Vehicle motor oil vs. lawnmower oil
- Thread starter rocketman
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In my Honda engined pressure washer I use M1 10-30. All the other small engine stuff with B&S engines gets Valvoline 30 weight Racing Oil. My Snapper rider is 15 years old now, and still runs like new.
I keep straight 30wt Pennzoil in my lawn tractor in the summer (14.5 Briggs) and it loves it. When mowing season is over I prefer to change the oil and put 5w30 in for the winter because I like to start the engine about once a week and let it run about 15-20 minutes (it stays in an unheated garage). I noticed a puff of smoke at startup on the 5w30, but no significant oil consumption. On Pennzoil it never smokes. So my oil gets changed at least twice a year.
My mower is a '97 and specifically calls for a SF or SG oil. I take that to mean it needs the higher zddp than current oils (SL, SM). I plan to run Redline 10w30 it it.
I've run M1 10W-30 in my Honda mower since I bought it three-plus years ago. It does produce a slight puff of smoke at startup but I've never worried one iota about it. It'll start on the first pull every time if I yank the cord fast enough.
This year I started using Mobil 1 T&S 5W40 in an older Murray 3.5hp, which has a Tecumseh (?) engine. I have a bunch laying around, it uses so little, my mower could benefit from wear protection and suspension of debris that an HDEO provides as there isn't a filter on it, and since I'm not concerned about mileage or emissions I don't need a PCMO as that's what they're designed to accomodate.
For conventional oils, B&S sets their cutoff at 40°F. It's occasionally dipped under 40 where I live, and the grass still needed mowing. I suppose there are people who still mow in winter - especially professional grounds' crews (stadiums, golf courses, or gardens).
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/display/router.asp?docid=64066
My mower uses less than a qt. I have probably three or four gallons laying around right now. If the mower lasts a bit longer it'll be worth it considering how much mowers cost these days. Ours is 11 years or so old now, we bought it used from a friend for $$75 ? with a wheel barrow thrown in.
I use M-1 5w-30 in my Honda 5.5 hp, and it has over 200 hours on it. I use it year 'round, cleaning up leaves in the winter. I change the oil about once a year, every 50 hours. [I have an hour meter on it.] It has not used a drop or the 5/30 so far, in 50 hour OCI's. It looked so good this year, that I thought about going 2 years, but, decided to go ahead and change it.
I figure the synthetic oil will be better, since it will handle a higher heat load in air cooled engines. It takes 20 ounces to change the oil, so two quarts will last 3 years. It does not matter too much to me if I pay $10 every three years or $3.00 for regular dino.
I switched from M1 10w30 SS to M1 5w40 T&SUV in my 3 year old Husqvarna w/15hp Kawasaki. It purrs like a kitten and uses no oil. The oil stays looking clean as new which I'm not used to in lawn mowers. Usually they blacken an oil pretty quick. I switched to M1 at 10 hours and now have 130. The mower has a fuel filter from the factory and I usually run a small dose of Sea Foam. The Sea Foam does double duty for me, it keeps the fuel from aging since it can get several weeks old before I have to refill and it keeps the fuel system clean and hopefully keeps the CC carbon down.
Hi,
I recently (29/5)posted this in the "Lawn and Small engine" area on here - it may be of interest;
STARTS
"Hi,
in the last few days I serviced two yard items that may be of interest
1 - A typical push Mower with B&S motor (no details)
The oil was originally changed when new after about 2 hours use - 10 years ago
Shell Helix Ultra 15w-50 synthetic was used and it has been there ever since and was changed two days ago. I think this mower would have done about 130 hours in that time - mostly in heavy going and dust and in temps between 10-40C
The drain plug was clean and a "torch search" showed that the engine's internals visible were very very clean
This motor has never consumed much oil having received about a 1/4ltr in 10 years
Shell Helix Ultra 15w-50 synthetic was used again
2 - Husky YT170 Ride-on mower - B&S "Intek", OHV pressure filtered engine
This mower was changed to Shell Helix Ultra synthetic 15w-50 with two hours on the hour meter when new in 1998
The oil was changed two days ago for the first time since 1998 at 92 hours. This mower is used in VERY dusty conditions, in very heavy going usually in temperatures ranging from 3C-40C
The engine's internals looked very clean and the filter was spotless when cut open
It has now been filled with Delvac 1 5w-40 and a new filter installed
In the three hours use since the change the engine sounds quieter, is smoother and appears to run a little cooler"
ENDS
I hope it is of interest!
Regards
Doug
I recently (29/5)posted this in the "Lawn and Small engine" area on here - it may be of interest;
STARTS
"Hi,
in the last few days I serviced two yard items that may be of interest
1 - A typical push Mower with B&S motor (no details)
The oil was originally changed when new after about 2 hours use - 10 years ago
Shell Helix Ultra 15w-50 synthetic was used and it has been there ever since and was changed two days ago. I think this mower would have done about 130 hours in that time - mostly in heavy going and dust and in temps between 10-40C
The drain plug was clean and a "torch search" showed that the engine's internals visible were very very clean
This motor has never consumed much oil having received about a 1/4ltr in 10 years
Shell Helix Ultra 15w-50 synthetic was used again
2 - Husky YT170 Ride-on mower - B&S "Intek", OHV pressure filtered engine
This mower was changed to Shell Helix Ultra synthetic 15w-50 with two hours on the hour meter when new in 1998
The oil was changed two days ago for the first time since 1998 at 92 hours. This mower is used in VERY dusty conditions, in very heavy going usually in temperatures ranging from 3C-40C
The engine's internals looked very clean and the filter was spotless when cut open
It has now been filled with Delvac 1 5w-40 and a new filter installed
In the three hours use since the change the engine sounds quieter, is smoother and appears to run a little cooler"
ENDS
I hope it is of interest!
Regards
Doug
My mower calls for 30WT, I tried 10w-40 and it really smoked so I bought some Supertech 30WT for .97 and no more smoke.
Mobil 1 Truck & SUV by far!
I rebuilt to the best of my ability a engine driven pump. It used an old B&S engine which had to be built sometime before the 70's. It seemed all original and gave a go at rebuilding the carb after the the engine did work to my surprise. The oil was this nasty grey color and was like water. It works now although the carb leaks a little and has a problem where it just likes to randomly die for no reason. It more then likely needs a new carb but it's not worth the $100+ they want for one. It's a 6hp horizontal shaft, with an old foam air cleaner and some kind of half-assed govenor. Thats what makes it so hard to tune, there is no way to control the throttle. Still runs, when we need it. The pump is the real gem though, all cast iron no plastic BS like today.
I would use a some high weight synthetic if it only sees summer use, maybe a 50w when hot. In the winter depending on engine probaly no lower then a 10 or 15w when cold close to a 40w when hot. I should really use my infrared laser thermometer to see just how hot some of or stuff gets in the summer.
I rebuilt to the best of my ability a engine driven pump. It used an old B&S engine which had to be built sometime before the 70's. It seemed all original and gave a go at rebuilding the carb after the the engine did work to my surprise. The oil was this nasty grey color and was like water. It works now although the carb leaks a little and has a problem where it just likes to randomly die for no reason. It more then likely needs a new carb but it's not worth the $100+ they want for one. It's a 6hp horizontal shaft, with an old foam air cleaner and some kind of half-assed govenor. Thats what makes it so hard to tune, there is no way to control the throttle. Still runs, when we need it. The pump is the real gem though, all cast iron no plastic BS like today.
I would use a some high weight synthetic if it only sees summer use, maybe a 50w when hot. In the winter depending on engine probaly no lower then a 10 or 15w when cold close to a 40w when hot. I should really use my infrared laser thermometer to see just how hot some of or stuff gets in the summer.
I don't think M1 is a waste at all in a lawn mower, especially when one pays over 500 dollars for it... I usually use synthetic in everything else so why just use dino in one or two pieces of equipment?
Then again, maybe it's time for my own elixir!!! Oooh...
Perhaps easier starts and a wider ambient temperature range? Briggs & Stratton actually says that a synthetic 5W-30 or 10W-30 is good at any temperature, while they give limits for conventional 5W-30/10W-30 or SAE 30.
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