Generac Gp17500 consuming sae30 but not m1 10w-30

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Im about to change my oil in my Generac GP17500e with the 990 motor on it. This thing ran like a champ during Sandy going 14 days non-stop except for oil/plugs/filter changes. Had the valve clearances done per the manual albeit a bit late since I needed this running.

Anyhow, I was checking my notes and noticed I was due for an oil change. It;s got about 8 more hours on it since Sandy but the manual specs annual changes.

So here's my conundrum. I ran SAE 30 for the first 100 hours and I had some significant oil consumption to the tune of .5 qt a day(Valvoline sae30 dino). I transitioned to M1 10w-30 after the 100 hrs and she did not consume any measurable oil.

So now at 350 hours give or take, i'm concerned what to do. The performance of the m1 10w-30 was awesome but the temp range at the time fit the description from the manual. So when I refill the engine considering I want an all season oil, can I keep the 10w-30 or do I have to go back to sae30? Will the MI-10w-30 cause any issues? Some people have said they fill 5w-30 but I'm worried about shearing.
 
M1 10w30 absolutely! You never know if you'll be laid up with a broken ankle or something and unable to check/ add oil.

For emergency type gear, don't frig around.
 
Thanks for the confirmation. Will keep on keepin on with the 10w-30
 
Originally Posted By: RF Overlord
Personally I use RT5 10W-30, but M1 is excellent, too.


An HDEO would be my preference, too. I just changed the oil in our generator with Rotella T6 5W-40.
 
I would have thought rings too but 100 hrs? The change to 10w-30 stopped consumption immediately.
 
I use M1 10-30 in all my OPE with very good results. I also have a friend that is a Generac tech and he uses M1 5-30 in all his PMs. Has had no problems in the many gens he services.
 
I think the only useful application for M1 10w30 (or any 10w30 synthetic for that matter) is OPE in place of sae 30 weight otherwise you could just jump straight for the 5w30 synthetic in PCMO.
 
I would stick to M1 10W30 (or also a good synthetic 5W30 if you ever encounter extreme cold temperatures).

I always use synthetic 10W30 or synthetic 5W30 in all my power equipment (snow blower has never had anything else other than Amsoil HDD synthetic 5W30, often changed every 2 or 3 years - still runs perfectly).

My Generac has 10W30 syn in it right now, but may switch to 5W30 syn given that I usually find myself using it during very cold weather.
 
My Generac is a different animal: propane powered 13K whole house unit that's 7 years old. In my early oil changes I used 5w-30 synthetic blend and had some oil consumption (about 2/3 qt every 20 hours operating time). Since the 3rd OC, I've used Napa 5w-30 full synthetic with much less consumption. My Generac manual calls for 5w-30 in my climate, and the unit test starts and runs for 12 minutes 52 weeks a year. Whatever viscosity you choose for your climate, I say to stick with full synthetic.
 
My generac specs SAE 30 most normal and 10W-30 is only recommended in warm (not hot) but will be using T5 10w-30 this summer.
 
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