with Quaker State Defy and Valvoline Maxlife being at the top of the list, followed by any other high mileage oils.

 

[Wheel]

No, I wasn't thinking about using a non-detergent oil, just that the current oil may have been in a looong time, and that any current oil would loosen stuff up (especially synthetic). I think I'll use a high-mileage type synthetic and call it good.

 

[AandPDan]

I really doubt you have a sludge problem. Dark oil is not a problem.

I've been working on small engines, primarily as a hobby, for almost 40 years. Most of the L-head engines I've opened are spotless. They usually die of worn out rings (or cylinder damage). The HM's or HMSK's that I've seen dead were due to low oil. Even then, except for a broken rod and hole in the block the engine crankcase still looked clean.

5w-30 is what Tecumseh recommends. There is no need for a synthetic. I'd just run some 5w-30 PYB and change it after a good run.

 

[Aurora09]

I had the same machine ('93 model) I pulled out of storage this year due to last years exceptionally mild winter, I thought I might need it. The oil was black and it would not idle. First I drained the gas and poured in about 4oz of seafoam to the gas and let it run that tank out. It still would not idle. Then I ran it with about 2oz of seafoam in the gas after I wire brushed, sandpapered and regapped the spark plug. After it wouldn't idle and was shooting flames out the muffler, I ran a full can of seafoam spray thru the carb while it was running. That restored the idle, so I adjusted the carb to make it a little better and put in a new autolite extreme start iridium plug and changed the oil to mobil 5000 5W30. This was my choice in oil due to it being the second cheapest oil at Meijer (store brand was cheaper). That oil is darker after running it for a while, but it's not thick and black like what came out. Now the only problem I'm having is that the muffler bolts keep on coming out while the machine is operating, so next I'm putting on some locking washers. Good luck this winter.

 

[AandPDan]

Originally Posted By: Aurora09
Now the only problem I'm having is that the muffler bolts keep on coming out while the machine is operating, so next I'm putting on some locking washers. Good luck this winter.


There should be a rectangular plate under both bolts that you bend the tabs up to lock the muffler in place.

 

[dnastrau]

It sounds like it might be a good idea to take the float bowl off of the carburetor, clean out any junk in there, check the float for leaks, remove the jets and blow some carb cleaner through the orifices, etc.

I have had way more trouble with outdoor power equipment carburetors in the past 10 - 15 years that in the years before that - probably due to oxygenated gas. The junk that gets depositied in the float bowl will cause erratic running at best and may leave you with a non-starting engine at the most inopportune time. Marine Sta-Bil in the gas seems to help a lot to prevent this problem.

 

[Aurora09]

That piece under the bolts I think fell off or got lost at some point. The carburetor is fine now.