Oil Recommendation: Champion 4000 Watt Generator

[Shannow]

I'm assuming that when you need it, it's not to run a welder while you fix a fence...it's needed and in anger, and you will be juggling a lot of things at the same time.

Fuel...it will run out, and tell you to get back to it...fill it up and start again.

Oil...could run out...no chance of a restart if needed.

Oil...I'd choose something 30, HTHS >3.5, and given Austin's climate, something 15W or better.

New Chevron 15W30 ? Amsoil 10W30/SAE30 as suggested ?

 

[clintonhutson]

Wow! Thank you for all of the responses! Definitely a lot of differing opinions here...but ultimately what it's sounding like, is I really can't go wrong.

With as little as I will be using it, and as often as I will change the oil (no oil filter) to remove contaminants...I'm sure something else will break or have issues long before the motor lets go because of an oil / oil selection issue.

I think I will experiment with some different oils through the first several oil changes, and try and further diagnose which motor oil it "likes" best. Will probably stay with a dino / semi-syn oil due to me not using it hard enough, or keeping the oil in the engine for long enough to use it to it's full potential.

 

[clintonhutson]

Oh and to someone who asked, I paid $130 (don't think it was too bad of a deal) for it. PO said he used it 4 times in the year he owned it.

 

[Kamele0N]

5W40 with diesel specs...

Sae40 because you live in Texas?!

Synthetic because its aircooled engine...

And diesel specs because of higher TBN values...because your engine dont have oil filter...

My 50euro cents

 

[2cool]

If you don't get below 20F, any API rated oil of 15W-40 would stand you in good stead. I run it (15W-40) in a B&S Intek 500cc single in my lawn mower for the last 5 years. Never a problem, never bogs in tall grass or heat, good fuel economy. If you want a full synthetic; you will get good service with Mobile 1 0W-40 or any brand 5W-40 would work great and you could change the oil every other year.
Don't forget to run it with at least 50% load for a half-hour once every three months. Use double the recommended dose of STA-BIL. Opinion is divided on whether to run the carb dry.

 

[user52165]

Worry less about what oil to use and more about the gas. Ethanol is murder in OPE. Keep the gas fresh, use an additive for storage and E Zero if possible.

 

[kschachn]

I see people post this, yet I live in a non-attainment area so all we have is E10. I run it in my 15 year old lawn & garden tractor, my 14 year old snow thrower, my 12 year old string trimmer, and my 23 year old lawn mower, all without problems. How is it "murder"?

Originally Posted By: user52165
Worry less about what oil to use and more about the gas. Ethanol is murder in OPE. Keep the gas fresh, use an additive for storage and E Zero if possible.

 

[JR]

Maintenence:
30days: start and run under load 30min min, top off fuel.
check the earl and kick the tires.
Stow.

Oil changed on the bases of hours. Synthetic and a 0w- is a mandate for me, I have had 0w-20 in service for two years almost exclusivly.
Yes I am in michigan, but I have a gen in service in central florida at a family vacation shot, I see starts from -30 to over 100*F.



-Harvey


p.s.
if you want a long life or any life the key is premium pure gasoline (NOT GASAHOL) treated and stabilized.
I allows use MMO and seafoam.

 

[cronk]

I have the same generator.
I use Amsoil ASE Small engine oil in mine (10w30/sae30)
If I ran out and didn't have any on hand, I would use Rotella T6 5w40, or T5 10w30.
With the temps in Texas, you could run a 15w40 with no problems.

Regular 5w30 or 10w30 passenger car oil will shear and break down rather quickly in generator use. Remember it is running 3600 rpm under moderate to heavy load most of the time its running.
We had an ice storm in my area one year and many rural areas were without power for 3+ weeks.
Many people were loosing generators running 5w30 dino pcmo.

 

[kschachn]

Can you explain what breaks down? I have a natural gas standby generator, and I have been using M1 0W-30 in it, I just wonder what was happening to your neighbor's generators.

Originally Posted By: cronk
I have the same generator.
I use Amsoil ASE Small engine oil in mine (10w30/sae30)
If I ran out and didn't have any on hand, I would use Rotella T6 5w40, or T5 10w30.
With the temps in Texas, you could run a 15w40 with no problems.

Regular 5w30 or 10w30 passenger car oil will shear and break down rather quickly in generator use. Remember it is running 3600 rpm under moderate to heavy load most of the time its running.
We had an ice storm in my area one year and many rural areas were without power for 3+ weeks.
Many people were loosing generators running 5w30 dino pcmo.

 

[Whimsey]

Originally Posted By: cronk

We had an ice storm in my area one year and many rural areas were without power for 3+ weeks.
Many people were loosing generators running 5w30 dino pcmo.


Most likely for running more hours than recommended between oil changes and not checking the oil level on a regular basis. Small engines can take a fair amount of neglect but not low oil levels. Synthetic oils will have less of a tendency to burn off under the high temps of a stationery air cooled engine.

Whimsey

 

[cronk]

Well, most of the failed ones I saw had thrown rods, I heard of some seizing up.
These were extreme conditions and they were probably run long hours and may have been consuming the thinner oil and run low.

I'm sure a quality synthetic would have held up better.

People were following the winter oil grade recommendation in the owners manual and running 5w30, but after running 12+ hour days, I think the oil was sheering and burning off rapidly.

 

[CourierDriver]

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200419022_200419022

I have one of the above, got it 5 years ago. I run 10w40 in it. It has been all over the USA riding on the back platform of my van in all kinds of weather and sat outside for more then a year. I bought it in 2009

No problems, really. I have used it 24/7 at 5 days at a stretch. Yes it came from Northern Tool, China made. I used only dino oil and add marvel-mystery oil to the oil and gas. It has been run severely and is still runs ok, 2 pulls on the rope and it fires up.

I did not think it would have lasted a year, who knew...Like me, the generator is retired, except of when I need it for stuff.. It cost 199 bucks when I bought it.. I recommend that you take out the spark-plug that comes in these things and put a new brand name plug in its place. Run it for about an hour before you run loads on it.

 

[Kamele0N]

Originally Posted By: Whimsey
Originally Posted By: cronk

We had an ice storm in my area one year and many rural areas were without power for 3+ weeks.
Many people were loosing generators running 5w30 dino pcmo.


Most likely for running more hours than recommended between oil changes and not checking the oil level on a regular basis. Small engines can take a fair amount of neglect but not low oil levels. Synthetic oils will have less of a tendency to burn off under the high temps of a stationery air cooled engine.

Whimsey


Many people underestimate how AIRcooled engines can be hard on oil......they can chew up dino oil easily wich result then in higher oil consumption....

That is why I said......use synthetics in (any) AIR cooled engine.....OPE....2T...4T...it`s not important!

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: user52165
Worry less about what oil to use and more about the gas. Ethanol is murder in OPE. Keep the gas fresh, use an additive for storage and E Zero if possible.


I have been using e10 fuel since the 90s and never had a fuel related problem in my OPE.

 

[JimPghPA]

Here on BITOG, Cujet (who lives in Florida) swears by Mobil 15W-50 for all of his OPE.

Because the OP lives in Texas he should also use Mobil 15W-50.

And if he wants the ultimate reliability he should run the carburetor dry and then take off the carburetor bowl and spray all the passages with WD-40.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
I see people post this, yet I live in a non-attainment area so all we have is E10. I run it in my 15 year old lawn & garden tractor, my 14 year old snow thrower, my 12 year old string trimmer, and my 23 year old lawn mower, all without problems. How is it "murder"?

Originally Posted By: user52165
Worry less about what oil to use and more about the gas. Ethanol is murder in OPE. Keep the gas fresh, use an additive for storage and E Zero if possible.


I hear you. My area has been almost entirely E10 for 25+ yrs.

The only time I've seen it be an issue in fuel systems is for equipment that's been left sitting for several years and this is on equipment where the fuel system is very open to the atmosphere. Things like chainsaws, string trimmers, etc, obviously have vented fuel systems, but they don't breathe as much as mowers, generators, etc..

E10 in a sealed fuel storage container (a good one) will last a very long time.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: kschachn
I see people post this, yet I live in a non-attainment area so all we have is E10. I run it in my 15 year old lawn & garden tractor, my 14 year old snow thrower, my 12 year old string trimmer, and my 23 year old lawn mower, all without problems. How is it "murder"?

Originally Posted By: user52165
Worry less about what oil to use and more about the gas. Ethanol is murder in OPE. Keep the gas fresh, use an additive for storage and E Zero if possible.


I hear you. My area has been almost entirely E10 for 25+ yrs.

The only time I've seen it be an issue in fuel systems is for equipment that's been left sitting for several years and this is on equipment where the fuel system is very open to the atmosphere. Things like chainsaws, string trimmers, etc, obviously have vented fuel systems, but they don't breathe as much as mowers, generators, etc..

E10 in a sealed fuel storage container (a good one) will last a very long time.


I think E10 is problematic for small engines, especially ones that do not get used on a regular basis. While you can run E10 in your lawnmower for the season, at the end of the season I would run it on stabilized fuel, and also run it dry.

Around me E0 premium started to show up last summer.

 

[Rickey]

One more opinion for what its worth.

Of course my climate is different.

I prefer a 5W50 for easy starting in the cold weather we sometimes have in NC.

I believe that the 50W side of the spec will stay put and protect my 5750 watt Briggs unit better in the constant high load conditions it is sometimes subjected to.

Believe it or not it will start and run my 2-ton heat pump.
Of course it is game over when the defrost/strip heat mode kicks in.

This genny is now in its 12Th year running this weight oil and still as strong as day 1.
I should mention there is zero measurable oil consumption.

The hours on it are not huge, maybe it is run under load 15 or 20 hours average per year.

Good day.

Rickey.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Here on BITOG, Cujet (who lives in Florida) swears by Mobil 15W-50 for all of his OPE.

Because the OP lives in Texas he should also use Mobil 15W-50.


I concur 100%. You northerners use your generators in ice storms when its -10 degrees. Us southerners use our generators in August when its 95 degrees out due to hurricanes typically. 30 weight offers "enough" protection usually in these temps. Problem is, 30 weight gets consumed so darn fast. Synthetic 5W40 and 15W50 consumes way less in these conditions.

I lived through the 2004 Florida hurricane season. Got hit with FOUR back to back hurricanes. Our power was out for like 50 days that summer. Peoples generators were throwing rods left and right. Easily 60-70% of the free FEMA generators (yay for gov) were sitting on the curb with blown up engines after a week or two. While most of this can be attributed to lack of proper maintenance and not checking oil frequently enough, the folks that ran heavier oil had eons less problems. Heavier oil (in our southern climate) has a lot more margin for error.

Op, I would run nothing thinner than 5W40 in Texas, in the summer. Use synthetic.