Lawnmower Oil ?

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I doubt it will cause any issues, lawnmowers are usually replaced long before they see the end of their life due to lubrication choice.

I put 15w40 in my 19hp craftsman rider this season, seems to be running just fine.
 
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I have M1 0W-40 in my 160 Honda, starts first pull, runs great, uses no oil...
 
I'm using it in the B&S on my Craftsman push mower without any problem. I use it in my old truck and didn't feel like buying separate oil.
 
Originally Posted By: TFB1
I have M1 0W-40 in my 160 Honda, starts first pull, runs great, uses no oil...

M1 0W-40 is considerably lighter than T6 5W-40.
In fact M1 will be lighter on start-up even on a hot summer day than a straight 30wt oil.
Having said that, as mentioned no harm will come from running the T6, it's just heavier than necessary and will rob some power.
 
I read another thread that said HDEO would prob be best for a mower engine and they didn't have T6 in a 30 weight only T1, I watned to use a synthetic
 
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Use the 5w30 that you have , for the amount of hours the average homeowner puts on a mower in a year using 5w30 or even 5w20 the mower will fall apart before you kill the engine. Now commercial use is a different story.
 
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Anyone know how much oil comes out? I'm nervous about over filling it, I drained it and I think it's showing up on the dipstick ok and it took about 13 oz. Not sure if I should add more or not. Also this is the first oil change ive done on this (or any) lawnmower and I've owned it 3 seasons. Should I run it a few minutes and drain/fill again or should just the once be ok?
 
One drain & fill will be OK, but when filling via the dipstick tube, I always wait awhile (hour) after filling it to what I think it needs to be sure. The dipstick tube can catch & hold oil and fool you into over filling or under filling.
 
I could never remember how much oil to fill on my hand-me-down mower. Then one oil change, I underfilled, then kept topping off until it was full on the dipstick. I wrote down that capacity next to the dipstick.
 
Check the owners manual or online for capacity... Also the Honda oil is measured with the dipstick setting on top of the threads, not screwed back in place, again check but that's the method on the ones I've seen...

Don't worry about oil hanging in the filler tube, doesn't happen on the Hondas, was a slight problem on the 70s-80s B&S engines...
 
As per my honda manual, 5w30 ,10w30, from 10 to 100 degrees, refill amount 12 to 13.5 oz, as stated in prior post check without screwing dip stick in just seat in fill hole.
 
Originally Posted By: Scotty1981
Anyone know how much oil comes out? I'm nervous about over filling it, I drained it and I think it's showing up on the dipstick ok and it took about 13 oz. Not sure if I should add more or not. Also this is the first oil change ive done on this (or any) lawnmower and I've owned it 3 seasons. Should I run it a few minutes and drain/fill again or should just the once be ok?


I just changed the oil on a Honda GCV 190 which has the same oil capacity I think. It took 13 oz on the dot to fill to the top of the line. FWIW, I put in Mobile EP 5w 30w because I had some laying around. I also just changed the oil in a 16 horse Briggs with Rotella 15w 40. I dont see a problem using either. I have used all kinds of oils in small engines over the years and never had a problem with any of them.
 
2006 8.0hp intek snow; qsud 0w-20

1991 12.5hp vanguard v-twin; sureguard synblend 5w-30/ qs3614 oversize

2006 3.75hp b&s spirit(21"mower); grocery store hd30wt

1992 5.5hp b$s gts (toro recycler); pyb sae 30wt api.SN

1978 14hp kohler k-321as (case 224); wolfshead synblend 15w-40

1982 3.5hp b&s (22" mower); klotz 25w-60 v-twin

1968 honda E40II 21.2cc 117vAC+40watt generator (used as laptop carger and lightplant for pickup camper); ams 30/10w-30 dheo syn oil

honda gc160/2400watt continues w- 6and12volt change and start: had 6oz of qsud 0w-20 and topped off with about 7-8oz's wolfshead synblend 15w-40


kc
 
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1978 14hp kohler k-321as (case 224); wolfshead synblend 15w-40


I dont mean to hijack this mans thread but I have a K301 Kohler that has me wondering if Shell Rotella 15w 40w would be ok for. Not synthetic. My engine is a 1982 year model and they specifically say that straight 30w is best. Now, a lot has changed over the years. Just curious how long you have been running this in your K series.
 
I run 40wt in all my OPE personally. 30wt is probably the best (straight 30). Any multigrade 40 probably shears down a bit to be basically a 30wt anyhow.

I've had a bad experience with 5W-30 myself, if you get cheap 5W-30 it might shear down like a boss (lawnmowers run seriously hot and can be pretty intense on the oil!).

Rugged 15W-40 HDEO is easy for me to come across. 10W-30 I've used aswell with great results. I used 0W-40 in my snowblower because it was the best cold-performance oil I had at the time.

As for what the manual calls for...my Tecumseh lawnmower makes mean arguements against 40 weights and I run it anyhow. I *had* a Kohler mower that I ran 40 in briefly before it was sold and nothing exploded.

Considering most people basically never change the oil in their OPE properly, as log as its slippery you're probably fine :p
 
I use whatever oil I have hanging around the garage in my Honda GCV160. I've used SAE 30, 10w-30 conventional, 5w-40 synthetic, and currently have 10w-30 synthetic in it. These engines simply DO NOT CARE what oil you have in it. It'll run fine and last forever on pretty much any kind of oil.
 
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