My buddy's dad restores antique cars and tractors for a living. I stopped over there the other day and he was rebuilding an old 23D Briggs and Stratton. Somehow we got talking about oil...
He said that it is important to run a non-detergent oil in a splash lubricated engine, because all of the metal particles settle to the bottom. If the engine is pressure lubed and has a filter, then using a detergent oil is okay because the particles are suspended in the oil and filtered out.
I've been working on small engines for around 10 years now, and have always used detergent oil. First Pennzoil and more recently Rotella. Any thoughts on this? I don't really see detergent oil causing more wear in a splash lubed engine, but it got me thinking.
He said that it is important to run a non-detergent oil in a splash lubricated engine, because all of the metal particles settle to the bottom. If the engine is pressure lubed and has a filter, then using a detergent oil is okay because the particles are suspended in the oil and filtered out.
I've been working on small engines for around 10 years now, and have always used detergent oil. First Pennzoil and more recently Rotella. Any thoughts on this? I don't really see detergent oil causing more wear in a splash lubed engine, but it got me thinking.