New Honda push mower

[vronline]

Absolutely... read your manual. Nobody recommends a 15w40 in their mower engines. It's pretty standard to use either 10w30 or straight 30w. The Honda dealers I've spoken with say that 30w will cut consumption, but I've never had a consumption issue using 10w30.

 

[Bill Kapaun]

"Nobody recommends a 15w40 in their mower engines."

Well, there's kind of a reason for that. When some manuals recommended 10W-40 or 20W-50 as an option, 15w40 wasn't available. If you wanted an xW-40, it was 10W-40 or 20w-40. When 15w40 became available, oil technology had improved enough that they just recommended 10w30.

 

[vronline]

OK, I can re-phrase it... Nobody (hardly anybody) recommends xW-40 oils for lawn mowers. Quite a few owner's manuals I have looked at specifically say not to use anything thicker than a 30w on the top end. I doubt it would hurt anything much, particularly in a warm/hot climate.

 

[75003]

The sticker on the mower engine says use 10w30 oil. The owners manual has a chart that 10w30 is for all temperatures, use 30wt. above 60degrees farenheit. fwiw.

 

[Bill Kapaun]

I have an 18+ year old "Masters". Back THEN, 10w30 was only good to 90F, with 10W-40, 20W-40 & 20W-50 for higher temps.
When they quit making the same mower (same engine) a couple? years ago, 10w30 was good for all temps. Just a matter of oil technology improving during that time span.
Try to find 20W-40 now. It's been superceded by 15w40 because of the technology.
I was working in a gas station when 10w30 was pretty new stuff! Compared to todays oils, that stuff was real #@$%!!