Snowblower OCI

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What OCI would you do if you ran a snowblower maybe 4-5 tops each season

Dino, Syn and how far or not would you stretch it...
 
They take very little oil so change once a year. And dont forget to run them several times in the off season.
 
I usually use whatever oil is leftover in my stash. That's been 0w-30, 5w-30, and 5w-40. If I had to purchase some just for the snowblower, it would be 0w-30 GC.

Mine uses one quart and I change it annually. It's so easy that I couldn't see letting the oil go for multiple seasons.
 
Originally Posted By: Bandito440
Mine uses one quart and I change it annually. It's so easy that I couldn't see letting the oil go for multiple seasons.


Same here. I use syn 5W30.
 
I'd change the oil at the end of every winter season, regardless of operating hours, citing that the engine is operating in a relatively high moisture environment, etc.

I'd also drain the carb (if possible, if not: dope the fuel with high concentration of fuel stabiliser), fog the cylinder and valves with fogging oil, etc. before storage, etc.

Syn or no syn doesn't really matter in this case. I'd use Chevron Isosyn HDEO or Rotella T5/T6 of appropriate grade.

Q.
 
after end of every season...or every second season...depends on how tough winter was...5w40 with diesel specs.
 
Originally Posted By: chefwong
What OCI would you do if you ran a snowblower maybe 4-5 tops each season

Dino, Syn and how far or not would you stretch it...


I generally put 15 hours per year on mine. I change roughly every 2 years and if I miss a year I don't fret at all. I use new but left over oil from my main vehicle changes in this machine i.e. my truck takes 5.7L this leaves me with .3L every oil change. This oil eventually ends up in the snow blower.
 
I change mine everytime I use my snow thower.
crazy.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
They take very little oil so change once a year. And dont forget to run them several times in the off season.


That's what i do 1 qt of Mobil 1 0w40 every season. This season will be 10 year of heavy use and it still has perfect compression and never needs a valve adjustment.
That means the oil is keeping the wear up top to a minimum, no staring problems at -10f with the 0w40, i don't even use the electric starter it starts first pull.
 
One a year is fine. I have a 2 stroke snow thrower and dont have to. I just drain the tank at the end of season and the carb.
 
ChefWong, is your machine stored inside somewhere that gets a little heat? If it is not started below freezing temps, dino is fine ... 5W-30 or 10W-30. The syn is preferred for extremely cold starts ... but offers no real advantages other than better cold-flow at start-up.

I wouldn't consider extended OCI since these engines don't have a filter the contaminants build up quickly in the sump.

Once the engine is broken in (10-12+ hours, typically) the typical home owner should change the oil once per season ... anything more is a waste. And you can see from this thread that plenty of people go much longer with no measurable adverse effects.

"And dont forget to run them several times in the off season."

I wouldn't start it even once in the off-season. There's no advantage to this ... and you're probably adding carbon to the combustion chambers unless you run it long enough ... and preferably under load.
 
Interesting info. I just bought a Honda snowblower in preparation for the upcoming winter. The manual says to use 5w30. I filled it with MaxLife, and ordered up some VP small engine fuel. No ethanol, long storage life, should be good, even if it is way more octane than I need. I guess we will see come colder weather. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING has to be better than me shoveling.
 
@beanoil:

for Honda OPE engines, simply drain the carb @ the end of every season, fog the engine and then get a plastic sheet to jam-cover the fuel filler cap (prevents fumes from venting) and then call it the day.

You don't have to waste time dwelling on the E10 subject and such...most of these so-called e10 ruining stuff info on the echo-chamber (internet) is waaay overrated, all due to FUD and ignorance.

Q.
 
When I know I'm getting close to the season end.....I just keep the tank as minimally filled as possible. A bit more work....when you have to refill with small amounts....but at end of season, I just drain out the rig via the drain on the carb or if there's so little, I'll just let it run out of gas before . VP fuel is some pricey sunnvab1tch. I'd rather treat the gas with Startron, which I rarely do, as I'm pretty much used to running the tank/carbs out by the time spring comes.
 
honda OPE engines typically come with a fuel shutoff/cutoff switch along the fuel lines (somewhere).

Simply (a) shut off the fuel line (and then wrap a thick sheet of plastic over the top of the fuel filter filling opening and then cap it tight); and then (b) crack open the fuel drain screw @ the bottom of the carb fuel bowl and drain the carb dry.

do this before storing your snowblower @ the end of each season (along with fogging the cylinder with fogging oil, or whateverhave you). At the beginning of the next snowy season, you may resort to either (a) top up the fuel tank with fresh new (doped of course) fuel before cracking the fuel shutoff valve open; and (b) wait for a few minutes so as to let the fuel reach down to fill up the carb bowl,

and then fire it up and use it!

Q.
 
Quest -

Even with sp1king the fuel with Startron, I'd rather not mess with old fuel sitting around for 10 months. Bring back MTBE and I'll spike the fuel and leave it in.
 
chief,

If you follow my instructions closely, then your carb should be completely free from fuel remains (thus no possibility of gumming up).

then it's just a matter of draining the fuel tank (fuel valve shut off of course, and carb bowl drained) if you are absolutely paranoid of the doped fuel remaining inside your fuel tank, if that is what your concern is.

I have never worried about doped fuel sitting inside my OPE tanks (or even my car tanks all these decades, provided that the fuel has been doped to begin with). If it's a full tank, drain it if it worries you that much; if it's 1/2 tank or less, top it up with fresh new fuel.

Once you begin using those fuel up rapidly at the beginning of the snow-clearing season, your fuel won't be sitting in the carb long enough to notice the difference.

If you still have doubt, simply consider converting your unit to running propane instead.

Q.
 
to help ease your mind a bit: those folks who regularly uses their OPE engines (fuel never gets to sit around for too long, and not-doped), never has any fuel-related issues even with E10.

Those folks (my subjective observation so YMMV) who came online and complained about E10 , most of them are just the kind that would be ignorant/complacent enough to let something goes wrong (usually their own fault, IMO) before they haphazardly joining an internet discussion board to seek help, rant or bitterly complain.

I don't care whether you are a fan of startron, sta-bil, B&S (made by sta-bil BTW), etc. so long as the fuel is being taken care of properly, they will stay good and fresh for up to 3 yrs in my experience, and can still be used in full confidence.

case to the point: I just rotated out my 3+yrs old generator fuel jerry can that is doped. I'm currently using it up in my B&S mower (which I meticulously look after) and my Honda (BE) pressure washer during fall maintenance work. Do I worry about losing a carb due to this fuel?! nope.

Just remember: fuel deteriorates due to high heat (high ambient temperature swings) during storage; and moisture in the gas. Also: excessive air inside the storage container (i.e. 1/2 filled jerry can) will leave more room for the "essence" portion of the gasoline to evaporate.....

Bet ya most ignorant lurkers don't even know (nor would they seriously care) enough to know these basics when it comes to gasoline storage.... therefore the likeliness of their fuel goes rancid and ruining their carb is, I must say, very high.

Good luck and sleep well....

Q.
 
one more thing: gasoline, although volatile (chemically unstable in nature), won't turn rancid overnite.

Properly sealed (capped), doped with metallic deactivator based fuel stabiliser, they will stay relatively "stable" for an extended period of time.
 
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