Change oil only after 5 hours on new Honda & Briggs small engines?

[Elkins45]

I put a new engine on my mower this summer. I changed the oil after two hours. It’s cheap insurance.

 

[kc27]

If you do a once per year oil change and use the equipment for intervals such as six months of use, then six months of storage, when do you do the oil change? Before storage or when bringing it out of storage?

 

[nomas]

If you do a once per year oil change and use the equipment for intervals such as six months of use, then six months of storage, when do you do the oil change? Before storage or when bringing it out of storage?

Whatever works for you . Your mower won't know the difference .

 

[SC Maintenance]

Different scenario, but I dumped the oil on my Chonda generator after 1 hour, and it was full of shiny stuff plus was very milky - I assume engine pre-lube. I change all my new engines very early - whether it be a CCP built air cooled 1 cylinder or my new Toyota. Worst case scenario is a "wasted" a bit of oil. Best case is I dumped all the start up wear filings. I fail to see why so many people are against this idea.

 

[4WD]

My mom bought a new Cub Cadet riding mower and the salesman said change the oil after 3 hours.

Kohler 5400 (19.5 HP) ? Looked at one today …

 

[dwendt44]

What's the "E" oil ?

5W-40, which I've used for several years in my Honda engine.

My 2¢

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Looking over honda and briggs manuals I think this "confirms" it is a good idea to do the first oil change on ANY new engine let it be small 4 cycle on a lawn mower or power washer or a Honda 3.5L early.

Here are a couple screen shots from the briggs and honda service manual: as you can see Honda small engine team "stresses" the importance of an early oil change at 5 hours on new engine then not once but twice a year or every 50 hours.. Since I don't use it for 50 hours a year, I change the oil once a year no matter the hours.

Briggs also recommends a initial five hour oil change, followed by every 50 hours or once a year...

Honda:

View attachment 134533 View attachment 134532

Briggs:
View attachment 134534 View attachment 134535

And it appears they even recommend a Synthetic "D" 5W30 for basically all temp conditions.

What do you think? Are the manufactures just being cautious with oil changes, so they can deny warranty service in hours because no one I actually changes the oil on small engines lol?

OR is there maybe legality or something like that then just "change initially at 5 hours"? maybe for warranty / emissions. Something like that.?

Personally... on the Honda GVC190 power washer I just change the oil once every spring with synthetic and use it for the year.

On a new engine such as the briggs CR950 power washer... I changed the oil once at 5 hours, then I will do it again at 15, then I will follow the manufacturer maintenance of once a year or 50 hours from then out


🙏

There’s a big difference between a non-filtered, splash-style sump that holds fractions of a quart and that of a car engine that holds 450% or more oil with full filtration.

There’s also a difference in the tolerances of machining and the piston & rings design- consider OPE engines like this typical of what engines in the 70s-80s would be- big, full-skirt pistons with thick rings and lots of asperities that will be ground down during those first five hours in your small engines. Auto pistons today have partial skirting and many have coated skirts to reduce friction even more. Toss on top a 0.8mm compression and second ring compared to the old-school 5/64”… and it’s two different worlds 👍🏻

 

[The_Eric]

If you do a once per year oil change and use the equipment for intervals such as six months of use, then six months of storage, when do you do the oil change? Before storage or when bringing it out of storage?

Doesn't matter, but there will always be those who obsess about this and have "facts" or point to be made either way for either argument. Just do what is convenient for you.

 

[dlundblad]

It’s hardly a testimony, but I’ve had my Honda powered log splitter and my chonda powered pressure washer since new. Changed the oil early on both and it was definitely metallic. I just do early now even though I doubt they see 50 hrs a season.


Shame on me, but I like OPE changes in the spring. They are good for when the weather starts getting warm, but it’s still too early or muddy to do any yard work.

 

[jeepman3071]

It’s hardly a testimony, but I’ve had my Honda powered log splitter and my chonda powered pressure washer since new. Changed the oil early on both and it was definitely metallic. I just do early now even though I doubt they see 50 hrs a season.


Shame on me, but I like OPE changes in the spring. They are good for when the weather starts getting warm, but it’s still too early or muddy to do any yard work.

It never hurts to change early and often on splash lubed engines without a filter. I have customers with push mowers that are 15+ years old and have never had an oil change, they just add some when it is low and their engines do run fine but burn excessive amounts of oil. Oil is cheap, and engines are becoming increasingly expensive.

I just priced out a replacement Kawasaki for a customer's zero turn, and it was over $3000. Sounds like a lot, but to replace the entire mower would be over $12,000. All because his crew couldn't keep oil in the thing.

 

[dlundblad]

It never hurts to change early and often on splash lubed engines without a filter. I have customers with push mowers that are 15+ years old and have never had an oil change, they just add some when it is low and their engines do run fine but burn excessive amounts of oil. Oil is cheap, and engines are becoming increasingly expensive.

I just priced out a replacement Kawasaki for a customer's zero turn, and it was over $3000. Sounds like a lot, but to replace the entire mower would be over $12,000. All because his crew couldn't keep oil in the thing.

Not only expensive, but hard to find in a plentiful quality form. This day and age, it is a little wasteful to abuse “vintage” OPE engines.

 

[thastinger]

I put a new engine on my mower this summer. I changed the oil after two hours. It’s cheap insurance.

Agree but I only put a couple heat cycles on a new one, an hour of run time, change it then, change again at 10 hours, then once a year on most of them or if I get 50 hours on it.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Most new small engines will put a lot of glitter in the oil in the first hour or two. I always change it early.

 

[350Rocket]

Looking over honda and briggs manuals I think this "confirms" it is a good idea to do the first oil change on ANY new engine let it be small 4 cycle on a lawn mower or power washer or a Honda 3.5L early.

Here are a couple screen shots from the briggs and honda service manual: as you can see Honda small engine team "stresses" the importance of an early oil change at 5 hours on new engine then not once but twice a year or every 50 hours.. Since I don't use it for 50 hours a year, I change the oil once a year no matter the hours.

Briggs also recommends a initial five hour oil change, followed by every 50 hours or once a year...

Honda:

View attachment 134533 View attachment 134532

Briggs:
View attachment 134534 View attachment 134535

And it appears they even recommend a Synthetic "D" 5W30 for basically all temp conditions.

What do you think? Are the manufactures just being cautious with oil changes, so they can deny warranty service in hours because no one I actually changes the oil on small engines lol?

OR is there maybe legality or something like that then just "change initially at 5 hours"? maybe for warranty / emissions. Something like that.?

Personally... on the Honda GVC190 power washer I just change the oil once every spring with synthetic and use it for the year.

On a new engine such as the briggs CR950 power washer... I changed the oil once at 5 hours, then I will do it again at 15, then I will follow the manufacturer maintenance of once a year or 50 hours from then out


🙏

I changed out the provided 5w30 I put in my brand new champion generator at about 2 hours of run time. Now it's at 7 hours. I'll probably change it at like 10 and then once every couple of years if it doesn't get used much or at all. It's just a backup for power outages.