Briggs and Stratton factory fill oil

[MolaKule]

Bob,

Interesting. I had heard something similar - that Briggs is using composite pistons that have been tested in race cars.

There were going for less inertial mass, more elasticity and less piston skirt slap (less shock), lower noise, better combustion (better insulating properties than aluminum), and longevity.

We'll see if these go the distance.

 

[M Smith]

I bought a John Deere self-propelled in 9/01 equipped with a 6.5 hp Briggs. The Briggs manual recommends an SAE 30 for temps ranging from 32F to 122F (

I sure hope I'm not stupid enough to mow the lawn in 122F heat!). It says SAE 10W-30 is okay for temps ranging from -4F to 104F (I have mowed the lawn in 104F heat - yes, and my family still reminds how stupid I am! Too much USMC in me I suppose?). The engine was empty when I uncrated it. It came with one of those little bottles of SAE 30 Pennzoil. After about 5 hrs I changed it to a 10W-30 avg quality synthetic.

Incidentally, from the day I uncrated this thing the 6.5 hp B&S has been a very stubborn cold starter. I have to pump the primer 8 or 10 times, and then I have to give it a swift 4 or 5 pulls before it finally awakens from its slumber.

 

[Bror Jace]

M Smith, I think that temp range is for 10W30 conventional oil ... nothing better than a Group II stock.

For a REAL synthetic, 10W30 should be able to hold onto its 30 weight even in fairly extreme heat because that weight uses almost no VII (most brands).

--- Bror Jace

 

[TooSlick]

Bror,

I run 0w-30/5w-30/10w-30 synthetics in my lawn/garden equipment, depending on what I happen to have on hand at the time. They all work fine with little or no oil consumption. I finallly got rid of my 1976 Rally riding mower (11 hp, B&S), because I was having failure of body parts due to high cycle fatigue. The engine is still running about the same as it did 10 years ago. My John Deere 265 now has Amsoil 5w-30 in it and works very well. After 20 hrs the oil looks like it just came out of the bottle.

Ted

 

[dragboat]

Odd the differences in the Briggs owners manual. My 3 hp pusher I bought in 1980 says 30wt only.newer pusher speaks of 10/30 and 10/40 or straight 30wt i temp above 30F

The newest garden tractor with the single cylinder 14.5 motor says in a mineral oil 5/30 or 10/30 zero F to 40 F "I strongly disagree" from 40 F to plus 100"the scale ends" a straight 30 wt
Then it shows from approximately -25 F to + 100 F a 5/30 or a 10/30 can be used and the use of a synthetic does not alter the oil change intervals of 50 hours or one season.
Then furthers that a multi vis mineral oils will result in higher than normal oil consumption.

I use Pennzoil 10/30 and one ounce of Synergyn with no oil usage.

On side note it also says to use gasoline with a octane rating of at least 77. Man,that gas would ping when washing parts with it!

Johnny, Bring that mower by sometime,bet we can find some more power somewhere in the ports,maybe back cut the valves 30 degrees while we are in there and mill the head plus deepen the valve pockets for the then needed clearance Might even fabricate a stepped header. He He!

[ August 17, 2002, 06:36 PM: Message edited by: dragboat ]

 

[scotty4x4GMC]

In 1992 I bought a new riding lawn mower with a snow blower attachment. It has a 12.5 hp briggs I/C engine. In the summer I mowe my 1.1 acre lawn twice a week ( i use lawn food), and then in the winter I put on the snow blower and blow my drive way witch is 35' x 180'. From day one I have used Mobil 1 10w30 year round. I change it in the spring. The briggs dosent use any oil or leak. The famous manual says to use 30 in the summer and 10 in the winter. What can I say..............

 

[dragboat]

Quote:
"The famous manual says to use 30 in the summer and 10 in the winter"

That seems to be exactly what you are doing

 

[michaelh]

Checking out the redline full syn for a snapper mower with a Briggs 20. Called redline.they say 10w30 car oil is best.l would think redline 10w30 motorcycle oil would be better.what do y'all think ?

 

[Astro_Guy]

Originally Posted By: michaelh
Checking out the redline full syn for a snapper mower with a Briggs 20. Called redline.they say 10w30 car oil is best.l would think redline 10w30 motorcycle oil would be better.what do y'all think ?

I can't help you there, but do have a 5 HP Briggs on a circa 1985 Troy-Bilt Rototiller. This is the real deal, not MTD; I picked it up at the factory on Troy. After 30 seasons on straight SAE 30 Dino. I have switched over to synthetic Rotella T6 5w40. That B&S motor hasn't gone "boom" yet, so I figure that the T6 is okay.

The next oldest piece of OPE in my shed is a Craftsman leaf vacuum / chipper / shredder, circa 1999. This machine has a 4.5 HP Tecumseh motor with 16 seasons on straight SAE 30 Dino. It too has been switched to synthetic Rotella T6 5w40 and has not gone "boom." Neither of these machines require anything exotic, but purchasing in 4 quart containers at Wally World renders the cost difference as a moot point.

OPE is not very fussy about oil, so long as it has some. Most here would argue that what I have done is overkill. Redline is a fine oil for specific applications, but I doubt that you could ever hope to see a positive return on investment. As the saying goes, "if it feels good do it," but you will never get your money back paying an extra $5/qt. for thirty years.

 

[bubbatime]

WAY TO BRING BACK A 14 YEAR OLD THREAD. HOLY NECROPOST!! Got to be some kind of record.