Kohler ok's SAE30 in Command Engines...your take?

[gd9704]

My John Deere tractor has a 15hp Command engine, and for 8 years I've been using 10w-30 as they reccomended. Now I find this:

Kohler bulletin

Now, if the temps are above 50 degrees F, they say testing show SAE 30 shows good results.....

What say the oil junkies here????

 

[Johnny]

It says you can, not that you have to. After 8-years of 10W-30 do you have any oil consumption?

 

[gd9704]

No, no oil consumption whatsoever....Occasionally I will have a loud lifter after a hot shutdown & restart. It goes away in a minute, but that's been the only concern I've ever had with the engine. It's been flawless otherwise.

 

[Johnny]

I believe I would stick with what you are doing. What 10W-30 do you use?

 

[gd9704]

I've always used plain, old Valvoline 10w-30. I put maybe 25-35 hours a year on the tractor, and the oil looks darn near new when changed at the end of the year. I use NAPA gold filters.

 

[Johnny]

How much oil does take when changing it?

 

[jorton]

Originally Posted By: gd9704
I've always used plain, old Valvoline 10w-30. I put maybe 25-35 hours a year on the tractor, and the oil looks darn near new when changed at the end of the year. I use NAPA gold filters.


Energy conserving oil is supposed to thin out a little more. Try a 10w-30 that's not ISLAC gf-4 certified, or 10w-40 this year.

 

[Steve S]

If the temps are ok for the viscosity the straight 30 is by far the superior oil all things equal.A HDEO would again be the better choice over a passenger car motor oil.

 

[gd9704]

I'm fairly new to the board and I never knew there were such differences in motor oils before!

The engine holds approx. 1.5 quarts.

I will pay more attention to what sort of oil I buy from now on.

While I've been trained since my youth about the importance of oil changes, I was also taught that "oil is oil."

I'm learning!

 

[Bror Jace]

gd9704, as I said in the other thread, you can do better than a straight 30 for most OPE (Outdoor Power Equipment).

It's funny that I used 50F as the temp cut-off ... which is the same number I used (my gut feeling).

Valvoline All-Climate has one of the weakest additive packages of the major brands of oils. This may not make a difference in a liquid-cooled automotive engine that is serviced every 3,000-4,000 miles ... but in an air cooled engine that sees spikes in temps, protection can be compromised.

I'd switch to Pennzoil, Havoline, one of the 'high-mileage' oils or any of the HDEOs ... Heavy Duty Engine Oils ... rated for gas AND diesel, often 5W-40 or 15W-40 but also available in straight 30 and (rarely) XW-30 weights.

Another good choice for OPE in cooler temps is "GC" (German-made Castrol Syntec 0W-30).

 

[Pete591]

Many of today's 10W-30 SM oils with low ZDDP are not meant for this engine or similiar engines and may be causing problems.

Oils like Amsoil 4-cycle SAE 30/10W-30 is stout and can be used with confidence as it has a hefty base and additive package.

My .02

 

[doitmyself]

Don't throw out the idea of using the Kohler branded 10W30 either, even if it does cost an extra $1 per quart.

If I recollect right, it is a SJ/HDEO oil which suggests a stout additive package. A number of professionals at lawnsite.com claim/imagine that their commercial Kohlers run quieter and better on the Kohler oil vs. other brands.

Despite other opinions, I don't quite trust the SM oils in air cooled engines.

 

[Bror Jace]

gd9704, do you do yearly oil and filter changes?

Because while I'll agree with Pete591 that the Amsoil 4-cycle 30/10W-30 would be a good choice, plenty of oils will be fine for 25-30 hours per year and dumping the oil (and filter) after such a short interval is kind of a waste.

I'd stick with a mineral oil ... and if you are getting zero consumption with 10W-30, I'd stick with it. So, which mineral 10W-30? I think an HDEO is about as good as you can do. Consider Pennzoil Long Life:

http://www.pennzoil.com/products/LongLife/index.html

or Shell Rotella 10W-30.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?site...tellamulti.html

These can be tricky to find in 10W-30 ... have Tractor & Supply stores near you? There's a chance there.

Otherwise I would use one of the "High Mileage" 10W-30s ... which will be easier to find. I like Havoline High Mileage, Pennzoil High Mileage or Valvoline Max-Life. These are a tad thicker than most 30 weights and have more anti-wear and detergent/dispersant additives.

I assume you change the filter each year? I think Wix filters are about as good as you can get ... but you can probably find Purolator filters for half the price and for an interval of 25-30 hours, your Kohler will never know the difference.

 

[kd5byb]

Interesting.

I have a 1994 John Deere with the 12.5HP Kolher Command and it has spent most of its life on 10W-30 (mostly Mobil 1, some Supertech syn). No issues at all.

Late last summer I changed the oil for some Rotella T Synthetic in 5W-40, No issues - maybe a little quieter? Maybe psychological?

Bottom line - my old Kohler does fine on whatever I feed it...

 

[Bror Jace]

kd5byb, nope, I don't think it's psychological. A thicker oil will run quieter ... and that's probably what you're experiencing.

 

[Brett Miller]

My 16hp Command runs nicely on Amsoil ASE.

 

[gd9704]

Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
gd9704, do you do yearly oil and filter changes?

Because while I'll agree with Pete591 that the Amsoil 4-cycle 30/10W-30 would be a good choice, plenty of oils will be fine for 25-30 hours per year and dumping the oil (and filter) after such a short interval is kind of a waste.

I'd stick with a mineral oil ... and if you are getting zero consumption with 10W-30, I'd stick with it. So, which mineral 10W-30? I think an HDEO is about as good as you can do. Consider Pennzoil Long Life:

http://www.pennzoil.com/products/LongLife/index.html

or Shell Rotella 10W-30.

http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?site...tellamulti.html

These can be tricky to find in 10W-30 ... have Tractor & Supply stores near you? There's a chance there.

Otherwise I would use one of the "High Mileage" 10W-30s ... which will be easier to find. I like Havoline High Mileage, Pennzoil High Mileage or Valvoline Max-Life. These are a tad thicker than most 30 weights and have more anti-wear and detergent/dispersant additives.

I assume you change the filter each year? I think Wix filters are about as good as you can get ... but you can probably find Purolator filters for half the price and for an interval of 25-30 hours, your Kohler will never know the difference.



Bror Jace,

Yep, this is a yearly change situation.

The Amsoil ASE looks like fantastic stuff, and I may get some for my Honda Genset (no filter), but I feel like it may be overkill for the Command engine.

I will look into the HD oils you've suggested, and see if they are locally available.

Perhaps a more HD oil will get rid of that occasional lifter noise.

 

[Bror Jace]

"Perhaps a more HD oil will get rid of that occasional lifter noise."

I think it's worth a shot. Lifter noises (a 'stuck' lifter) is usually cause by crud build-up in the lifter area restricting movement. My Dad had a stuck lifter in his 4.6L Ford. He changed the oil (Quaker State synthetic at the time) and the thing clicked 3-4 times when he first started it then stopped and never did it again. The detergency of the fresh oil was enough to unstick it and the problem never returned.

HDEOs having more detergents and dispersants will be better at this than most oils. Of course a 5W-30 synthetic should be excellent as well.

I'm for annual oil changes on OPE, so I tend not to use synthetics ... except for snowblowers or tractors kept in an unheated garage where you need the cold flow-ability.

 

[MolaKule]

Quote:

Kohler bulletin

Now, if the temps are above 50 degrees F, they say testing show SAE 30 shows good results.....


Yes, and Kohler sells it's own brand of 30 weight as well. Use a synthetic 10W30 and not worry about it.

 

[tamadrummer]

I have a Kohler Command 15 horse on my JD G15 walk behind. It actually states that you are supposed to run 30wt in it period.

Personally, I run Amsoil's formula 4 stroke- 10w30/30wt

You are given a different scope of oil for the temps being worked in but I stick with the 51348 wix filter and and the Amsoil oil. This engine should outlast me.

I have a friend with nothing but Kohler Command engines on his Dixie Choppers and they are running between 2500 and 4000 hours on them with dino oil. The 4k engine is looking at needing a cylinder rebuild but shoot that isn't bad for that many hours.