Neutra purge for lawn mower oil? Y/N?

[UncleS2]

I bought a few quarts of SAE 30 Schaeffer's for use in my lawn tractor(12 hp B&S I/C engine), & wondered: Would it be wise to use ~1.5 oz of the Schaeffer's Neutra in the present oil, run it for a few hrs(front lawn takes ~2 hrs), & then change to the sheaffer's oil? Or will it thin the oil too much in the air-cooled engine? Just got it going after 2 yrs inactive(yes, it has fresh oil in it!

), & don't want to upset the apple cart.

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

Run about half that for the 2hrs. Enjoy your ride!

[ July 01, 2002, 07:55 AM: Message edited by: BOBISTHEOILGUY ]

 

[UncleS2]

OK, for the ~1.5 qt oil capacity Briggs, I'll use a "short ounce"(measured with my oh-so-scientific ~4.25 oz cheese spread glass

)& only run it for one "mow".

 

[MolaKule]

Stuart,

Wonder why you're running straight 30 grade. My Briggs manual on my 16HP Lawn Tractor
say I can use 10W30 or 10W40 (conventional or synthetic) in the summer and 5W30 in the winter. However, the 10W30 and 5W30 I use is Amsoil's 10W30 ATM and 5W30 HDD. That may sound somewhat anal with overkill, but I get 6 months per fill and the oil never changes color.

Some years ago I recall that Brigg's was suggesting that mulitgrades should not be used
because oil consumption was too high. I never found that to be the case, in fact, just the
opposite.

 

[UncleS2]

I can only tell you that here in NE Texas, virtually every small engine mechanic will tell you to use a straight 30 or 40 weight oil in your lawn mower. In this one, I've mostly used Valvoline Racing Oil, SAE 40. Very sandy soil, you really have to keep the air filter serviced here. Big yard(part obstacle course!), thick tough Bahia grass, very hard on machinery. My experience(admittedly limited) with multiweight oil shows more usage, except when I used Mobil 1 15w50 in a push mower that was badly overmatched for 2 yrs. Engine was a real smoker on that one by then; my guess is that w/dino oil, it'd have died the first year.

Was supposed to mow today, but got rained out.

 

[VaderSS]

Briggs & Stratton recommends straight 30 for all temps above 40F, 5/10W30 synthetic for all temps, and 5/10W30 conventional below 40F. They say running 5/10W30 conventional above 40F will result in increased oil consumption and recommend checking the level often, but make no warnings of possible damage. However, they do say that using straight 30 below 40F can result in poor lubrication and engine damage.

 

[UncleS2]

S'Ok with me- when it's below 40 deg F here, we don't worry about mowing yards! I didn't bother to find the engine "manual", but VaderSS's quote on oil weights & types sounds awfully familiar. There was a quote from a test, either here or on Edmund's, that stated straight weight & multi protected about the same at temps "in the middle", but at higher temps, straight weight offered more protection than multi. That sounds to me like more support to use SAE 30 or 40 in mower engines here. (You know, I bet Tim in Ark has an opinion on this.

)

Mower Correction- not that it makes any difference for this purpose, but it's a 14 HP OHV B&S I/C, ~6 yrs old now, last two summers unused. The 12 HP was the previous mower.

[ July 02, 2002, 04:52 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Hughes ]

 

[dragboat]

Yep read that about the Briggs engine in the new manual I got with the Tractor Saturday. They also say no additves and to change the oil once a year or 50 hours. I have four words for that

I can't do that !

Those single cylinder Briggs motors just have a oil slinger that is attached at the bottom of the crank and throws oil all around! The Tecumseh motors have a oil system. I don't know what the set up is on the Briggs V twin?

 

[VaderSS]

Can't change the oil that infrequently or can't not use additives?

I can guess why they say no additives. Can you imagine someone putting a V8 size can of STP in a 3.5 B&S? Ouch!!! I'm sure it's happened, and then they actually tried to make a warranty claim on the seized motor...

 

[UncleS2]

Well, yard's mowed, mower's "purged", & now has Schaeffer "Dino-Moly" SAE 30 in it. (Sorry, can't remember the product name right now.) I dunno what oil system the Vtwin uses either, my 14 hp B&S is an oil splasher/slinger.

That 50 hr interval kills a lot of mowers here in Ne Tx. The oil I drained today had ~7.5-8 hrs on it, but it was the first fill after sitting for 2 yrs. I usually chane oil at ~15-20 hrs.

 

[UncleS2]

Update; the mower's *8* years old, not 6,

parked for ~2 1/2 seasons. Last couple of years run, & first 8 hrs this summer, it always used some oil: I'd have to add ~4 oz. every 5 hrs or so. I dunno if it's the Neutra 131 purge, the Schaeffer Dino Moly 30, or the combination, but the mower now has ~18 hrs of hard mowing on this oil change/fill, & it still reads *Full* on the dipstick!

Using fuel shutoff valve every time mower parked, let run till dies, no smell of gasoline from oil. Bob, I'm impressed!

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

Hey, If you got it, you got it!

Hasn't been the first time and I'm sure not the last time that we will hear of these kinds of results. This is one of the reasons I like Schaeffers as I can honestly say that I have not been embarresed as of yet by any of their products and the results they have produced.

We greatly appreciate you sharing these results.

 

[Bio-T]

Stuart,
I would recommend that you use the Neutra 131 in the gas tank every fill. When you are finished with the mower don't run the carb dry. In Humid weather you can and will get condensation ect. The 131 is a fuel stablizer, just shut the mower off, turn the fuel off and smile.

 

[UncleS2]

It's had the Neutra in, oh, probably 4 of the last 6 tanks or so. I filled the 5-gal can today, put ~4.5 oz of Neutra in it. Last can, I used the Neutra w/ a full dose of Stabil, didn't seem to hurt a thing. 131's in my 2-cycle gas, too.

59 V, I'll try that. "in humid weather..." indeed. It's *Always* humid here!

[ August 06, 2002, 11:39 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Hughes ]

 

[Spector]

I put a couple of ounces in the oil of my Craftsman mower which holds less then a quart and mowed the lawn, about 45 minutes then did a drain and fill. Oil did appear darker upon drain.

Also placed in fuel and it really does run better.This is a Tecumseh engine. Mower is 14 years old, been using the cheapest synthetic I could find for past 5 or so years and only change in Spring and mid summer. Due to the water like appearance of the Wal Mart synthetic I did mix a 50 50 batch of synthetic with MaxLife both 10-W30 for last change.

 

[Bror Jace]

I plan on using a lil' Nuetra in my twin-cylinder, 18hp Honda tractor but this seven year old machine has been treated to nearly annual oil changes (usually with Mobil 1) and the inside of the motor (what I can see of it) looks perfectly clean. The oil never gets darker than a deep honey color.

--- Bror Jace

 

[dragboat]

Bob and vetteman,Gas as we all know is getting poorer quality as time goes by,I have seen gas varnish up a bit and thicken over winter so would the 131 help with that used in the tank before storage? Also what would come from that is the benefit of cleaning the carbon off the back side of the valves,those little guys have not much valve spring pressure,with the carbon off it will run better by that alone"reduced valve weight" plus flow the fuel mixture and exhaust better,best of all,the price is "right!".
Those with collector cars would benefit by the use of it as well

[ September 11, 2002, 07:03 PM: Message edited by: dragboat ]

 

[Spector]

I used the Neutra as a purge also in my Craftman mower and in the fuel tank and in my leaf vaccum as well. On small engines especially I have seen great results with quicker starts and smoother idles etc. I placed it in my fuel containers now as a permanent additive

 

[dragboat]

In short,I bought a new riding mower last June,heat cycled the Mower with the Briggs oil" 38K series 14.5 HP single cylinder" 5 times then changed to Pennzoil before mowing,even then I gradually stepped up on the lenght in time it was ran continuing the heat cycle process. The oil and motor has about 5-6 hours on it and is about time to put up for winter so yesterday the visual of the dipstick was still Okie Dokie,,the Pennzoil looked very good yet so I thought about leaving it in for the winter but decided to put some 131 in the motor and run it before change.
Well these motors do not use a oil filter,I ran it only 10 minutes,the motor was already at temp before I used the 131 for 10 minutes and it definatley got in all the places in that motor where assembly lube or other particles that we don't want in our engines and effectifly cleaned the motor. That was some ugly oil after drained into a clear container. Cost? Less than 50 cents!

You guys might try this cheap test. Most push mowers holds 1/2 quart to 48 ounces of oil at best. Drain your oil and add fresh OTC Dino that you are familier with as a visual aid then add the appropriate amount of the 131 in and run a bit,then drain into a clean container. Betting you will get the same results I did.

Now,if this works in a mower,It will work in your car motor but the car will have a filter so the visual might not be as dark because of filtering

I am not saying your compression will increase to whatever amount or your gas milaege will double,the bumpers will shine more and the tires will last longer I am saying the more junk from the internals of your engine you can remove,the better off the motor and you will be for the long haul and this is a very cost effective way to do it,,put the rest in your fuel tank.

I do not suffer from delirious illutions and saw what I saw,as usual opinions will vary but an opinion without practical experience with the topic product will not hold much water will it?

I am hoping some that already have some 131 will try this for themselves and report back to this thread because I am not at all afaid that someone else will have a clean oil after application of the 131 or a possible factoring that it might not work as I have said.

I wish I was in a position to send every member with a mower a few ounces of the 131 to try,,it is a good test using in a mower engine that stands up without any techncal mumbo jumbo

 

[bretfraz]

Dragboat,

I just did an oil change on my MTD beater mower and will add 131 to do exactly what you suggest. I am very interested in what the oil will look like after a Neutra purge. I've got one more mow before the grass goes dormant so this is a good time to conduct a little test.

I'll post here as soon as things dry out a little here in Atlanta.