using 10w-40 in lawn mower engines.

[TCLL]

I hope that you will excuse my ignorance, but I am just really getting in to oil, and how it works.

I have been doing some reading on this forum, and I notice that you have been talking about 10w-40 oil in these air cooled engines.

even though the mfgr. suggests 10w-30 or 30w oil, I have heard about shearing, and that it would actually come down to a 30w after a short period of time.

I change my oil every 25 hours. so would it be a good idea to run a 10w-40, or shoudl a stick with 10w-30?

thanks.

 

[drums57]

In your climate use sae-30 all year long. Havoline would be my choice.

 

[TxGreaseMonkey]

I would recommend Amsoil Synthetic SAE 30 (ACD). This is a HDEO, not a PCEO. I feel this is a perfect lubricant for this air-cooled application.

[ August 10, 2005, 12:13 PM: Message edited by: TxGreaseMonkey ]

 

[TCLL]

I have been looking at shell rotella T 15w-40.

the problem with amsoil, is the cost of getting the oil here, and the availability. shipping would be killer, and would probably cost more than the oil.

 

[TxGreaseMonkey]

PCEO--Passenger Car Engine Oil
HDEO--Heavy Duty Engine Oil

Some people use PCMO (Passenger Car Motor Oil) and HDMO (Heavy Duty Motor Oil); however, motors are electric and engines are gas/diesel powered, so I prefer PCEO/HDEO. It's a technical distinction.

It's really engine oil, not motor oil. The oil industry needs to correct their labeling on oil containers.

 

[TxGreaseMonkey]

TCLL, try using Mobil 1 5W-40 Truck/SUV or Mobil 1 OW-40 in your mower.

 

[marco246]

Hi, TCLL,

Greetings from Da Big Island. I just use Chevron Supreme SAE 30 in my small air-cooled engines (25 HP B&S Craftsman rider, 14 HP B&S Generac genset, and 5.5 HP Honda Kaercher power washer). No problems, of course it's good year-round here, and it's available by the case at Costco. The bigger engines have spin-on oil filters, so I change oil every 50 hours, which works out to a more or less annual change.

I'm sure you could use an xW-40 weight oil with no harm to the equipment, but it seems like overkill and you might see a slight rise in fuel usage.

Cheers, Mark

 

[TCLL]

Hi marco, I've used chevron for the break in period of my engines, then switched to M1 10w-30, with a marked power increase, and cooler running temps, the reason for switching to a xw-40 weight, is that I own a commercial lawn care company, and we punish our equipment, and our mower have long run times. that said, I was warned about oil shear happening, and it drop to a 20w very quickly. a 20w is ok for cold temps, but I want to keep them running around the 30w. even though the chevron is pretty shear stable, it does not give me the power that the m1 does. you should buy a case of 10w-30 from costco, you can get it there for for pretty cheap, around $2.00 a quart. with your usage, a 30w should be fine though.

btw, I put 50 hours on each of my machines in a little over a month.

 

[JTK]

TCLL, any modern 10w-30 or 40 would do fine in a small aircooled engine for A 25hr drain interval. I wouldn't bother with a synth if you are going to dump it @ 25hrs/2 weeks.
G/luck
Joel

 

[Hokiefyd]

Tx, could you please elaborate on what the acronym HDEO means? (and PCEO...that's a new one on me) I've seen that bandied about here and there, and I'm not sure what it means.

Thanks.

 

[Hokiefyd]

quote:

---

Originally posted by TxGreaseMonkey:
It's really engine oil, not motor oil. The oil industry needs to correct their labeling on oil containers.

---

It really is engrained throughout the entire world. On any given Sunday, you can turn on the TV and watch any one of various MOTORSPORT events, even though none of them is electric-powered. In Eurpoe, they have MOTORWAYS, even though most of the folks use internal combustion engines. Last I checked, Ford's full name is Ford MOTOR Company. In fact, most auto makers are really MOTOR something, like Toyota MOTOR Corporation, Honda MOTOR Company, Hyundai MOTOR Company. Don't forget Hemmings MOTOR News, or MOTOR Trend.

I agree, all of these are probably technically incorrect...but it's been engrained for so long, it'll probably never change.

 

[obbop]

There would have to be some sort of motorvation to enact a change.

 

[TCLL]

or a law....

 

[Mamala Bay]

TCLL,

There is an Amsoil distributor in Hawaii. His name is Chuck Garner. There is no need for shipping here and his prices are great.

The name of his shop is Chuck's Corvette.

 

[Bror Jace]

Yep, for a strict 25 hour interval, even mass-market PCMOs should be fine. If they shear down, however, you might get increased oil consumption.

So, if using the cheap and/or thin stuff, be sure to check your oil level often ... especially in the latter half of the drain interval.

However, for Hawaii, I'd be using a 15W-40 once you're out of the warranty period.

--- Bror Jace

 

[burnout]

Isn't the term "motoring" the reason these companies are called that?

Example: As I motored down the road in my car...

etcetc

 

[Hokiefyd]

Yes, and as I think about it, perhaps the term "motor" meaning anything self-motivated came about long before our modern definition of "motor" as an electric motor. So maybe it is WE who are applying the term "motor" incorrectly, as meaning only something electrically-powered.

 

[Bror Jace]

And Detroit will always be known as the "Motor City".

--- Bror Jace

 

[65hoss]

Hey man, you know were I stand. Rotella.

 

[TCLL]

yes I do hoss, I must say, I am begginning to agree with you. the rotella is doing an exellent job in the briggs so far. much smoother imo. I am going to try it in the kohler when it is time for the next oil change.