I have seen many folks posting the use of 15w40 oils in mowers. That sure seems awful thick for a mower! I have a 25 year old 7 h.p. briggs and stratton that has been run on a steady diet of straight 30 weight the whole time. I recently took off the head to clean the carbon out and found very little wear on the cylinder and a ridge only .5 of a millimeter thick. Wouldn't 15w40 cause more wear especially in the winter months?
Isn't 15w-40 motor oil a bit thick for mowers?
- Thread starter Rob Taggs
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I did not mean for the above to read that folks mow in the winter months! My mistake. I just can
't believe that people buck what the manual says about certain weights being used in certain months of the year. I use 15w40 in my dumptruck at work. 15w40 is not intended for small engines as far as I know. They are formulated for certain types of engines. If I put 15w40 in any of our small engines at work and they failed due to the wrong weight of specified oil which is either straight 30 or 10w30 motor oil my boss would have my job in a second - thats fact. I didn't build the motor, so I would think that the original builder knows more than I do on what works best and what does not. They are your hard earned money, not mine but, I think Briggs and Stratton and whoever else that builds these is the authority not me.
't believe that people buck what the manual says about certain weights being used in certain months of the year. I use 15w40 in my dumptruck at work. 15w40 is not intended for small engines as far as I know. They are formulated for certain types of engines. If I put 15w40 in any of our small engines at work and they failed due to the wrong weight of specified oil which is either straight 30 or 10w30 motor oil my boss would have my job in a second - thats fact. I didn't build the motor, so I would think that the original builder knows more than I do on what works best and what does not. They are your hard earned money, not mine but, I think Briggs and Stratton and whoever else that builds these is the authority not me.
Well, most Briggs specify SAE 30 for temps above 32F and a lighter weight for temps below that.
What do you do when the temps are "bouncing" between 20 & 40? Change the oil if the "wrong weight" is in it so you don't get fired?
I'll agree, that for most mowers (and the temp conditions they are operated at) that 30 weight is probably just fine.
Some people are more finely tuned in to their operating conditions and adjust accordingly.
Bringing up dump trucks etc., when your question was about mowers, is just trying to evade the answers provided IMO. You didn't like them and want to change the subject.
What do you do when the temps are "bouncing" between 20 & 40? Change the oil if the "wrong weight" is in it so you don't get fired?
I'll agree, that for most mowers (and the temp conditions they are operated at) that 30 weight is probably just fine.
Some people are more finely tuned in to their operating conditions and adjust accordingly.
Bringing up dump trucks etc., when your question was about mowers, is just trying to evade the answers provided IMO. You didn't like them and want to change the subject.
I have run Mobil 1 10w30 in my mom's mower about 3 years. It tends to use some oil. My experience is that Mobil 1 is a little on the thin side. I was considering the heavier oil after reading one post of success. I would not put a dino oil in the mower with those specs, but Mobil 1 15w40 would work for summer months.
15w40 is not too thick. As has been stated already, when cold the 15w40 will actually be thinner than the straight 30 weight oil B&S recommends. Personally I'd want to use an HDEO in a lawnmower because they have more antiwear additives (I hope) and with the splash lube system and no oil filtration I'd want to give it as much protection as possible. My parents 3.75 hp B&S mower takes less than 1 quart of oil, so something like Redline is feasible for use, to me anyway.
I have used 15w40 in my Billygoat leaf sucker for about 3 years now and it seems to do ok. The Billygoat has a 5 HP B&S engine and gets used in the cooler months of the year sucking leaves. The blower on the Billygoat really seems to work the engine hard. FWIW some fleets use 15w40 in new pickup and car engines and they don't wear out early. The company I work for had an old F-150 pickup that went to over 230,000 miles on 15w40 with no issues before they sold it. Truck still ran like new and didn't use any oil. I use the 15w40 with confidence in my small engines. Don't think you have anything to worry about.
To Mr. Bill Kapaun: I have no problems with any of the answers I have or will receive here regarding this post. I bought up the subject of my work dumptruck as a reference to the use of 15w40 motor oil, which this weight of oil is mainly meant for. It was not meant to EVADE answers to questions that you assume I did not like. Heck, I wouldn't waste my time writing anything if I did not want feed back. I take alot of what I get off these posts to work and to freinds to use because I value them so highly. So please, in the future talk to me and do not assume.
You have to understand that most equipment manuals DON'T have the best oil recommendation. It is often based on what the EPA wants, and what is easiest for the consumer. Up until recently Briggs recommended nothing but straight 30 and non synthetic oil. I think subaru or some other high end small engine company specifically says not to use synthetic, which is BS. The amount of oil knowledge on this board is far superior to anyone that ever wrote a Briggs manual. There are certain weights that are good for certain conditions. I certainly wouldn't use 15w40 in a brand new Honda snowblower when it's -20 degrees outside. But, in a worn out 5hp B&S in the middle of july in Texas, it's probably a good idea.
Yes, Rob I agree a lot with what others have said here, especially the part about manufacturers’ lube recommendations being somewhat suspect. The recommendation of a straight 30 by B&S is a pretty safe, almost idiot-proof recommendation ... but it is far from ideal, especially given the wide variety of applications their single and twin cylinder engines find themselves in.
The other HDEO benefits mentioned are a stouter additive package including more detergents, more barrier anti-wear additives and a more stable TBN that benefits equipment like emergency generators and pumps that are stored for long periods of time ... then suddenly used for extended intervals.
15W-40 starts off thinner at start-up. So, while not an ideal winter oil, would probably be better than a straight 30 weight in this regard.
Is 15w40 too thick for these motors? I don’t think so. It might put a touch more drag on them at speed and this might be evident in a marginal application ... but I don’t spec out equipment to be ‘marginal.’ I’ve never actually noticed any loss of power. Actually, it would not surprise me if we found that a straight 30 weight and a 15w40 HDEO were about the same thickness at 300+ degrees Fahrenheit. The thicknesses are not usually tested at high air-cooled sump temps.
If you use a 5w30 or 10w30 in one of these beasties for winter, fine, but be sure to change it frequently. PCMOs thin out quite quickly, even in light duty. As was stated earlier, Mobil 1 starts out on the thin side of each grade, anyway.
I suppose you could use a 10w30 version of Chevron Delo400. It’s probably a lot more shear stable than the equivalent weight of Chevron Supreme or any other 10w30 PCMO ... but good luck finding it.
Nearly everything I operate is done mostly in the summer ... except our old snowblower (10hp Tecumseh) and I’m finishing up my old stock of straight 40 in that thing. Starting it is not a problem as it is in a heated garage and has an electric starter. If I were running one of these small engines in the cold, I’d probably use one synthetic or another ... maybe even Mobil 1.
I’m using Schaeffer 15w40 synthetic blend in almost all of my equipment right now and it flows better at low temps than a mineral 10w30. No noticeable loss of power and the one UOA I did a year ago on a sample from my Honda tractor looked excellent. As an added benefit, I can see a lot of the motor through the filler cap and it looks as though it was assembled yesterday ... and not in 1996 like it actually was.
--- Bror Jace
The other HDEO benefits mentioned are a stouter additive package including more detergents, more barrier anti-wear additives and a more stable TBN that benefits equipment like emergency generators and pumps that are stored for long periods of time ... then suddenly used for extended intervals.
15W-40 starts off thinner at start-up. So, while not an ideal winter oil, would probably be better than a straight 30 weight in this regard.
Is 15w40 too thick for these motors? I don’t think so. It might put a touch more drag on them at speed and this might be evident in a marginal application ... but I don’t spec out equipment to be ‘marginal.’ I’ve never actually noticed any loss of power. Actually, it would not surprise me if we found that a straight 30 weight and a 15w40 HDEO were about the same thickness at 300+ degrees Fahrenheit. The thicknesses are not usually tested at high air-cooled sump temps.
If you use a 5w30 or 10w30 in one of these beasties for winter, fine, but be sure to change it frequently. PCMOs thin out quite quickly, even in light duty. As was stated earlier, Mobil 1 starts out on the thin side of each grade, anyway.
I suppose you could use a 10w30 version of Chevron Delo400. It’s probably a lot more shear stable than the equivalent weight of Chevron Supreme or any other 10w30 PCMO ... but good luck finding it.
Nearly everything I operate is done mostly in the summer ... except our old snowblower (10hp Tecumseh) and I’m finishing up my old stock of straight 40 in that thing. Starting it is not a problem as it is in a heated garage and has an electric starter. If I were running one of these small engines in the cold, I’d probably use one synthetic or another ... maybe even Mobil 1.
I’m using Schaeffer 15w40 synthetic blend in almost all of my equipment right now and it flows better at low temps than a mineral 10w30. No noticeable loss of power and the one UOA I did a year ago on a sample from my Honda tractor looked excellent. As an added benefit, I can see a lot of the motor through the filler cap and it looks as though it was assembled yesterday ... and not in 1996 like it actually was.
--- Bror Jace
I use old stock Mobil 0w30 Formula Extreme in a Honda and Briggs rider . They seem to like it . I've got about two more seasons worth of that oil then will start using Synergyn 30wt or maybe Mobil 0w-40 .
They idle at higher RPM when hot than with 40wt .
That one Briggs showed a better analysis with 10w30 Pennzoil and Synergyn additive than with a 15w40 HDEO at same hours " 8 " and ambient/usage if that helps .
They idle at higher RPM when hot than with 40wt .
That one Briggs showed a better analysis with 10w30 Pennzoil and Synergyn additive than with a 15w40 HDEO at same hours " 8 " and ambient/usage if that helps .
'bike, was that a UOA on this site?
--- Bror Jace
--- Bror Jace
I posted one of them . It's MIA now though for some reason
re: B&S engine oil requirements. Some years back I had a 12 hp Ariens snow-blower with a B&S engine and the recommened oil was 5W-20. It even came with a qt of B&S branded oil.
So the blanket statement that
[ November 30, 2004, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Mike ]
So the blanket statement that
is not correct. Equipment application varies as does oil viscosity needs. Straight 30 in a engine that operates at below 32° for most of its life is not a good choice as it will be like tar when its cold and very hard to pull over.
[ November 30, 2004, 10:46 AM: Message edited by: Mike ]
Rob, 15w40 won't cause more wear in the winter months. Truth is, it flows much better at cold temps than straight 30wt oil due to the 15w cold weather rating. That straight 30wt doesn't have a cold weather rating.
I've been running straight 40wt in my mower. It cranked over at 55F a couple weekends ago. If I need to cut the grass again this year, I'll just leave the mower out in the sun on one of those "warm" 50 degree days to absorb the sun's heat to aid in startup.
I've been running straight 40wt in my mower. It cranked over at 55F a couple weekends ago. If I need to cut the grass again this year, I'll just leave the mower out in the sun on one of those "warm" 50 degree days to absorb the sun's heat to aid in startup.
O.K., O.K.! You all have convinced me that 15w40 motor oil is perfectly alright to use in small engines. I will never claim to know even a fraction of what the knowledgable folks know on this site. Some are even experts in certain fields. My question now is: What 15w40 motor oil brand would be best for a 7 h.p. B&S L-Head?
Like Bror, I use the Schaeffer's 15w40 in my Honda Mower and my Briggs edger. Both seem to love it. By spec, it's really more like a 8W-40, so low temp pumpability is not an issue. I would think that Delo or Delvac would be just fine.
'bike, if you ever come across that UOA, please PM me a link.
Rob, I'm sticking with Schaeffer's PAO synthetic 15w40 for the foreseeable future. However, there are good mass market 15w40s out there as well.
Preferences? Well, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have said without reservation to go with Pennzoil Long Life 15w40. However, earlier this year, they took the nearly 200PPM of moly out of the formula.
The good news is Chevron has stepped in and the absolute newest versions of Chevron Delo400 have generous amounts of both moly and boron in the formula and these potent barrier anti-wear adds are one of the main benefits of this class of lubes for air-cooled engines.
Take a look in the "Virgin Oil Analysis" section of this forum for this new version of Delo.
--- Bror Jace
Rob, I'm sticking with Schaeffer's PAO synthetic 15w40 for the foreseeable future. However, there are good mass market 15w40s out there as well.
Preferences? Well, if you had asked me a year ago, I would have said without reservation to go with Pennzoil Long Life 15w40. However, earlier this year, they took the nearly 200PPM of moly out of the formula.
The good news is Chevron has stepped in and the absolute newest versions of Chevron Delo400 have generous amounts of both moly and boron in the formula and these potent barrier anti-wear adds are one of the main benefits of this class of lubes for air-cooled engines.
Take a look in the "Virgin Oil Analysis" section of this forum for this new version of Delo.
--- Bror Jace
Have you seen a CI-4+ LL virgin analysis?
No I haven't.
What am I missing?
--- Bror Jace
What am I missing?
--- Bror Jace
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