Just another update. (New post because I can't edit last)
I spoke with Ryobi support again for more reassurance, and this time, it was a guy who seemed technically knowledgeable rather than reciting the manual back to me. He said switching to synthetic Mobil 1 5W-30 was fine, but doing so probably won't help with oil burning issues. He also confirmed that one is supposed to 'not' re-thread the dipstick when checking oil, and when asked why, he said that's how Ryobi makes it.
Now for some ramblings of mine. (This one is for you, Dave.
)
I hope to resolve three issues by switching to synthetic oil: 1) Hard starting. 2) Oil burning. 3) Oil turning black.
I consider all this, especially #2 and #3, to be an indication that there is too much heat generated in the engine, and the oil is turning black first, then burning off from that heat. Kind of like cooking oil. If you heat cooking oil (
or motor oil ) on the stovetop for some time, it is going to turn brown/black first and then burn off. Sound familiar? Then there are more refined cooking oils which can handle even more heat without turning black and burning off as fast as unrefined. Sound familiar again?
Synthetic oil is just a more refined version of conventional oil. In being so, it should be able to withstand more heat, enabling the user to use a lower viscosity oil (which would otherwise burn off faster) to allow for easier flow for easier initial cold starts. Which should also mean less burning issues when compared to conventional. 'Should' being the operative word here. And if under constant stress, then one can use a thicker synthetic.
As far as leaks from using synthetic, I think that is stemming due to lack of sufficient oil maintenance before the user switched to synthetic. And all conventional oil did was provide a band-aid fix for the short term, but in reality, their engine might be in need of a major overhaul in the future even if there was no switch.
Currently, as I have stated before, there is difficulty in getting the leaf blower started. It takes on average 4-6 pulls with SAE 30. And by the end of the season, I also notice some oil burned off from the leaf blower. Mower starts in one/two pulls and doesn't have any oil burning issues, but like the leaf blower, the oil is very black by the end of the season. And that color itself frightens me for some reason. As if something is wrong. Surely that black stuff can't be providing much in terms of lubrication? My thinking is that an oil changing color is an early indication of it breaking down and its efficacy must be questioned. Therefore, I am taking preventative steps in addressing all these issues by switching to synthetic.
I hope to see improvements from all three issues previously mentioned by using synthetic oil, especially hoping to start the leaf blower in one or two pulls. I also hope as an added bonus, the engine functions/performs better with proper and adequate lubrication. But I don't rely on hopes, that's why we test. Synthetic only gets one chance from me, one season. If positive results, then cars are definitely getting switched over to synthetic.