Honda GX270 Engine

[The Critic]

I recently purchased a pressure washer that is equipped with a Honda GX270 engine. The manual is silent on the recommended oil type, but the package included a 32 oz pouch of 10W-30.

Would a small engine benefit from a high-zinc oil such as Valvoline VR1?

 

[wpod]

The engine is a very low out put engine so any quality oil would work .

 

[stangguy]

I don't really think so. The high ZDDP oils are for the camshaft, and the small engines have such light spring pressures that it is not necessary. I have been running my rider with a Tecumseh engine for nearly 50 years with just any cheap 30 oil, and the last 4 or 5 years 10w30 or whatever, and it still runs fine.

 

[Tman220]

Any oil that has a 30 or 40 at the end. That engine doesn't need anything special. You will go through 5 pumps and still probably never wear that engine out as long as it has something resembling oil in the crankcase.

write it into your will, those engine are that good.

 

[Tman220]

The GX270 manual from honda is fairly specific as in as long as you use oil that is SJ or better

 

[Dubdoc]

I've used Mobil 1 in 10-30 for many years. No visible wear internally.

 

[OilReport99]

Any oil that has a 30 or 40 at the end.

 

[ARB1977]

If it’s anything like my 160. I use what ever 5 or 10W30. Currently M1 HM 5W30 and left over Amsoil SS 5W30. Before that T5 10W30. I did use Amsoil Small engine for 4 years. 13 years old now and runs great.

 

[Ride_Red]

My mower has run 17 years on 10W-30(ish), about 30hr/yr.
Started off with 10W-30. Then collected all the half-quarts and poured them together into a M1 5 qt jug. It's a mix of conventional 10W-30 and M1 10W-30. Then, whenever I do an oil change on the cars/motorcycles (0W-20, 5W-30, 5W-20, 10W-40, etc), I turn the empty bottles over and drain all the drips into a container. This drip oil goes in the mower first and I top it up with the 10W-30 brew. Works great. Mower does not use any oil and it drains clean when I do an oil change every year or two. Also, I don't have a bunch of half-empty oil bottles laying around!

 

[jeepman3071]

The engine will run perfect for many years on any 5w30,10w30, 10w40, etc. If the oil level is full, it won't care.

The more critical piece is the pump. Change that oil frequently.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I believe there is no catalytic convertor, unless they changed, so you are free to use a HDEO. I use Rotella T5 10W30. It’s well proven that Bitoggers pay way too attention to small engine oil than it is worth.

 

[MacManus99]

You could give a Honda GX engine any w30 or 40 oil, and it will outlast the pump by a large margin.