New engine oil question

A

ArkansasDave

Joined
Apr 24, 2011
Messages
57
Location
Arkansas River Valley
I had a question for everyone I recently ordered a new piece of equipment with a
Kohler command pro 14 hp engine on it and was planning to run the Kohler full synthetic
10w50 oil after the break in. My question is what would be a good oil for break in? and how
long should I run this oil? Also would there be a better oil to run long term after break in?
I am not planning on running it the 300 hrs as listed but probably 100 or less per change
on the full synthetic. It will be running long periods at high rpms so I want to take the best
care of it I can. It doesn't hold much oil so I want to go with the best stuff I can put in within
reason. thanks everyone

Arkansas Dave
 
What ever oil you decide to use. The engine is a low out put engine ,low pressure and rpm engine the only issue if any would be the heat and your oil change interval covers that well. Do you need the 10w part for the starting temps?
 
Last edited:
wpod said:
What ever oil you decide to use. The engine is a low out put engine ,low pressure and rpm engine the only issue if any would be the heat and your oil change interval covers that well. Do you need the 10w part for the starting temps?
Click to expand...
No I just wanted the 50 w for heat protection and didn't see it in any other weights

Dave
 
ArkansasDave said:
probably 32F I am breaking it in with the 10w30 then switching to the full synthetic kohler 10w50 after a few
changes.

Dave
Click to expand...
FWIW I’m running 5w40 Farm and Fleet synthetic HDEO in my 15hp Kohler engine on a Deere LT150. I’ve experimented with 10w30 in both M1 and Super Tech HM. I think the 5w40 is the best choice for me. In your environment maybe a 15w40 synthetic HDEO.

Just my $0.02
 
I believe someone had a near identical question like yours recently with the a similar kohler engine, 10w-50 oil, and 300hr rating. I believe it ended with just using regular 15w-40 HDEO that you can get for $11-13 a gallon and change it a sooner like every 200 hours even thought the volvo vds 4.5 certification means it's supposed to endure 360 hours in their testing conditions. But 200 hours on a cheap 15w-40 is more than enough since that engine doesn't have an oil filter so it'll just keep sucking contaminants in and not filter it. Better to change a more frequently. I doubt the 4.1-4.2 hths of a 15w-40 is not good enough for it. And most have a kv100 of <15 so it should be a bit more efficient than a 50 grade without any real protection sacrifice.
 
Will the 15w40 affect my kohler warranty since they recommend 10w30 or 10w50 for the
temp range I will use it in? I like 15w40 I have used it in allot of different equipment. I used
to run it in a fleet of 35 trucks with no issues.

Dave
 
ArkansasDave said:
Will the 15w40 affect my kohler warranty since they recommend 10w30 or 10w50 for the
temp range I will use it in? I like 15w40 I have used it in allot of different equipment. I used
to run it in a fleet of 35 trucks with no issues.

Dave
Click to expand...
No, using 15w40 will not impact the warranty.

I've had to warranty new engines for customers, the only oil-related questions I've had have been regarding if the engine was run out of oil or low on oil. Never on oil used or brand.
 
jeepman3071 said:
No, using 15w40 will not impact the warranty.

I've had to warranty new engines for customers, the only oil-related questions I've had have been regarding if the engine was run out of oil or low on oil. Never on oil used or brand.
Click to expand...
Plus no appropriately rated oil with a higher HT/HS is going to damage the engine. It will protect better under a wider range of operating conditions.
 
I topped off the new engine with some Valvoline VR1 10w30 high zinc this morning and
started the break in on it. I ran it for 1 hour on the hour meter and ground out 5 stumps
with the machine. I give it a good clean up and put it up until the next weekend I have
about 33 more stumps to go so it should get broke in well. Something odd about the
oil was the owners manual said like 1.1 or 1.2 something like that and it it wouldn't even
hold a whole quart just 90 percent of a quart. But I did notice even though it said the
engine was dry of oil the dipstick had oil on it when I pulled it out initially like there was
some residual oil in the crankcase and when I tilted it assembling the machine it got on
the dipstick. Not sure but it was at the top of the cross hatches on the stick before I
fired it off and I could see the oil in the hole at the base of the engine. It ran like a champ
and started the first time every time. So I had purchased 3 quarts so if it only takes 1
then I have 2 more oil changes already on hand.

Dave
 
I ran the engine 1 hour last weekend and almost an hour today. So far the oil is clear and clean
I plan to run it for an hour or more tomorrow. At 5 hours it says to change it so that's the plan.

Dave
 
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