Hey guys. It's oil change time on my generator and I'm trying to decide the best choice in oil for year round use from what I have to use here. I'm also interested in some suggestions on if there is something better to use in future changes. The generator is a large, portable 15Kw model and I've just crossed the 30 hour threshold to change out the break in oil that I put in new. The break in oil is Generac conventional SAE 30. Here is the model information:
It's a 30HP v-twin OHV engine with a spin on filter and oil cooler. It's taken me a few years to get to those first 30 hours of use, but it does power the whole house when we have an extended outage. I'm in NH, and it can get pretty cold here, but also hot in the summer. I don't use it enough to change the oil every season, so I'm trying to find the best all around weight for 100 hour change intervals.
The manufacturer suggests SAE 30 over 40 degrees, 10W-30 from 40 degrees down to 10 degrees, and synthetic 5W-30 below 10 degrees. I am planning on using synthetic year round, and I've got a few flavors of Penzoil Platinum here to use. I've got both normal and "high mileage" 5W-30, as well as "normal" 10W-30. I was leaning towards the 10W-30, but I've been reading some suggestions of using synthetic 5W-30 year round from Generac, as well as some posters in this forum suggesting the use of synthetic automotive oils are not the best choice on these air cooled engines. I've also seen mention of the "high mileage" variants of automotive synthetics have a more ideal additive package for these engines.
I do also have a jug of Rotella T1 SAE30...but it seems not ideal for year round use. So, what do you guys think? Also, what are some other suggestions for future changes if the PP is not ideal longer term?
Thanks!
It's a 30HP v-twin OHV engine with a spin on filter and oil cooler. It's taken me a few years to get to those first 30 hours of use, but it does power the whole house when we have an extended outage. I'm in NH, and it can get pretty cold here, but also hot in the summer. I don't use it enough to change the oil every season, so I'm trying to find the best all around weight for 100 hour change intervals.
The manufacturer suggests SAE 30 over 40 degrees, 10W-30 from 40 degrees down to 10 degrees, and synthetic 5W-30 below 10 degrees. I am planning on using synthetic year round, and I've got a few flavors of Penzoil Platinum here to use. I've got both normal and "high mileage" 5W-30, as well as "normal" 10W-30. I was leaning towards the 10W-30, but I've been reading some suggestions of using synthetic 5W-30 year round from Generac, as well as some posters in this forum suggesting the use of synthetic automotive oils are not the best choice on these air cooled engines. I've also seen mention of the "high mileage" variants of automotive synthetics have a more ideal additive package for these engines.
I do also have a jug of Rotella T1 SAE30...but it seems not ideal for year round use. So, what do you guys think? Also, what are some other suggestions for future changes if the PP is not ideal longer term?
Thanks!
