5w30 in a Generator

[SubieRubyRoo]

Gotcha, how many other oils are there, that are not site listed?

Unsure. The Small Engine 5w40 and 10w40 are not, and neither is the 20w50 Tractor Life ZT Hydrostatic Gear Oil. I’m not taking credit, but AFAIK it was my request that got Dave & Team to whip those specific oils up. Mary Jane didn’t even have them on her list yet when I called in to order them. So I’m sure he’d be happy to sell some more of them

 

[GMBoy]

I run 10w/30 Mobil 1 in my generator...but one time I used Delvac 15w/40 because I had a jug leftover with the exact amount it needed vs opening up a new 10w/30 jug. I couldn't tell any difference either way but did go back to the M1 10w/30 at the next change.

 

[Chris142]

It's just one day. When the power is back on I would change the oil and put in a more robust oil myself. That way it's ready to go for next time. Don't forget to drain the carburetor too.

 

[NormanBuntz]

The amount of VII in the oil can be problematic in an air cooled engine. For this reason you should avoid 0wX and 5wX grades.

Generac recommends 5w-30 synthetic is nearly all of its generators.

 

[locomaster1969]

Don't sweat it. That 5w30 oil is still a 30 weight so all is good. That oil will do it's job no problem.

 

[odie]

I think the CHAMPION from Tractor Supply has P.P. 5w-30 in it . It's over 10 years old .

 

[CarDoc66]

I just switched my three (brand new) generators, a new snow thrower (and the old mower) over to the Toro 10w-30 small engine oil with zinc in it. The generators have the Rato manufactured 79cc and 212cc engines in them. A few hours of break in with PUP 10w-30 resulted in quite a bit of ferrous metal debris on the magnetic dipsticks. One was puffing a very small amount of blue smoke when a load would hit it but I paid special attention to that one during break in and after an hour it had cleared up.
Seeing these are splash lube I would imagine the zinc is a good idea.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

My generac 5500 will start knocking loudly after a 1/2 hour with ILSAC spec 5W30. That is inadequate MOFT. Typical 5W30 are garbage lubes IMHO.

Went to Valvoline Racing synthetic 10W30 - that was great. A couple years later when I did a top off I added an oz of LiquiMoly MoS2 I had left over from running it disastrously in my Honda Fit. The Jenny is big chinese OHV one lung with scupper & splash lube and no filter, so I wasn't worried about agglomeration and clogging there.

Finally changed the oil after 6 years (maybe 25 hours use) with some Valvoline synthetic 5W40 euro. Haven't ran it underload with that juice. Hopefully it will be OK. I don't like a lot of VM in anything really - and especially ODPE. So I am out on a limb - not HTHS but with VM varnishing and ring sticking

 

[CarDoc66]

My generac 5500 will start knocking loudly after a 1/2 hour with ILSAC spec 5W30. That is inadequate MOFT. Typical 5W30 are garbage lubes IMHO.

Went to Valvoline Racing synthetic 10W30 - that was great. A couple years later when I did a top off I added an oz of LiquiMoly MoS2 I had left over from running it disastrously in my Honda Fit. The Jenny is big chinese OHV one lung with scupper & splash lube and no filter, so I wasn't worried about agglomeration and clogging there.

Finally changed the oil after 6 years (maybe 25 hours use) with some Valvoline synthetic 5W40 euro. Haven't ran it underload with that juice. Hopefully it will be OK. I don't like a lot of VM in anything really - and especially ODPE. So I am out on a limb - not HTHS but with VM varnishing and ring sticking

I have a generac with the GN220 engine. It’s pretty noisy on 5W-30. Maybe it’s my imagination but as I stated before I’ve switched all my generators to the 10w30 Toro high zinc formula and it seems to be pretty quiet.
I’m certainly no expert on oil but would the majority of knowledgeable members on here be comfortable running small engine oil in an automotive application?

 

[facility1]

been running mobil 1 0w-40 fs in my briggs generator,,works fine,,,as any 0 or 5w 40 should be good,,mine is a unheated garage in wis.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I have a generac with the GN220 engine. It’s pretty noisy on 5W-30. Maybe it’s my imagination but as I stated before I’ve switched all my generators to the 10w30 Toro high zinc formula and it seems to be pretty quiet.
I’m certainly no expert on oil but would the majority of knowledgeable members on here be comfortable running small engine oil in an automotive application?

I tried such a thing years ago when the ILSAC committee and API were reducing the phos % (ZDDP) to improve cat efficiency and predicted service life. Ran MTD 10w30 Synthetic Snowthrower oil. Engine ran great - or should I say more to my liking that what I had been using

Then next year most of the lawn mower and tractor "packaged" oil became low saps. John Deere went API SM ILSAC GF-4. That's just plain-jane Resource Conserving automotive oil.

If it's a modern enough API service category on the container label, and a reputable manufacturer, it should be adequate.
'
But modern engines may require an ILSAC GF-6 companion spec and/or some other specification that "lawn mower oil" does not meet.

What does the 10W30 Toro Oil display on the bottle for an API service category - if anything?