Milkyness??

[exranger06]

I have a 1991 Toro Wheel Horse 312-8 with Kohler Magnum 12 engine. It has 690 hrs on it and has had HD30 it's entire life. I just switched to a mix of M1 10w-30 and Formula Shell Full-syn 10w-30, mostly because I had the oil hanging around and I needed to use it in something. Also wanted a multi-viscosity since it's getting colder around here. The mix is 2 qts M1, 1/2 qt Shell.

I used the tractor twice since and as I was checking the oil tonight, the oil looked kind of milky with streaks in it. Almost as if there was coolant in it, but this is an air-cooled engine. Could the two oils just not be compatible with each other? I'm a little worried because I want this tractor to last another 40+ years and don't want to replace the engine already.

 

[MN Driver]

Have you had the tractor in storage for awhile by chance? It sounds to me like you are seeing a little bit of moisture, possibly from heavy condensation. Usually it burns off when you've been running the engine long enough to get it up to temperature to boil off/evaporate the water.

 

[ARB1977]

Originally Posted By: MN Driver
Have you had the tractor in storage for awhile by chance? It sounds to me like you are seeing a little bit of moisture, possibly from heavy condensation. Usually it burns off when you've been running the engine long enough to get it up to temperature to boil off/evaporate the water.

X2.

 

[demarpaint]

I had the same problem with the snow blower last winter, not much snow here. A 30 minute run cleared that problem up, its condensation and needs a good long run.

Frank D

 

[exranger06]

Hmm, I didn't give that any thought before because the tractor is usually run for a few hours at full throttle, so it pretty much always gets up to temperature. However, this last time I only used for less than an hour so maybe it didn't get up to full temp. Thanks guys!

 

[Jeepster_nut]

I see the same in my 1989 310-8. Cast Iron takes longer to heat up.

 

[boraticus]

An air cooled engine under no load should be easily up to operating temperature in a matter of minutes. I've noticed however that even a hot engine will have a bit of condensation in the dip stick tube. You might be picking up a bit of moisture as you draw the dip stick out.