SAE30 vs 10w-30

[The Critic]

My dad's Craftsman lawnmower calls for SAE30 as the recommended engine oil.

Because we've been lazy, oil changes have been done using 10w-30 conventional.

My guess is that SAE30 lacks VII, and VII tends to breakdown under severe service, hence the SAE30 recommendation for air-cooled mowers.

Would there be any harm in running 10w-30 in this application, or is SAE30 truly optimal?

Thanks.

 

[Merkava_4]

SAE30 is good above 40*F. Below 40*F, you may experience hard starting.

10W-30 may contribute to oil consumption. Check the oil level regularly.

That's pretty much what it says in the Briggs & Stratton owners manual.

 

[Kuato]

I've used 10w30, 5w30 and even 0w30 in mowers for years without issues; unless the mower was really really old there was no consumption.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
SAE30 is good above 40*F. Below 40*F, you may experience hard starting.

10W-30 may contribute to oil consumption. Check the oil level regularly.

That's pretty much what it says in the Briggs & Stratton owners manual.


Correct. Briggs says to expect excessive consumption when using 10W30 above 80 degrees F.

I hate oil consumption so I just use 10W30 synthetic or SAE30. Consumption is pretty non-existent using either of those.

Edit: Briggs number one oil recommendation is now 5W30 Synthetic followed by SAE30 oil.

 

[Dean85]

10w-30 is better than no oil. Correct me if I am wrong, but don't the 0w, 5w and 10w 30's act the same as a straight 30w at operating temps? The multi viscosity is better at lower temps.

 

[david_ES2]

I believe its because the 10w30 is more prone to shear and even more so a 5w30 because of the viscosity spread

 

[dorkiedoode]

Assuming your craftsman lawnmower engine is made form B&S, you should run a quality synthetic 5w-30

"To optimize engine performance, use Warranty Certified Briggs & Stratton Small Engine Oil. Briggs & Stratton offers a Synthetic 5W-30 oil that provides the best protection at all temperatures as well as improved starting with less oil consumption."

http://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en/s...w-to-change-oil

 

[Eddie]

The B&S 20HP engine calls for 10w30.

 

[rjundi]

Lets be realistic, changing the oil/topping with anything is better than the norm for most folks who do it when they remember.

I will admit I change my push mowers(Honda) oil every 1-3 years with random oil(typically ends of Mobil 1, SuperTech, even GC at portions of life) and it over 16 year old running strong. Then again it only runs for about 20mins tops/mow.

 

[JHZR2]

I believe the OP is using the correct logic. Briggs recommends synthetic, so we have been using either M1 10w-30 or amsoil acd 30/10w-30 with great success.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Dean85
Correct me if I am wrong, but don't the 0w, 5w and 10w 30's act the same as a straight 30w at operating temps? The multi viscosity is better at lower temps.


In a water cooled car, yes. In a air cooled mower engine, no (assuming you are talking about conventional oil)

My father-in-law INSIST on running 5W30 Dino in a Briggs 675 series push mower engine. He has to top off the oil every time he mows. I have the same engine running SAE30 and I can mow almost an entire season without topping off the oil.

That missing oil has to go somewhere. It gets burned in the combustion chamber, which deposits on the rings/valves. It cakes on the rings and then further increases consumption because the rings can't due their job properly if they are caked with deposits.

 

[gman2304]

Ran my 10 hp Troy Bilt B&S powered generator for 5 days last week...off at about 11 pm then back on at about 6 am. Walmart Supertech 30wt, started with one pull each morning and ran basically nonstop for 16 hour days...except for times I fueled it. Changed the oil with PYB [I was at A/Z and just decided to pick up the PYB and change the oil] on the 5th day and about 5 hours later the power came back on. Never had to top off the oil and the ST 30wt was a nice amber color after all those hours running. OPE will run well on about anything, and I'm not particularly brand loyal, I just prefer 30 wt HD. YMMV

 

[Woody71]

If you use multi-visc in your mower, go with full synthetic or check/top off regularly if using conventional. I run SAE 30W in my mower.

 

[Eddie]

I run 10w30 PP synthetic in my B&S 20HP (John Deere) and never need to add oil. The latest B&S recommendations are 5w30 Synthetic is #1 followed by 10w30 40 to 100 F. Followed by oil used below 40 f and and. Ed

 

[lawman1909]

No trying to hi-jack this thread but can someone help me out? I have a Kohler 26HP v-twin engine, and use Motorcraft 10w-30 synthetic blend. How many hours do you think this oil will be good for? I have also noticed some oil loss but the engine only has 233.5 hours on it. Thanks guys for your help

 

[Bror Jace]

For 90% or more OPE applications calling for a 30 weight oil, 10W-30 is far superior to straight 30 weight (mineral or synthetic).

The straight weights are only for the most torturous applications. And I were to deal with those circumstances, I'd run a 15W-40 HDEO instead.

 

[Lubener]

I use SAE30 in the summer. For a snow blower go thinner. Expect some consumption using 10-30 in the summer. I always use what is recommended, change it every 50 hours and sleep well at night. Why experiment.I doubt that synthetic will extend the life of a small engine either.Since there usually is no oil filter, you are far better off changing the oil more frequently using lower cost oil than extending change intevals with high end oil.

 

[Bror Jace]

"I use SAE30 in the summer. For a snow blower go thinner."

Thinner than a 30 weight in a snowblower? Why? They all call for XW-30 (which is not 'thinner' than straight 30).

"Since there usually is no oil filter, you are far better off changing the oil more frequently using lower cost oil than extending change intevals with high end oil."

Agreed. With splash-lubricated OPE engines, better to change it more frequently (especially when newer) than to buy a super-premium oil and be tempted to leave it in for a longer interval.