4WD
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T6 will do fine. I run Delvac 1 5w40 in my gens … but have to watch for it to come on sale as it’s not a cheap oil.
Delo 10w30 is a thicker 30 and in my 19 HP lawn tractor now …
Oil choice for larger Generac generator...
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Delo 10w30 is a thicker 30 and in my 19 HP lawn tractor now …
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Just for clarity … it’s the European Formula that’s only $23 at Walmart despite being A40 approved (and other).I did some research on the M1 0w-40 and it doesn't seem cheap or readily available around here. I'll keep looking.
ESP is the more expensive oil …
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I have a 16k Generac (LP fueled) and I use M1 0-40. I do a single oil change every fall and new oil filter at the same time.
I have a 16 KWh Generac mounted on a pad and hard wired into the panel on my home. Mine is also hooked up to the propane tank for fuel. The manual says to use a synthetic 5W-30 oil.
It does a self test every other week for 10 minutes and about the longest it has run when the power went out and it automatically kicked in was for 2 hours. So it doesn't accumulate a lot of run time.
I think the capacity is only a couple of quarts. The house was built in 2018 and I moved in a year ago.It probably has the original oil in it still so I plan on doing an oil & filter change by October. A 5 quart jug of Castrol Edge should be good for the next couple of seasons.
It does a self test every other week for 10 minutes and about the longest it has run when the power went out and it automatically kicked in was for 2 hours. So it doesn't accumulate a lot of run time.
I think the capacity is only a couple of quarts. The house was built in 2018 and I moved in a year ago.It probably has the original oil in it still so I plan on doing an oil & filter change by October. A 5 quart jug of Castrol Edge should be good for the next couple of seasons.
Run 0w16 so you get the best fuel consumption possible. Or you could just use whatever oil you want that it specs and never worry about it because you will never use it enough to make a difference.
When I looked last night, the M1 0W-40 was showing on Walmart for like $14.50/qt...but looking again I see the there are different flavors of it. I do see now they have the 5 quart jugs of the "European Formula". I also looked up the T6, but I was only finding it online in 10W-30, 5W-40, or 15W-40. I did finally locate the 5W-30 T6, but it's twice as much as the 5W-40. If 0W-40 is suggested, is there any reason 5W-40 T6 wouldn't suffice?
0w16, in an air cooled generator? Even though it has an oil cooler, i'd never suggest this.
If you've got a Walmart nearby, it's both cheap and available. About $23 for a 5QT jug.I did some research on the M1 0w-40 and it doesn't seem cheap or readily available around here. I'll keep looking.
It's on the thinner side of a -40, and meets a lot of long-drain specifications. It's a good product.
My main concern is longevity of the engine. I may not run it for tons of hours, but since I've had it we've had several situations where we had no power for more than a day. I have well water so no power means no water and it's been a lifesaver. I just try to not run it constantly because it drinks gas like it's going out of style. I just get my two refrigerators and chest freezer back down to temp, and use the water as needed before I shut it back down. It generally runs in 2-4 hour intervals. I also try to make sure to remove load and turn on idle control so it idles for a few minutes before shutting it down.
Cheap 10w30 or 10w40 is going to give it enough life to most likely outlast anything else on the unit. It doesn’t matter what magical unicorn pee you use in a stock unit. The most important thing is maintaining the level properly and changing it once in a while.
I realize this, but since it's the first change on something I would like to last for a while and it was a significant investment, I thought I'd ask here for the best choice for an oil that would be used year round, and through greatly varying temperatures. I'm not looking for some magical oil that will reduce wear to nothing, just some advice from others in similar circumstances.
You already have that oil, Pennzoil 5W-30. But as others have pointed out, M1 0W-40 is a stout, Air-Cooled-Porsche-Approved oil at a very reasonable price at Wally's. That, or any 5W-40 HDEO for your climate. The frame of your generator will rust before you experience any oil related issues with the afformentioned products.
Thanks. I was just holding off on the PP as my research suggested it wasn't ideal for a air cooled engine like the generator runs. I asked earlier, but is there any difference in additive packages on the HMPP that would be better for this application? I have a jug I bought in error not realizing the packaging difference, so I was going to use it up. I've ordered the Rotella T6 5W-40 so I'll hold off until that arrives and probably just keep the PP for the cars. Thanks guys for the information.
One last question guys. I've been having a conversation on this topic with a friend, and he warned me about the Rotella because of it lacking detergent? I'm now somewhat confused. I've also read about diesel oil like Rotella have MORE detergent than normal automotive oils. Is this something I should be concerned about?
Rotella has plenty of detergent.
Ok, thanks guys.
VOA here of T-6 5w40, you can see the calcium is 1845
Three high-ZDDP 40-weights
Note: I will post each of these in its own thread with the oil type and date in the title so that it will be easier to find with the site's search engine... but I also wanted to post all three in a single thread for comparison's sake. The oils are: Rotella T6 CK-4 5w40, Redline 0w40, Royal...
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