Best oil for Honda EU7000IS Generator

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Apr 12, 2018
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Location
NY
Hey guys, I'm located in climate zone 5 where our temperatures range from -10F to 100F. I'm a little confused as to which oil I should run year round. My intentions were to use the Honda Power Equipment oil which is designed for small engines however, it is not synthetic so I was considering running 10w30.Am I better off running Honda non-synthetic 5w30 year round?

Also, should I switch to synthetic after the first oil change or is it better to just stick with the Honda 4cycle oil? If I do switch to synthetic, is it safe to switch to 5w30 at this time as I understand synthetic 5w30 has a much broader temle range than Dino 5w30

Which brand of synthetic do you guys recommend? I know a lot of you to say stick with small engine oils and not automotive such as Amsoil 4 stroke but this particular generator has a catalytic converter so I don't know how that affects things.

I understand that using 5w30 in winter and 10w30 in summer is ideal but it's not practical for an item that gets used infrequently and needs to be ready at a moments notice.

The generator is stored in my garage that stays around 40F but I'm assuming that may be irrelevant if it was outside for a few minutes before starting in sub-zero weather or when doing an oil change. The generator dealer I purchased from recommended 5w30 for year round use but I'm concerned about it being inadequate for the hotter months when it easily pushes up over 90.

I appreciate the information!
 
If you're after synthetic, go with Rotella T5 10W-30. Heavy duty engine oil is a popular choice for air cooled small engines. Could go with Rotella T6 5W-40, I run that in my generator year round.
 
I have been using Mobil 1 10w-30 mine is stored in my barn and sees 20-110 degrees F runs great and never uses any oil with 50 hour changes.
 
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From the owners manual for your temperature range, Honda specs 10w30 and should meet SJ or higher specs. That would mean SN which has superseded SJ. Synthetic is a great choice. There are excellent offerings from all the major oil producers. The container should say SN on the SPE symbol and the word synthetic. Want a name? How about Pennzoil Platinum but they’re are lots of others.

I don’t want to start anything here but the people from Honda are pretty smart and I don’t see why you would want to bother stray from their recommendation.

An automotive oil is fine. Rotella T-5 Is not SN rated. There is a Rotella T6 SN rated 10W-30.
 
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So you guys think it's safe to use 10w30 year round as long as the generator and oil are stored in my garage which never goes below 40 degrees regardless of how cold it is outside?

Am I better off just sticking with the Honda Power Equipment oil even though it's not synthetic? Thanks.
 
I run T6 5W40 year round as well in my generator, but I also buy it by the pail for the Tractor and ATV and anything else that needs oil except my DD's.
 
Originally Posted By: Oilnewb1
So you guys think it's safe to use 10w30 year round as long as the generator and oil are stored in my garage which never goes below 40 degrees regardless of how cold it is outside?

Am I better off just sticking with the Honda Power Equipment oil even though it's not synthetic? Thanks.


Yes, 10w30 is perfectly fine in the conditions you describe. Also, you’ll probably never wear out that generator so it’s almost a moot point. The Honda Power Equipment oil is fine in my opinion.
 
Originally Posted By: Oilnewb1
So you guys think it's safe to use 10w30 year round as long as the generator and oil are stored in my garage which never goes below 40 degrees regardless of how cold it is outside?

Am I better off just sticking with the Honda Power Equipment oil even though it's not synthetic? Thanks.
Absolutely
 
Mobil 1, 10W-30 will easily meet the needs of that engine in nearly all temperatures. As will any synthetic 5W-40 diesel oil, such as Mobil 1, 5W-40 Turbo Diesel Truck.

Both oils will flow at 30-40 below zero, so there will not be any issue with your location and cold weather performance. For any generator, a few minutes warm up at zero load is always nice to the engine.

By the way, that generator has an excellent engine, known to last decades with reasonable maintenance.
 
Thanks for all the input. How long would you guys recommend running on the Dino oil before switching over to synthetic?
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Mobil 1, 10W-30 will easily meet the needs of that engine in nearly all temperatures. As will any synthetic 5W-40 diesel oil, such as Mobil 1, 5W-40 Turbo Diesel Truck.

Both oils will flow at 30-40 below zero, so there will not be any issue with your location and cold weather performance. For any generator, a few minutes warm up at zero load is always nice to the engine.

By the way, that generator has an excellent engine, known to last decades with reasonable maintenance.



Agree. Mobil 1, 5-40 Turbo Diesel Truck oil is SN rated. Since the OP want’s to preserve his catalytic converter he should make sure any choice of a diesel oil is SN rated as some aren’t.
 
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Since the owner's manual states using 5w30, 10w30,or straight 30, I'd probably rather stick to those. At least during the warranty period.

Is there any harm in me using the 5w30 over 10w30 and when should I make the switch from Dino to synthetic? Thanks a lot!
 
I believe in using a high quality syn oil of sufficient viscosity, and changing OPE oil by hours only. Modern synthetic oils, especially diesel oils, have a high TBN (total base number) and effectively prevent acid formation for many, many years in seasonally used gasoline engines.

I use 5W-40 TDT in my Kawasaki powered water pump (and many other engines) here in South Florida. I use M1, 15W-50 in my Subaru powered generator, which gets operated at 100% load for days at a time after hurricanes, heating water and running the central AC.

I see no need for seasonal or yearly oil changes with low hour utilization. It's the combustion byproducts that contaminate the oil, which happens only with sufficient use. Once broken in, 100 hour oil changes are just fine.

As far as "harm" with oil choice, I tend to choose the highest viscosity that is practical here in South Florida (failure to do so has resulted in extensive failures) . Remember, viscosity is what protects your engine. The higher quality synthetics all flow well at cold temps, with M1, 5W or 10W 30 won't matter, as they are nearly identical. High HTHS (viscosity at elevated temps, 150 degC ) is important in air cooled engines operated in high temps. And this is where the choice of a good synthetic will help.
 
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Originally Posted By: Oilnewb1
Since the owner's manual states using 5w30, 10w30,or straight 30, I'd probably rather stick to those. At least during the warranty period.

Is there any harm in me using the 5w30 over 10w30 and when should I make the switch from Dino to synthetic? Thanks a lot!


I noticed the owners manual is not definitive on the change over temp. There’s no harm in using 5-30 but Honda is clear that 10-30 is preferred unless you have cold temps. If you were planning on starting the generator at -20 F then by all means use 5w30. Edit: Your owners manual says first oil change should be 20 hrs or one month. Subsequent changes, every 100 hours, but some folks recommend every 50 hours. You can decide that.
 
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Agreed, I'd never go beyond 48 hrs. Is Mobil 1 adequate or do you think Amsoil 4 stroke is more appropriate?
 
I run T5 10W30 in my Chonda Predator engines, changing by hours, usually looks brand new. Only advantage to synthetic is getting it started below zero-and it has electric start to help with that. In hot weather, with continuous duty-it would be time for Delo 400 straight SAE 30.
 
Rotella/Delo 15W40 after the warranty period is up.

Until then, Rotella/Delo syn blend 10W30 heavy duty engine oil.

My rule of thumb on small engines is change the oil every 50 hours if the engine has no oil filter, or every 100 hours if the engine has a filter.

Storing it in your garage means you don't have to worry about COLD temps, so 10W30 and 15W40 will easily start.

For small engines, I think a heavy duty engine oil is more beneficial than a SN car oil synthetic.
 
What's the downside to sticking with the Honda Power Equipment conventional oil if I change the oil every 50hrs?
 
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