Any benefits on using synthetic in small engine

[UNC201]

We're talking about a single stage 4 cycle Honda Engine - Honda 520AS snowblower.

I don't expect more than 2-3 hours per year on this thing. Engine takes 20 oz. Are there any benefits using synthetic oils in a small engine ? Otherwise, Pennzoil 5w30 conventional it is with a dash of LC. I've got almost a full gallon of LC anyhow....need to find ways to use it up

 

[SteveD2]

Certainly, it's no different than any other engine. When you only need one quart a year, why not? It's only ~$1.50 vs $3.99.

 

[UNC201]

I guess what I'm trying to say is - Would Synthetic be overkill. I'll be dumping out the oil at the end of the season + realistically, it would probably only see about 1.5 hours on it tops.

I'm figuring 15 mintues per snowfall....10 bad snowfalls max that would warrant the machine to be used. Neighbor envy - He's got this huge track snowblower and I watched him clear his driveway like nothing while I was just shoveling away.

 

[SteveD2]

Depends on what you consider overkill. I guess you could call synthetic overkill in any engine, since they'll all last a long time with regular oil as long as you change it regularly. In your case, synthetic will help the statup wear in cold weather...

 

[MONKEYMAN]

I use synthetic on my parent’s snow blower, and don't change it every season. I doesn't seem necessary. I put Mobil 1 in my mom's mower 3 years ago. Still looks very clean. I guess I don't see using synthetic as overkill in the winter. Maybe changing the oil after 3 hours of use is overkill IMHO.

Most of the equipment I have with 4-cycle motors have recommended oil change intervals of 25 hours to 50 hours. That is after changing the oil it came with.

 

[Bror Jace]

Synthetic, especially Mobil 1, will be a bit thinner and you'll notice that the engine revs a little easier ... and if you run it at wide-open-throttle, you might get a few more RPMs (100? More?) out of the motor.

And those RPMs mean slightly higher auger speeds ... which helps through the snow further.

Critical? Probably not. But as Too Slick likes to point out, it's free horsepower.

OK, not exactly "free," but awfully cheap.

--- Bror Jace

 

[Mickey_M]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chefwong:
We're talking about a single stage 4 cycle Honda Engine - Honda 520AS snowblower.

I don't expect more than 2-3 hours per year on this thing. Engine takes 20 oz. Are there any benefits using synthetic oils in a small engine ?

---

Air cooled small engines tend to run hot, so a synthetic provides the same advantages in them it provides in motorcycle and automotive engines that are run hard and hot.

I've used Mobil 1 5w30 or 10w30 for years in a variety of Briggs & Stratton, Tecumseh, and Honda air-cooled single cylinder engines. Spark plug replacement becomes seldom or never, cylinder wear goes to next to nothing, and starting is a lot easier.

Depending on how often it's run, I change it once a season or twice a season. I just put the lawnmower up for the winter and changed out the oil I put in it last July. I'll run that when spring comes and change it mid-summer.

 

[UNC201]

Alight, alright........GC for the snow blower. I'll just use up the older 03XXX batch numbers I have in it .

 

[drm7]

I have been running Mobil 1 10w30 in my Husq 15hp Kawasaki motor the past couple years. It acted up and I changed the oil to Penn HD 30 as it was all I had lying around. I started it this weekend and it made so much noise and seemed like it was pumping molases (sp?). I warmed it up and changed to Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5w40 oil. It ran so quiet and smooth, even compared to warmed up HD 30. Seems to spin faster. I'm sticking with Mobil 1 in the mower.

 

[tom slick]

i believe it was once determined here that most small engines last longer than the equipment they run (certainly mowers) with minimal maintenace and conventional oil.

 

[Bror Jace]

That's true, Tom, and I've even made that point myself but this thread points out that there are other advantages to running a synthetic oil (more power, easier starting) in lawn & garden equipment.

--- Bror Jace

 

[drm7]

I did it for the easier starts and hoping the syn clings to the surfaces longer as these engines sit much longer between runs than cars do. Also, riding mowers aren't cheap so I need to get many years out of it.

 

[Bror Jace]

"Also, riding mowers aren't cheap so I need to get many years out of it."

Correct, but make sure you spend time on other aspects of your mower's maintenance which are probably even more important that expensive oil and/or frequent changes:

1) Frequently service the air cleaner.

2) Frequently clean the radiator or head cooling fins of the myriad 'fuzzies' that collect there.

3) Keep the deck area clean. I use compressed air from a shop compressor to blow grass, mud, etc ... out from the top of the deck where the pulleys are each time I mow. Build up grass can promote corrosion of the deck and premature belt wear/failure.

4) Grease every fitting you can find. Check your owners' manual to make sure you haven't missed any.

I'm sure I've missed a few things ...

--- Bror Jace