Is Mobile 15w40 a good choice for generators?

B

Bullet

Joined
Dec 19, 2004
Messages
352
Location
New Orleans La
oil-chart.png


This is the oil weights Champion recommends. Buried in the OM it states synthetic can be used after break in, but didn't mention it can be used during break in, what's up with that?. The new generator is their tri fuel unit with a 459cc engine. I only had time to unbox it and run it a minute or two with the Champion supplied oil. I've had other small generators, but nothing this big. The only time it will be used for hurricane outages every few years. Last year the outage was 9 days and ran that generator only stopping for fuel and oil changes.

I already have Mobil 1 15w40 Extreme, or would a PCMO be better?
 
In warm weather areas sure. I have outages in sub 32f temps, so i use an xx-30wt, recoil start.
 
Last edited:
No. It will make your hair fall out and your wife will get crows feet.


Use oil somewhere in the range they recommend. Change it once in a while and make sure it is always full. Something not engine oil related will kill it long before your oil choice will.
 
Mobil 15-40 Extreme is an excellent choice for extended running on your air-cooled engine. Swap out the standard spark plug in your Chonda engine for a quality NGK plug, keep the fuel fresh, oil level between the crosshatches on the dipstick and you shouldn't have any issues for a couple of decades.
 
You can break in with a conventional or synthetic, it won't make a difference. Make sure to swap the factory installed spark plug once you're done with the break-in and you're good to go.

Delvac Extreme 15W-40 is appropriate. Also MX 15W-40 is a robust option overall for the price. You said that you got Extreme, so that what I'd be filling.

Nice generator by the way 👍
 
Bullet said:
oil-chart.png


This is the oil weights Champion recommends. Buried in the OM it states synthetic can be used after break in, but didn't mention it can be used during break in, what's up with that?. The new generator is their tri fuel unit with a 459cc engine. I only had time to unbox it and run it a minute or two with the Champion supplied oil. I've had other small generators, but nothing this big. The only time it will be used for hurricane outages every few years. Last year the outage was 9 days and ran that generator only stopping for fuel and oil changes.

I already have Mobil 1 15w40 Extreme, or would a PCMO be better?
Click to expand...
Interesting enough, they don't have any straight 30 weight oil recommendations, like your old time familiar brands of small engine manufacturers still have. Those that have that, makes it an easy yes to 15w40. But they don't have nothing higher than 10 in the cold ratings in their recommendations and I highly doubt Champion makes their engines with tighter tolerance than the likes of B&S, and Honda. Being in Louisiana, the 15w40 would an excellent choice for you and it still close to the 10w40 recommendation at least. The Mobil 1 15w40 Extreme is still a dual rated oil, so your good on that. It is becoming more difficult to have dual rated oils in the 30 weight range anymore, which explains why their 10w30 is not, but the 15w40 is.
 
Bullet said:
oil-chart.png


This is the oil weights Champion recommends. Buried in the OM it states synthetic can be used after break in, but didn't mention it can be used during break in, what's up with that?. The new generator is their tri fuel unit with a 459cc engine. I only had time to unbox it and run it a minute or two with the Champion supplied oil. I've had other small generators, but nothing this big. The only time it will be used for hurricane outages every few years. Last year the outage was 9 days and ran that generator only stopping for fuel and oil changes.

I already have Mobil 1 15w40 Extreme, or would a PCMO be better?
Click to expand...
I run Rotella T6 5w-40 in my generators up north here in PA. You should be fine with a 15w-40 down your way. Much of my OPE fleet has ben switched over to Rotella T6 15w-40 over the past two years. My generators haven't accumulated enough hours for me to swap in the 15w-40, but I wouldn't hesitate to either.
 
Stumpy said:
Delvac1300 is a GREAT oil in all my vehicles. Should do fine in a generator.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, it's not what it used to be, at least for an air-cooled engine which needs at least 1400-1500 ppm as was the norm back in SG, SH, and SJ days.
Mobil has cut back on Zn/P down to 800-900 ppm back in 2017 when they had to keep API SN along with CK-4 in Delvac 1300 Super. At first, I thought it applies to 10W-30 since API SN limitations on Zn/P do not apply to xW-40 and xW-50, but that was not the case with 15W-40 as well which claims SN. Mobil came out with Delvac Extreme to fill that gap out. Looks like API SN limitations have been changed back in 2017 to apply for xW-40 and xW-50 but not SM.
Delvac Extreme 15W-40 was approved for SM, and 10W-30 was not API Sx approved at all (SM still has its limits in place for xW-30) in order to keep Zn/P levels up to the CK-4 1200 ppm limits and still claim "46% more antioxidants and 44% more anti-wear additives than Mobil Delvac 1300 Super".
I work in the agriculture business and deal with air-cooled engines quite a lot. Zn/P below 1200, as the minimum with a twist of an arm, and the engine will struggle to live a third of its expected life.

I wouldn't not use a higher specification than CH-4 and CL-4 myself, but OP has some Delvac Extreme, so I wouldn't waste any of it doing nothing in a jug.

Delvac MX is a better substitute than 1300 Super for this application and is very cost effective.
 
Oil choice is all about the operating temps where you are. Only full synth. oil for my stuff. The small amount of oil needed is not worth pinching pennies.
No way I could with the recoil spin over my BS 5600w fast enough to start at subzero F temps with 5-30w like the BS oil chart said with the unit stored in an unheated area. 0-30w is a must in those low temps. I'm using M1 0-30w in my cold weather gen sets. In summer those units never see over 90f, lucky to see over 85f in the NY ADK's. My other unit in NW NJ is just fine on 5-30w synth. Minimal if any oil consumption winter or summer. 15 yrs old also.
Down south I would be using a minimum of 10-40w synth. in summer heat.
 
Bullet said:
Buried in the OM it states synthetic can be used after break in, but didn't mention it can be used during break in, what's up with that?
Click to expand...
Some say synthetic slows down the break in process but that thinking may be from days gone by. I used conventional to break in mowers etc... because it was cheaper. I have always changed oil in engines with no oil filters after 1 hour then after a couple more and then at 5 hours, after that annually.
 
Bullet said:
oil-chart.png


This is the oil weights Champion recommends. Buried in the OM it states synthetic can be used after break in, but didn't mention it can be used during break in, what's up with that?. The new generator is their tri fuel unit with a 459cc engine. I only had time to unbox it and run it a minute or two with the Champion supplied oil. I've had other small generators, but nothing this big. The only time it will be used for hurricane outages every few years. Last year the outage was 9 days and ran that generator only stopping for fuel and oil changes.

I already have Mobil 1 15w40 Extreme, or would a PCMO be better?
Click to expand...
For generators and snow blowers it's Mobil 1 0-40 only. For everything else that can be anything from 5-30 to 15-40 but I buy a lot of Mobil 1 0-40 so that is usually what they get as well.
 
At the tail end of running my Wen for about 68 hours straight powering my camper at the USMTS fall jamboree. I’ll change out the F&F 5w40 HDEO when I get home. This OCI will have about 80 hours on it. Seems to be working great. Starts easy in the cooler temperatures and I don’t have to worry about the oil breaking down. The F&F oil is cost effective at about $17/gallon.

Just my $0.02
 
Bullet, where are you in Louisiana? Golden Meadow, Lafourche Parish here. Last year for Ida, I had to go to work four days after the storm. My dad kept his house going with an 8kw Blackmax with a Honda GX 390 that he had bought 16 years ago for Katrina. He had it converted to natural gas, and while not a continuous but a standby rated generator, I had him run it nonstop while I was away, only having him stop it every 2 days( 48 to 50 hrs) to change the oil with either 15W40 Supertech or M1 15W50. He ran it like this for 3 weeks straight until the armature crapped out, but the engine ran fine. Use any 15W40 diesel oil even Supertech, or M1 15W50 as wisely recommended by Cujet, who sees just as hot of temps as us in Florida, and sleep well at night. I’d use nothing thinner than 15W40.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Low/Mid SAPS oil for propane generator?
Replies
16
Views
727
4WD
garageman402
Generator Carb Problems
2
Replies
30
Views
1K
Doc8404
A
Champion 4000/3500 Generator Not Running
2
Replies
29
Views
3K
Rogueman2016s
M
20wt for low load on small inverter generator at or below 0f?
2 3 4
Replies
67
Views
3K
z71bill
L
Honda eu3000 generator running with 5 oz oil
Replies
6
Views
2K
Cujet
Back
Top