Boron is EP/AW when you start mowing...when engine is still "cold"..... ZDDP is for the later...because it is heat activated...
Briggs oil vs synthetic car oil
- Thread starter BMW Dom
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Got an old Valvoline jug that I pour all the left over oil into from various OCs from personal, friend's, family's and neighbor's vehicles. It's a cocktail of various weights, both conventional and synthetic....10/40 to 0/20 and everything in between. Throw in a few ounces of Restore and that's been what I use in my old Briggs engine for quite some time.
Engine runs great. Gets 2 OCs a season
Engine runs great. Gets 2 OCs a season
That's pretty much the bottom line. Most of the small engine failures I see in my shop are due to very low oil, or no oil at all. I have customers with 15+ year old equipment that only fix stuff that breaks (wheels, mower deck, etc) and just fill the oil when it's low.
I've been telling people for years now, viscosity and brand don't really matter as much. Keeping the level full especially on a splash lubricated engine is the key to it living. Changing it often is what will make it not wear out as quickly. Those customers who never change their oil usually have oil burning issues just because never changing it means never flushing out the contaminants in the oil.
I tell people to pick their favorite brand/weight of oil, change it every 50 hours, and check it before each use. Those who follow those guidelines don't have failures.
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so should I use conventional or synthetic? I want to just get one oil to use in my lawn mower in pressure washer. Will a 5w - 30 get thin quickly versus a 10w-30? Also if I just get a 5qt container, how long is the oil good for in my garage? Hopefully this is my last reply 
. I don't feel that the Briggs SAE 30 is that good. I always have to top it off in between oil changes, and it is always pitch black.
. I don't feel that the Briggs SAE 30 is that good. I always have to top it off in between oil changes, and it is always pitch black.
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Also what does the SN-RC mean. I know it means resource conserving, but is that okay in lawn mower. Thanks for all theso should I use conventional or synthetic? I want to just get one oil to use in my lawn mower in pressure washer. Will a 5w - 30 get thin quickly versus a 10w-30? Also if I just get a 5qt container, how long is the oil good for in my garage? Hopefully this is my last reply
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HAHA, it's Ohio. So it's usually 95-40 degrees when I'm mowing. It's 80 today but was 60 degrees Monday. Sometimes it's chilly while i'm bagging leaves, but I don't mow in the snow.
Just use M1 10w-30 high mileage. It has a HTHS viscosity of 3.5, which is pretty close to what a straight SAE 30 should be. It will run you about $5/quart if purchased from Walmart in a 5 quart jug. I run this oil in most of my OPE and have no complaints.
I think I currently have m1 hm5w30 in my 6hp 1999 Briggs and Stratton side valve engine. It smokes a few seconds every cold start but the oil stays looking like new for a whole season. (Maybe 1hr a week usage since I gave up the side business). I bought it used with unknown previous maintenance. Changed it early a few times and how it stays clean and doesn't use any oil.
been a lawn mower mechanic for 40 + years . small engines love synthetic oil. if want yours to last-use it and check lever before each use, vp synth can be had at Walmart for a low price. check both the oil isle and the lawn and garden section
I prefer straight 30 weight in air cooled lawn and garden equipment. Last mower I used multi viscosity in started using oil at an early age. I ran a Kohler 20HP engine on straight 30 weight with 50 hr. oil/filter changes. I used the mower for about 23 years. When the mower wore out the motor was still in great condition with very minimal oil usage ( I'd maybe add 4-6 oz. a couple oz. at a time in 50 hrs.) As far as how long will oil last in your garage, I'm currently using conventional 10w40 in my cars that I bought in the mid '90's to mid '00's and still probably have somewhere between 5 and 10 cases of the older stuff. So if you find out it's only good for 20 years don't tell my cars, they don't know the difference. If the container has been opened just keep the lid on it so it doesn't collect dirt/insects and it will be fine. I believe you're overthinking this. In 45 years and approximately 1M miles of driving I've used everything from store brands to major brands and can't say that I can tell any difference in any of it. I drove an '88 Ford Escort to 518K miles on various brands. I retired it back about 2011-2012 and it was still running when I parked it, it just needed more work than I wanted to put in it and I wasn't paying someone hundreds of dollars to work on a car with 1/2 million miles on it.so should I use conventional or synthetic? I want to just get one oil to use in my lawn mower in pressure washer. Will a 5w - 30 get thin quickly versus a 10w-30? Also if I just get a 5qt container, how long is the oil good for in my garage? Hopefully this is my last reply
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The only thing that killed my 500 hour B/S 17 HP was not adjusting the valve clearance.
The push rod coming through the head was
due to my negligence .
Rotella T6.
The push rod coming through the head was
due to my negligence .
Rotella T6.
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So after doing some research it seems Mobil 1 10w-30 has way less zinc, phosphorus calcium and boron. it also seems like the mobil 1 datasheet is lying. What do you guys think? I know I am over analyzing this, that way my intention.
Briggs/Stratton SAE 30 SJ/CF
Recently I picked up a Toro 340 XP mower, which came with an 18 oz bottle of Briggs & Stratton branded oil. Out of curiosity, I had to send a sample off for analysis (I used Rotella 30 wt in the mower). Here's what Blackstone says: RON: This sample of Briggs & Stratton 30W oil had a viscosity...
www.bobistheoilguy.com
Briggs & Stratton 5W30 Synthetic
Got so much useful information's from BITOG ... so my turn to contribute something. Sent a sample of the genuine Briggs & Stratton 5W30 Synthetic in for VOA: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-wiXu6hVzF-MEc1M29yUkJHWkk/view?usp=sharing Right now using this oil in new my Billy Goat leaf...
www.bobistheoilguy.com
I like Delo 15/40 in the lawn equipment because it is only used in temperatures above 50 f. I use M1 HM10/30 in the generators because it may be used in temperatures as low as the teens(very seldom it gets that cold). I will be switching over to PP Euro 5/30 in gens because that is the oil I now be using in a 2019 nissan frontier and 2004 bmw Z4. 2 oils to cover all my needs.
Lying? Lol, no they are not lying.
Project Farm has their anterior and posterior inverted and by focusing on specific elements in an ICA analysis they are demonstrating a typical and rampant misconception.
For the 800th time the only way you judge oil performance is by the approvals, specifications and licenses it carries. Videos like PF are worthless and even worse, deceptive. Look how they fooled you.
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So can I use the high mileage oil in my lawn mower? I thought it swells the seals.
They do?
Thicker oils having more additives is a faulty assumption unless you are talking about viscosity improvers, which is not necessarily a good thing. You can use thicker oils in a Briggs and it won't hurt anything except maybe your arm trying to start in cold weather.
The bottom line for your mower:
1. Synthetics are "better" because they will tend to burn a bit less oil and handles high heat somewhat better. The difference is not earth shattering.
2. The amount of oil additives in a lawn mower is not as critical because the oil gets dirty a faster and should to be changed more often anyway.
3. There is no perfect oil for your mower and the difference between the best and the worst is a lot smaller than you might think if you buy a modern certified oil.
4. Full and clean is 10X more important than brand and flavor of oil in the crank case.
