using 10w-40 in lawn mower engines.

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I agree with Bror Jace on the 15W40 HDM(E)O. That is all i used in my 6.5 Hp Briggs while I was down in the Panama area for two years. I would dump the oil into a clean plastic can then run it thru a coffie filter and I found lots of metal particals when using 30W and very little metal using 15W40. In a aircooled splash lub'ed engine I think any good 15W40 Dino oil should be great in the Hawaii heat. DaveJ
 
so should I go with rotella or delo 400?

would it actualy make a differance?
 
I like high mileage 10w-30 in engines that require that grade oil. (thicker) I'm using Castrol HM 10w-30
in my 16 HP Kohler. It seems to run cooler and quieter than with regulat 10w-30.
 
Yep, I am running Pennzoil High Mileage Vehicle 10W-30 in a new Ariens snow blower.

After a few years, I'll switch it over to 15W-40.

The thicker oil (the high-mileage oils are formulated on the thick side of each labeled weight) will make the engine seem both quieter and smoother. These oils WILL shear, however.

There was also a time when the higher-mileage oils had more additives than their 'normal' counterparts ... but the additive levels in the regular oils have spiked recently.

--- Bror Jace
 
TCLL, The current additive package of Chevron Delo400 is just too good to pass up ... so much moly and boron.

With you being in Hawaii, I can't imagine cold-start is really an issue ... or else the 5W-40 might look better. I just don't know much about the current Shell Rotella T additive package.

--- Bror Jace
 
Perhaps my Briggs & Stratton is older than some, manufactured in 1993 or 1994. The manual states "Air cooled engines run hotter than automotive engines. Use of multi-viscosity oils, (10W-30, etc.) will result in high oil comsumption and possible engine damage. Check oil more frequently if using these types of oils. They recommend SAE 30 except in temperatures below 40 degrees. Those using multi viscosity notice any of the above warnings?
 
own some from the 80's.... they will run hotter since they are air cooled, but briggs even now recommends syns and 30 weight, 5w-30 or 10w-30 syns good for all, they even sell 5w-30 syn under their own name... yeah cold temps on 30 wieght and you probablly won't like the sound it'll give.... but as for multi wieght, you'll get a little more consumption, may or may not be noticable, but the most important thing of all, is to check the oil regularly, i have a habit of every time before i go to start em no matter the oil.
 
quote:

Originally posted by boulderdentist:
Perhaps my Briggs & Stratton is older than some, manufactured in 1993 or 1994. The manual states "Air cooled engines run hotter than automotive engines. Use of multi-viscosity oils, (10W-30, etc.) will result in high oil comsumption and possible engine damage. Check oil more frequently if using these types of oils. They recommend SAE 30 except in temperatures below 40 degrees. Those using multi viscosity notice any of the above warnings?

Manuals change as oil technology improves.
Briggs seems to be among the slowest to update their manuals, but then they have a lot of manuals to update.

My 16 year old Honda walk behind manual recommended 10W-40 or 20W-50. Last year, for the same engine, the manual recommends 10W-30. The other 2 weights aren't listed.
 
I agree with Bill. The manufacturers are a bit slow to keep up with the oil industry ... and formulas have changed significantly in just the past 2-3 years.

Actually, I think 10W-40 (in a PCMO) is a pretty good choice for air-cooled equipment motors. It'll shear and be a pretty stable 10W-30 after several hours.
smile.gif


You'll often see some manuals specifically recommend against 10W-40. i think this goes back to the earliest 10W-40 formulations which were unstable and prone to sludging.

--- Bror Jace
 
I am probably the most cynical person I know, but.............After 3 years of straight 30 Pennzoil in the mower (cheapie 6.5hp Tecumseh)I filled this year with 15-40 Delo as I have lots and lots of that in stock. Normally I get right at 2 mowing sessions/tank of gas with about 1/8" in the bottom of the tank after the second go round. So far this year I have been getting 3 mowings per tank full of gas. I find this economy increase hard to believe. Spark plug and everything else is the same as last year.

I don't look a gifthorse in the mouth though.
 
I think you can't go wrong with 30wt in lawn mower engines, unless of course you're mowing in cold weather. I've tried 10w-30 and 5w-30 and noticed some consumption so I switched back to old regular 30wt, no consumption and it starts just as easy as the multi-weights I used.
 
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Originally posted by Buick92:
I think you can't go wrong with 30wt in lawn mower engines, unless of course you're mowing in cold weather. I've tried 10w-30 and 5w-30 and noticed some consumption so I switched back to old regular 30wt, no consumption and it starts just as easy as the multi-weights I used.

You are probably right about 30W and cold weather. I use my lawn mower year round, cleaning up leaves in the winter. My Craftsman mower with the Honda 5.5 hp OHC engine, purchased in 2000, gets used between 50 and 60 hours a year.

After the first 5 hour break-in period, it has had Mobil 1 5w30 used in it, changed once a year. Absolutely no usage, ever. This year, at the 50 hour mark (I have an hour meter on it) the oil looked so good that I thought about leaving it in. I had a quart of M1 0w30 I wanted to try, so I went ahead and changed it. That oil now has 41.5 hours on it, and no consumption. If this contines, I might go 75 hours before changing this time.

Briggs and Stratton says to expect consumption if you use dino multigrade oil. They suggest 5w30 synthetic as the very best oil for their engines, and sell this grade under their own brand.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Buick92:
I think you can't go wrong with 30wt in lawn mower engines, unless of course you're mowing in cold weather. I've tried 10w-30 and 5w-30 and noticed some consumption so I switched back to old regular 30wt, no consumption and it starts just as easy as the multi-weights I used.

HI again, Buick92.

On the subject of easy starting: This year, I purchased a Craftsman yardvac to help with yard cleanup. It has a 4.5 hp engine, and a very heavy impeller, or whatever you call it that does the suction. Requires a very hard pull to start, and the engine runs very hard to turn this impeller. At the 5 hour mark, I changed the original oil for 15w40 oil.

It required a very hard pull to start, and I had to pull it 4 or 5 times to start. After 5 more hours, I decided to change to a 5w40 synthetic, and now it starts on the first pull every time. Probably a 5w30 synthetic would have been just fine, but this engine runs so hard that I thought the 5w40 would give it a little extra protection.

Point is, it was noticeably harder to start with the straight 30w and the 15w40 than it is with the 5w40 synthetic. You might not notice the difference, but I am an old guy, not as strong as I was, and have the usual old age aches and pains. The 5w makes a big difference to me.
 
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