Honda GX390

Joined
Feb 3, 2011
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1,426
Location
Golden Meadow, LA
Honda GX390 13 hp air cooled, Blackmax Generator 8kw , my dad bought it new for Hurricane Katrina, so its knocking on 15 years old but it has never given him a lick of trouble and doesnt have many hours ( thankfully, low hours means not much hurricane activity). I've maintained it for him using various 30 and 40 wt oils, but I'm considering switching to either M1 15W50, as recommended by Cujet, or a natural gas specific 15W40 oil. I brought up the natural gas oil due to the fact that my dad had a natural gas conversion kit put on it years ago, he has a hose under the house with a valve that he connects to it and can run it continuously until either the power comes back on or when he has to stop it to change the oil, which I do every 50 hours. So should I go with the 15W50, or the natural gas 15W40, and should I keep the oci at 50 hours or extend it to 100? I'm also considering the fact that the 15W40 NG oil is normally used in liquid cooled NG engines, so it may not be the best oil for this air cooled, high heat engine.
 
I havea Honda GX 390 on a pressure washer I have used 15W-40 and 5W-40. 15W-50 M1 would be fine .Change the oil often as there is no oil filter.
 
I use 15w40 in mine. 20w50 would be fine too, if you're in the south. I'm not sure how much harder it would make it to start if it was cold though, the pull cord likes to try and dislocate my arm occasionally. You have to make sure it's on the compression stroke so this doesn't happen cause it hurts. lol
 
Originally Posted by motor_oil_madman
I use 15w40 in mine. 20w50 would be fine too, if you're in the south. I'm not sure how much harder it would make it to start if it was cold though, the pull cord likes to try and dislocate my arm occasionally. You have to make sure it's on the compression stroke so this doesn't happen cause it hurts. lol


i have GX160 on my irrigation lines to move them, running 5W-40 Rotella during the summer the engines starter rope pull easy and start by the time the pull cord is pulled 1 compression stroke, in the winter "freezing" weather the engines starter rope pulls really hard and takes a while to start. It is amazing the difference.
 
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