Oil questions: Cub Cadet 2146 w/ Linamar engine

[lasmacgod]

Cub Cadet 2146 w/ Linamar 14hp single cylinder. Huge engine for just being a 14hp single, hopefully a sign of it's prolonged durability and longevity. Anyway, it is an OHV engine with mechanical flat tappets. Valve adjustment is made via set screw and jam nut on the rocker arm, and must be checked regularly.

I have been feeding it a steady diet of Rotella straight 30 oil, and it has been pretty happy with that. I recently acquired a snow plow, and will now be using it in the winter as well. I was looking for a good 5W- or 10W-30 oil, preferably synthetic, and just run it year-round. Checking the owner's manual, it specifies a SG or SH oil.

Last I read was to avoid SM oils in small engines due to flat tappet design. Is this still the case, and that I should select an oil with high zinc levels?

 

[rclint]

There is much more at stake than just the flat tappets which in these engines is relatively very very low spring pressures. Your engine is a upgrade of the old Onan engine from what little I know, and there are people who love the Onan engines, and those that don't... most that don't do so because of the price of parts... so do take care of your engine.

I would not change any from the 30 weight oil you are using during summer months.... the 30 weight oil stands up much better in air cooled engines to thermal breakdown (the main thing with air cooled engines) also I as well use the HDEO oils like Delo, Rotella etc,..

If it gets real cold where you live ( I guess it does if purchasing a snow blower is warranted) then I would look into the Rotella 10w-30 which my local walmart carries, and it seems to be a common staple now compare to a few years ago where Rotella 10w-30 was a rare find.. In your situation I do think I would change twice a year back to a straight 30 weight HDEO when the temperature starts getting back to summer time heat !!

Enjoy your Cub, I have a IH 1450, and also my son has a IH 149 which I use, and maintain, both of these have the Kohler K 321 14 HP cast iron engine.

 

[Bror Jace]

Is this machine stored in a heated garage?

Does this engine have a spin-on filter?

 

[lasmacgod]

The garage is not heated, and it does have a spin-on oil filter.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I live in Kansas, and it very rarely gets below -10 degrees.

IIRC, recommended viscosities are:

Straight 30 for temps above 50 degrees
10W-30 for temps between 20 and 80 degrees
5W-20 or 5W-30 for temps 50 degrees and below.

I figured running a good synthetic 10W-30 would extend both the cold and hot temperature protection, and let me run the oil year-round. I only put about 20 hours on the mower during the mowing season, and, depending on how bad a winter it is, maybe another 10 hours during snow season. IIRC, the manual recommends oil and filter changes every 50 hours using the SG/SH oils.

 

[jstutz]

Why not use rotella 10w30. Good HDEO add pack and flows better than the straight 30 when its cold.

 

[Scienceman]

I agree with jstutz, and nice engine!

 

[Bror Jace]

"I figured running a good synthetic 10W-30 would extend both the cold and hot temperature protection, and let me run the oil year-round."

Good thinking ... and I agree. If the engine did not have a spin-on filter, I would recommend more frequent chages to get rid of wear debris ... and for that kind of schedule, a conventional oil would be better. Frequent oil changes with expensive, synthetic oil is a waste (although a minor one).

The only (theoretical) drawback to a conventional oil year 'round is the 5/10W-30 PCMO oils are prone to shear down ... and consumption in OPE engines. If you check your oil every 2-3+ hours of operation, you should be fine with one of those (in warm weather).

a 10W-30 HDEO oil should be tougher and more resistant to shear down than a PCMO ... but only trying it will let you know for sure.

 

[JTK]

Yep, that is a nice engine. A very rare and long ago discontinued model. They are especially nice in the Cub 2K series because there's still lots of room under the hood than compared with a V-twin model. You can substitute a Kohler Command single cyl in this model if you needed to. I'm partial to 40wt HDEO's in any small air cooled engine and would recommend something like Shell Rotella-T 5w40 if cold pumpability is a concern for you. That oil flows better cold than some 5w30's. I run 15w40 because my tractors/mowers are not used in any extreme cold.

Joel

 

[lasmacgod]

I only run it 1 to 1.5 hours, once per week, during mowing season. I check the fluid levels, engine and hydro, before each use. The mower has 521 hours on it.

As far as the filter goes, I always stick a small neodymium magnet on the side of the oil filters on the mower and vehicles to remove iron. The only downside to this is that I don't get accurate results on the rare occasion I perform a UOA, but at least it isn't circulating around inside the engine.

I have been eyeballing the following:

Rotella T5 10W-30
AmsOil Series 3000 5W-30
AmsOil 10W-30/SAE 30
Mobil 1 HM 5W- or 10W-30, assuming the HM is high zinc.

I have been leaning toward the AmsOil Series 3000, because that is what I will likely go to in my truck at its next oil change and it just makes life easier. Plus, it is a heavy 30-weight, with a Kinematic Viscosity of 11.7, essentially eliminating my having to decide between 30 and 40 weight oils.

Thoughts?


ETA: I am running AmsOil AME 15W-40 in the hydro in place of that gosh-awful expensive Cub Cadet fluid.

 

[JTK]

You certainly can't go wrong with Amsoil products. I'm not really sure why you're asking for thoughts given that looks to be your preference anyway. Yes, running a 15w40 in the transaxle is definitely better than the ~$10/qt Cub Cadet Drive System Fluid Plus. I've never heard of an issue with these drive systems that warrant an expensive synthetic oil given they hold ~6qts and are not prone to any excessive heat issues. I have heard of an instance or two of condensation buildup in them. IMO, these transaxles are so easy to change the oil and filter, I don't mind running a less expensive oil and changing it more often.

Joel

 

[lasmacgod]

The reason I asked for thoughts is because there are so many considerations.

For example, one thing set in on me today. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that for no more use than it gets in one year, I would be under-utilizing a lot of the full synthetics. So, I decided on Rotella T5 10W-30. At 1.5 qts per oil change, I'll get almost 3 years out of a gallon. At $11.50 per gallon, it will result in an annual oil cost of $4.32

Now I just have to get to CarQuest and get a filter so I can get it changed.

I appreciate everybody's input. I always ran a default of going to full synthetic when possible, but haunting BITOG has caused me be realize that an oil can be "under-utilized," resulting in wasted money.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: lasmacgod
..The more I thought about it, the more I realized that for no more use than it gets in one year, I would be under-utilizing a lot of the full synthetics.


That's the exact situation I run into and the reason I question the use of full synthetics for most users. I use my ride on mowers no more than ~30hrs/year for my 1.5 acres, but still do an oil/filter change every 1-1.5yrs. I do have some pretty good inclines that could overwork a light duty hydro, but for the most part the ambient temps are very moderate and usage is light for me. The 20hp Kohler twin in my Cub zero-turn definitely feels/sounds like its working a lot harder than the 20hp Kohler twin did in my Cub 2544. Although I did run HDEO 40wts in my 2544's Kohler (overkill), I wouldn't do w/out in my Z-Force. Especially because the Z-Force uses a cheaper Courage series twin as opposed to the Command. Really the only major difference in the two twins is hydraulic valve lash adjusters vs. the Courage's manual adjustment.

Joel

 

[addyguy]

I think GC 0W-30 makes a great OPE oil:

Thick 30-weight oil to cover the thickness that most straight-30's have; 0W rating for cold-weahter operation; and a strong addpack with high TBN and detergency to counter moisture/debris small engine pick up; and easy to get at many store.

What's not to like?

 

[lasmacgod]

I can't seem to find GC in my area, I've been looking for it.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: lasmacgod
I can't seem to find GC in my area, I've been looking for it.


Same for me. Any 0w-X weights are non existent. Even Rotella 5w40 is a tough find if there's no Walmart around.