First oil change / Pacific Hydrostar 6.5HP

[bubbatime]

I just reached 5 hours on a Pacific Hydrostar (Harbor Freight 6.5 Predator engine) pressure washer.

The initial fill was 10W30 Valvoline Nextgen and was FULL of glitter/aluminum. Pretty shocking how much glitter was in the initial fill. Hopefully that will level off after an oil change or two.

I used the engine on full throttle for a solid three hours today non-stop (85 degrees). I thought to myself that the oil was probably taking a beating. So with that in mind, I changed the oil and replaced it with Valvoline VR1 synthetic 10W30.

 

[Silverado12]

I've experienced a lot of glitter in new small engines too. I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[bubbatime]

Mini pressure washer review:

Ran excellent, started easily, used about 3/4 of a tank during a three hour run and didn't even need refueling. My old 13HP Subaru pressure washer would go through about 5-6 gallons of gas in 2 hours, so this engine is about 5 times more fuel efficient!!

The unit has plenty of power and zaps mildew away efficiently. This is a perfect unit for a homeowner in my opinion.

 

[Bror Jace]

Glitter in new OPE engines is the norm:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee149...zps40854167.jpg

This is why I would change the oil after the first 90-120 minutes, then again at the 5-6 hour mark and a third time at the 10-12 hour mark.

Then you can follow the schedule in the manual.