i have a john deere gt245 with a 20hp air cooled kawasaki engine.i cut and bag 3.5 acres of grass for 6.5 hrs in 95 degree heat.at 230 hrs the engine would,nt run properly surging alot.after replacing alot of external parts the engine came out. in the crankcase i had over one eight of an inch of baked on sludge in the oil pan.the sludge peeled off like electrical tape.oil changed every 50 hrs and filter.i am using castrol gtx 10w30.is the oil burning up,and what oil do you recommend.thank you.
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castrol gtx 10w30 getting too hot ?
- Thread starter jamesonel
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If the cooling fins and fan in the engine have been kept clean,and the engine is not overheating, the oil is most likely breaking down, Castrol GTX 10w30 is not the best choice of oil for this engine.I would run a straight 30 or a 15w40 or synthetic 5w40, 10w30.
Why are you running multivis passenger car oil in higher output ODPE? Rotella T5 or triple protect SAE30HD in the hot summer.
I would think a straight-30 (HD) would be more suitable, or at least a more stout synthetic.
I have been running 10w30 defy in my 13hp pressure washer engine. It only runs at high rpm and has no user controlled throttle so its all or none. I do 40 hour changes and its clean as new and the oil looks fine when at 40 hours. Id try a full syn 10w30 and see what happens.
Down here, just north of Dallas, I'm running a High Mileage Synthetic 5w40.
Last year it was Mobil 1 High Mileage, this year it is Maxlife.
I find that it runs well, is very clean, and I like that my older equipment doesn't leak as much with the High Mileage oils.
If you don't like the idea of using High Mileage oils go with Rotella T6 5w40, it is a very robust Synthetic.
Air cooled engines beat up their oils due to running hot and smaller sumps. Its just part of the game.
Last year it was Mobil 1 High Mileage, this year it is Maxlife.
I find that it runs well, is very clean, and I like that my older equipment doesn't leak as much with the High Mileage oils.
If you don't like the idea of using High Mileage oils go with Rotella T6 5w40, it is a very robust Synthetic.
Air cooled engines beat up their oils due to running hot and smaller sumps. Its just part of the game.
Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
Why are you running multivis passenger car oil in higher output ODPE? Rotella T5 or triple protect SAE30HD in the hot summer.
You know that no such product exists, right?
Why are you running multivis passenger car oil in higher output ODPE? Rotella T5 or triple protect SAE30HD in the hot summer.
You know that no such product exists, right?
jamesonel
Thread starter
castrol gtx in a air cooled engine.have you had good results or bad.is 10w 30 castrol gtx good for a garden tractor in hot summer conditions.any results you can share would be appreciated. thank you.
I have a similar tractor/engine and Deere specs 10w30 for use in it. My own tractor specs 100 hrs. OCI, which I do using the Deere TurfGard line in 10w30.
There is no reason for the GTX to not be able to handle what you are doing, as mentioned above I would check to make sure there is no blocked airway in the shroud.
There is no reason for the GTX to not be able to handle what you are doing, as mentioned above I would check to make sure there is no blocked airway in the shroud.
ILSAC oils FAIL in small sump unfiltered HD OPE applications. There is EVERY reason why it would not work. Briggs 3.5 hp mowers are easy, the bigger stuff is not. I will agree the OP should look to leaky floats, etc for oil contam.
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Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
ILSAC oils FAIL in small sump unfiltered HD OPE applications. There is EVERY reason why it would not work. Briggs 3.5 hp mowers are easy, the bigger stuff is not. I will agree the OP should look to leaky floats, etc for oil contam.
RE ILSAC oils failing in aircooled small engines: Could you elaborate on this some more? I have heard this from a couple of other sources but you may well be able to explain it better. I have long used 10W30 HDEOs in my small engines... with no issues thus far but I'm always open to optimizing if appropriate.
ILSAC oils FAIL in small sump unfiltered HD OPE applications. There is EVERY reason why it would not work. Briggs 3.5 hp mowers are easy, the bigger stuff is not. I will agree the OP should look to leaky floats, etc for oil contam.
RE ILSAC oils failing in aircooled small engines: Could you elaborate on this some more? I have heard this from a couple of other sources but you may well be able to explain it better. I have long used 10W30 HDEOs in my small engines... with no issues thus far but I'm always open to optimizing if appropriate.
Surging indicates a lean condition, causing it to run too hot, causing it to cook the oil. This is due to the awful EPA mandated, non tunable carburetors on those small finicky air cooled engines that prefer running a touch rich and polluting the air.
Have you tried cleaning the carb?
Have you tried cleaning the carb?
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jamesonel
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230 total hrs on engine.i always blow off my machines after every grass cutting. refuel,regrease etc.2 new coils,carb rebuilt 2 times,1 brand new carb,new head gaskets,valves reset to specs,new air cleaner and pre foam (externally vented),new spark plugs ngk and gapped,oil changed 4 times and filter (within a month)i will add something that may have some bearing on things.i had a friend add some oil additive in my oil and some to the gas tank on a couple ocassions,trying to sell me his product.could that have gummed up my oil pan.dealership said rebuild was more than a new engine.gt 245 john deere 20 hp kawasaki replaced with 23 hp kawasaki.$1390 for engine $1,000 labour.please add some opinions.thank you
My money is on the oil additive your buddy added.
jamesonel
Thread starter
i replaced parts that i believed was causing my surging problem.the dealership felt i was on the right track replacing the parts i did myself.i also replaced the crankcase vent on the engine because there was a positive pressure in the crankcase.oil started filling up the carb through the crankcase vent tube.i think now that the gallery leading to the crankcase vent was plugged with sludge?compression was 125 psi both cylinders,leak down test was perfect.rings sealed up real good.no bearing wear cylinders looked good.if anyone is running castrol gtx 10w 30 during hot summer conditions let me know your results. thank you for the help.
jamesonel
Thread starter
castrol gtx 10w30/10w40 have you had good luck with this product in a air cooled garden tractor or a marine engine let me know i would like to hear your comments.thank you.
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