Bought a new Honda mower today, it came with a bottle of 10w30 oil. I'm gonna mow tomorrow, then change the oil. Should I use regular dino for awhile or go to synthetic? The manual says 10w30 is recommended. I'm thinking M1 or PP.
New Honda push mower
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Being that your in Texas I would use the 10w30 for about 5 hours and then switch over to 15w40 HDEO. I wouldn't run a 10w30 in an air cooled in that kind of heat.
I use GC in my Honda (Masters, not the Harmony model) and have no problems what so ever.
My last Honda, an HR214 (early '80's model) mowed for over 20 years on Mobil 1 5w30 before the blade clutch and transmission went out simultaneously .
The cost of the parts to repair the thing had me half way to a new one so I traded the 'ol girl in on a hydrostatic model. It's better equipped to handle my tight yard than my old dog clutch model.
So use a synthetic oil in the proper weight range and you'll be fine.
As an aside, I did use an infared thermometer to check the crankcase heat in August and it read 265, for what it's worth.
My last Honda, an HR214 (early '80's model) mowed for over 20 years on Mobil 1 5w30 before the blade clutch and transmission went out simultaneously .
The cost of the parts to repair the thing had me half way to a new one so I traded the 'ol girl in on a hydrostatic model. It's better equipped to handle my tight yard than my old dog clutch model.
So use a synthetic oil in the proper weight range and you'll be fine.
As an aside, I did use an infared thermometer to check the crankcase heat in August and it read 265, for what it's worth.
My oil change schedule for a new air cooled engine without a filter is: 1 hour, 3 hours, 10 hours, then every 25 hours. I use standard dyno oil for the first three fills then it's Mobil One of what ever weight you feel comfortable with from then on. Those first two changes will produce the silver soup that many talk about, so it's important to get it out of there.
I run Mobil 1 5w30 in my Honda mower. I'd leave the original oil for the recommended 5 hours.
What Honda engine do you have? My mower, purchased back in 2000, has the consumer grade Honda GCV160 OHC engine. Back then, it came with a 20 ounce bottle of 30 weight oil, and instructions to change it at 5 hours, and then every 25 hours. I did this 5 hour change, and have used Mobil 1 5W30, changed once a year since then. I have installed an hour meter on it, and it has been used between 60 and 65 hours yearly, with a once a year oil change. The oil level in the crankcase has never moved off of the full mark in these year long OCIs. The oil still looks so good after 60 hours that I am always tempted to run it for one more year, but I always end up changing it. Year before last, I had a quart of M1 0W30 laying around, so I used that. It still consumed no oil in the year long OCI.
I use my mower year round, cleaning up leaves and other yard debris in the winter. It never goes more than 2 weeks without being started, and has to cut the yard twice a week many times in the summer. It gets used in temperatures between 30 degrees and 98 degrees. By the way, I keep hearing about Texas heat. Is 98 degrees hotter in Texas than it is in Tennessee? My upper limit on yard work is 100 degrees. Over that, I stay in air conditioning, cutting the yard in early morning or late evening.
I use my mower year round, cleaning up leaves and other yard debris in the winter. It never goes more than 2 weeks without being started, and has to cut the yard twice a week many times in the summer. It gets used in temperatures between 30 degrees and 98 degrees. By the way, I keep hearing about Texas heat. Is 98 degrees hotter in Texas than it is in Tennessee? My upper limit on yard work is 100 degrees. Over that, I stay in air conditioning, cutting the yard in early morning or late evening.
If you want to run 5w30 I would only do so during the winter due to shearing. A 15w40 would be the ticket during the heat of summer, but hey it's your mower.
As I have stated many times, Briggs & Stratton recommend synthetic 5W30 oil in their engines for ALL temperatures, and that is good enough for me, even tho I have a Honda engine. Honda even recommends 10W30 dino for their engines.
Inasmuch as my Honda engine has never used any oil in a 1 year 60+ hour OCI using M1 synthetic 5W30 for the last 7 years, it works for me.
Inasmuch as my Honda engine has never used any oil in a 1 year 60+ hour OCI using M1 synthetic 5W30 for the last 7 years, it works for me.
For over 50 years I've been using straight 30 weight oil in my lawnmowers in 100+ temps in Texas. There is no need whatsoever for a 15W40 oil. Of the many mowers owned, some for well over 10 years, all were sold or given away in perfect running condition. Recently I went to straight 30 synthetic (Volvo Marine) then to 10W30 M1 when I ran out of the Volvo oil. I'll run out of steam long before the little Honda engine does.....
1999nick I have the same GCV160 engine. I mowed for about an hour, then drained the metal/oil soup out of the engine. I refilled with 10w30 Mobil 5000. I will probably mow 1 or 2 more hours, drain and then start using 10w30 M1.
M1 10w30 will shear to a 20 weight under that type of heat. You can run a 20 weight if you want. I'd rather use a 15w40 sheared to a 30 weight.
Do you have proof to backup this statement?
Any oil with viscosity improvers will sheer at high enough temps. You know that this is fact and that air cooled engines operate at much higher temps. Couple that with the fact that the unit in question is in Texas and it's easy to see that this engine should be using a straight 30 weight, 15w40 or even M1 15w50!
I'm waiting on Cujet to chime in on this one since he has had first hand experience with Honda engine failures when using 10w30.
I'm waiting on Cujet to chime in on this one since he has had first hand experience with Honda engine failures when using 10w30.
I know a guy who ran 20W50 petroleum oil in his mower that specified a 5W30 synthetic. But he was unable to run it very long! Ruined his engine. Check and follow your owners manual.
I like the idea of using a motor oil that was formulated and tested for a specific purpose. There are SAE 30 Synthetic Small Engine oils available. Amsoil makes one. https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2217_rev9_06.pdf
I like the idea of using a motor oil that was formulated and tested for a specific purpose. There are SAE 30 Synthetic Small Engine oils available. Amsoil makes one. https://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2217_rev9_06.pdf
This Amsoil 10W30/30W oil is, as stated, a 10W30 that is also recommended for applications where 30W is specified. Briggs & Stratton market a 5W30 synthetic with the same recommendation, i.e., for use where they specify a 30W regular dino. Using a too thick oil in a splash lubricated engine uses extra fuel and takes extra power as the oil slinger drags through the too thick oil.
I have had a Kubota lawn mower for 14 years. After the first few hours of operation I switched to M1 10w30 and I change the oil once a year. I am in Central Florida and everything is fine with the Kubota.
A new Honda probably has the residential GCV160/190 engines, which have an aluminum bore. I bought one of these engines on top of a Craftsman FWD deck a few years ago (bought that particular mower because of the engine). After 1 hour (one mowing), I drained the first batch of oil, and it was heavily laced with metal. I changed the oil out with cheap 10w30 every mowing for the next few times, and each time, the amount of metal lacing the oil was less and less. That engine is 3 years old now and it's had the green 0w30 Castrol Syntec ("German Castrol") for the last year with no signs of wear metals at all. For those aluminum bore Honda engines, I would recommend repeated early oil changes to get those initial break-in metals OUT of the crankcase.
I also have a GXV140 on my Honda Masters mower, and I also run the GC in it, but I didn't buy that mower new (I've bought cars for less than what that mower sells for new!), so I have no idea of the original maintenance schedule. Having an iron cylinder sleeve, I imagine the break-in material in the oil would be a lot less. It's a 2001 model (the Masters mower) and I've also had the current fill of GC in there for a year with no visible metal in the oil.
I also have a GXV140 on my Honda Masters mower, and I also run the GC in it, but I didn't buy that mower new (I've bought cars for less than what that mower sells for new!), so I have no idea of the original maintenance schedule. Having an iron cylinder sleeve, I imagine the break-in material in the oil would be a lot less. It's a 2001 model (the Masters mower) and I've also had the current fill of GC in there for a year with no visible metal in the oil.
Honda HR216 purchased in 1987 GCV160 engine, I use M1 5-30 cause its my left over stash after switching my Tundra to GC 0-30, it runs great I changed the oil every year only in the past three, in the past I used Straight 30 any brand and would change it every few years sometimes three
I'm waiting for the wheels to fall off then I'll buy new ones.
"(I've bought cars for less than what that mower sells for new!)"
I've bought cars for less than the cost of a new pair of Levis.
I've bought cars for less than the cost of a new pair of Levis.
Why not use what the manual recommends -- like most do on autos?
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