Honda generator engine

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Hello, I'm new to the forum. please forgive me if I'm posting incorrectly. I read a few articles, and searched for similar topics. But had no luck. I bought a new honda eu2000i generator. I want to use the correct oil and break it in properly. From what I have read so far, a synthetic 0w30 may be the right oil. The biggest issue seems to be the warm up stage. My question is: the oil additives like slick 50 and similar brands are supposed to protect your engine better at start up, leaving a residual coating on the parts. I did not see much on this sort of additive. Are they good for the use in these small engines in generators? Are they even any good for my car engine? Thanks in advance for any help and information.
 
skip the snake oil.
my eu1000i gets 15w40 hdeo.
its what i most often have.
same for the eb3500 and the 70's generac.
and in the time i have owned the generac it has seen over 500 hours.
no oil consumption either.
it ran 24/7 for 2 1/2 weeks with only fuel oil check/change when ike hit.
and recently a week after a big windstorm.
 
Honda says 10W-30, I would use a full synthetic...

My personal choice would be Castrol Edge 0W-30 in the black bottle, however it is nearly impossible to find...

Any 10W-30 will work, Advanced Auto has Quaker State Ultimate Durability on sale,

A drippings jug would work too...
(A jug you drain the dregs of oil bottles into, you get a tablespoon or two from each one if you let it drain for a day)

No additives except a drop or two of Sta-Bil Marine (blue) in the fuel tank.
 
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I been running Rotella in my Honda mower and generator for some years now.
I would not add additives (Slick 50).

If I didn't have Rotella, there are a lot of other oils to choose from. Me, I have a stash of PYB because that is what I use in my daily driver, but I'd be interested on how MagnaTec would do. But still, I plan on sticking to Rotella.

My local auto store stopped selling Rotella by the quart, so a gallon I guess will last me some time.

Exercise that generator on occasion (I usually do a monthly run). And I keep the blue Stabil in the gas cans.
 
Honda EU6500is generator owner here. (3600 hours from the previous owner, unknown oil used)

Honda's motor recommendations are usually either straight 30 wt or 10W30.

My personal preference:

Cost is no object oil> Amsoil MCT Metric 10W30 motorcycle oil. (244C Flash point, 3.5 HTHS, 11 TBN)

Best Bang for the buck oil> Mobil 1 10W30 high mileage (for its 3.5 HTHS)

Best Value oil> Chevron Severe Duty 15W30 HDEO.

I notice that other small engine manufacturers (Kawasaki, Yamaha) are starting to expand their recommended oils to 10W40 wt oil, up from 10W30. Do they know something that Honda doesn't? Delo 15W40 in my 21 HP Kawasaki powered, Cub Cadet lawn tractor right now. Works great! Going to try it in the generator next time.
 
Onan recommends 15-40 in their long run RV gensets. My 5500 has over 4000hrs on it with 100 hr changes of whatever 15-40 diesel oil I get for my Cummins. No oil usage whatsoever.
 
Originally Posted By: pkunk
Onan recommends 15-40 in their long run RV gensets. My 5500 has over 4000hrs on it with 100 hr changes of whatever 15-40 diesel oil I get for my Cummins. No oil usage whatsoever.


Wow! That's some serious hrs for a small generator.
 
Since all Honda generators are splash lube engines....meaning there's no oil filter to filter out any contaminates, changing the oil at the correct manufacturer recommended interval is more important and does more to extend engine life than what kind of oils are used.
 
What Speedy said above^^^.

The Honda EU series is very highly regarded so I would use whatever Honda recommends. No additives.

For the record, I use RT5 10W-30 in my Subaru-Robin RG4300iS.
 
If you can find like M1 0w40 or any 5w40 HDEO on sale, as well as M1 10w30 are good picks with high HTHS.
 
Originally Posted By: SpeedyG75VW
Since all Honda generators are splash lube engines....meaning there's no oil filter to filter out any contaminates, changing the oil at the correct manufacturer recommended interval is more important and does more to extend engine life than what kind of oils are used.


+1

The condition of the oil and the oil level are more important than brand used. Since small engines are air cooled, it is not unusual for them to consume a bit of oil when running under load for long periods of time. I usually recommend a Heavy Duty engine oil for small engines.

I personally run Rotella T6 5w40 or T5 10w30 in my flat head Briggs powered Coleman generator.
 
I have a Yamaha 2000 watt inverter generator, and typically run Walmart's Supertech SAE 30. If I run out of that, it might get a splash of Valvoline VR1 20-50 since I always have a supply of that in the trailer.

As others have said, keeping up on the oil change interval will be more important than which oil is used.
 
agreed. and No Additives.

I go between 10-30 and 5-40 rotella T in mine. I have a 3k inverter which is yamaha powered - 10-30 castrol penzoil syn goes in it. I change it every 1-2 years depending on use and there's never any discernable consumption. Mine only gets ~50 hrs/ year.

I had an eu2000i before. They are beautiful machines. If I had to guess, you should be more concerned with aging fuel. Make sure your fuel supplies are fresh and/or treated with stabilizer. Honda carbs are very precise and efficient and do not handle contaminants well in my experience.

-m
 
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: pkunk
Onan recommends 15-40 in their long run RV gensets. My 5500 has over 4000hrs on it with 100 hr changes of whatever 15-40 diesel oil I get for my Cummins. No oil usage whatsoever.


Wow! That's some serious hrs for a small generator.
Well, it's 18 years old and we camp/boondock alot. While I can run on battery for days, I need airconditioning when it's hot so run the Onan. It is air cooled 1800 rpm with pressure lube & filter.
 
I use m1 10W-30 in my EU2000. Works perfectly. I change it regularly, as oil changes are the only way to remove contaminates.

These engines have a timing belt and a lubrication non critical plastic cam lobe. The cylinder, rings and crank do not have demanding requirements. Use sufficient viscosity and change regularly
 
I put M1 10w30 in my new 389cc Chonda, my older/smaller Chonda's, and B&S Vangard - have Magnatec 10w30 in other OPE
 
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