Generac leaking oil?

[buck91]

So I noticed my Generac GP3300 genny is leaking a pretty good amount of oil. It had a little weapage before but after a drain and fill with M1 its leaking a LOT. I could try filling with a leak stop oil but on such a simple setup why bother. Anybody familiar with these? Looks like its the main crankcase gasket as it leaks when just off and sitting. I figure first step I'll snug down all the bolts and make sure its not something silly like that but otherwise I'll actually have to pull the crankcase cover off and replace the gasket. Any tips or snags to watch out for?

 

[Whimsey]

I have a Briggs & Stratton generator with the same leak, only it's much less than yours it sounds like. With B & S engines it's a common event unfortunately. The $3 seal on the crankshaft leaks and it will leak between the engine and generator head. It was suggested to me to try Valvoline Max Life HM first to see if that slows the leak eventually. Some years ago I worked at Lowe's and they had many B & S generators being returned due to this leak. There were also a fair amount of Generac generators returned, I don't know if it was for the leaking or other issues.

Whimsey

 

[meep]

I think snugging it up will make a big difference. It's a static gasket you are describing, not a rotating surface.

 

[Donald]

In some setups the generator head is on a tapered shaft. A real PIA to get apart.

 

[bubbatime]

Snug up any bolts on the engine case that you have access to. I bet you will find a few that are a little loose.

Im not a big fan of dumping synthetic into older engines, if thats the case.

Your climate and mine are drastically different, but perhaps Maxlife 10W30 or Rotella 10W30 would be a good choice, for winter? Or even Maxlife 5W30 if arctic cold. (15W40 is awesome for summer)

 

[Kawiguy454]

Ive found that if I do M1 first oil change i never get leaks later. this has been true for many years on everything that takes oil. On problem i ever had was putting M1 into a dino oil company van. Never did that again.

 

[izualangel]

I had a similar event with my generator with a 13HP Chonda engine. Turned out it was the oil coming out the oil fill when I snugged the dipstick down, and then running down to the bottom of the engine and dripping off where the two engine halves meet.