SAE 30 Oil Mower

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Hi I recently bought a beat up 190cc js30 push behind mower.
Bought at garage sale for $45 because it wouldn't run.
Just put new gas in it and it ran decently.

Anyways oil recommendation is SAE 30...
Now I don't mean to start a [censored] match at all.
But is there a general brand that is ideal. (Or are these air cooled mowers pretty robust?

Want this thing to last me a good while

(Yes I already bought spark plug, air filter, and going to clean carburetor today)

Thanks
 
I have used all sorts of name brand SAE 30 (even Super Tech) in mowers like that with the same good results. Choose a quality SAE 30 and you are golden. One does not seem to be better than any other. My current stock is Valvoline.
 
If you don't have any SAE30 on hand, I would personally not hesitate to use 10W-30, 5W-40, 10W-40 or 15W-40 of pretty much any brand at all. And even then, if I had no oil on hand, I probably still wouldn't buy SAE30, I'd probably get 15W-40. A common recommendation is the Rotella line of HDEO in OPE.
 
Ive used hundreds of gallons of store brand SuperTech, NAPA and Ace Hardware brand SAE30 in my old mower shop and found it to be good stuff. I really dont think you can go wrong with ANY of the SN rated SAE30 oils on the market, in a push mower.

Throw the carb in the trash. You can replace it with a cheap carb on eBay or Amazon for as little as $15. Its like two bolts. Videos on YouTube if you have never changed one before.

Cut the fuel line and put a fuel line shutoff on it when you clean/repair the carb.
https://www.amazon.com/Briggs-Stratton-698183-Shut-Off-Selected/dp/B0038U3JKM
 
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
If you don't have any SAE30 on hand, I would personally not hesitate to use 10W-30, 5W-40, 10W-40 or 15W-40 of pretty much any brand at all. And even then, if I had no oil on hand, I probably still wouldn't buy SAE30, I'd probably get 15W-40. A common recommendation is the Rotella line of HDEO in OPE.


Why would you use a detergent oil in a motor where all it's service life has seen non detergent oils?

Non detergent would be the best because the engine has no filter, therefore dirt should sink to the bottom.
 
Most 30 weight is detergent oil, unless it says "ND". I'd think you'd want detergent oil to keep the crud in suspension, so that it comes out when the oil is drained. I run 5w-30 passenger car oil in my OPE, all run fine with it, and all are > 15yrs. old.
 
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Non detergent would be the best because the engine has no filter, therefore dirt should sink to the bottom.


Vern, You are severely misinformed. ND 30 hasn't been recommended for any engine in over 50 years.

I use whatever 15W-40 HDEO (diesel oil) I can find cheap in all of my 20 or so odd air cooled OPE engines.,
 
Use any detergent SAE 30 or any 10w30 changed at any halfway reasonable interval and sleep well. Air cooled mowers are about as robust as they come. As long as it has some oil in it, you'll be fine. If the oil is changed once in its lifespan, you are ahead of most people. That said, I'd use any 10w30 that you have laying around and change it once a year.
 
I just use the left over oil from my OCI's on my Corolla which is all some kind of 30 SAE. It's been on synthetic for a few years now and still running great! I change it out a few times a year just to get rid of surplus left over oil.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Why would you use a detergent oil in a motor where all it's service life has seen non detergent oils?

Non detergent would be the best because the engine has no filter, therefore dirt should sink to the bottom.


and-the-lie-detector-determined-that-you-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about.jpg




1637 post on the board and you STILL haven't figured this out yet. Slow learner perhaps?
 
I used ST 30wt in the past and I am going back to it for all my lawn equipment. My generators get 10/30 fake dino because
I may have to use them in the winter time. I might have to dig around to see a if any one compared PYB 30wt to ST 30wt.
 
Remember that 10W-30 is generally not equivalent to straight 30 under high temperature conditions, such as using a lawn mower in the Southern summertime.

10W-30 HTHS 2.7-3.0 (conventional/synthetic)
Straight 30 HTHS 3.7

HTHS is the viscosity at the elevated temp of 150 C. In this example, higher is better.

There is a reason straight 30 has performed so well, for so many years. It retains sufficient viscosity at the elevated temps sometimes found in air cooled engines.

Look at the oil temp in my old Kawasaki powered Snapper mower, after a bit of normal use.

RtqUiBX.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Remember that 10W-30 is generally not equivalent to straight 30 under high temperature conditions, such as using a lawn mower in the Southern summertime.

10W-30 HTHS 2.7-3.0 (conventional/synthetic)
Straight 30 HTHS 3.7

HTHS is the viscosity at the elevated temp of 150 C. In this example, higher is better.

There is a reason straight 30 has performed so well, for so many years. It retains sufficient viscosity at the elevated temps sometimes found in air cooled engines.

Look at the oil temp in my old Kawasaki powered Snapper mower, after a bit of normal use.

RtqUiBX.jpg

If higher HTHS is your concern, use 10w40, 15w40 HDEO would be better, and 5w40 if you want synthetic. You will at least know that you have higher HTHS and its multi-viscosity.
 
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