Oil Recommendation for Honda EU2000i Generator

[Colin_Southern]

Hi folks, I have a Honda EU2000i portable generator that I keep for emergency use. I change the oil in it at this time of year every year (or more frequently if it's been used for quite a few hours). The official book says to use a 10W-30 oil - and I have been - but now I can't get it. I'm good at quite a few things - but understanding the practical implications of oil numbers isn't one of them; hence this "cry for help". Call it an excessive/compulsive thing but I want to use the best oil possible in it - it only uses about 400ml so we're not talking big dollars anyway. Here in NZ we don't have the access to the same brands as many overseas but I can get Mobil 1 - which seems to have a good reputation. Here in NZ I can get Mobil one in: 10W-40 5W-30 5W-50 5W-30 ESP Can someone please tell me which one I should use? - I did a lot of "Googling" ... and came away more confused than ever. If it helps, the temperature here in NZ is nothing extreme; a few frosts in winter (probably the coldest that I'd ever be starting them - if then) - and nothing overly hot in summer (not much over 30 dec C). Many thanks in advance. Cheers, Colin

 

[Kamele0N]

You have mild winters there...use 15w40 HDEO.....or just anything in sae40...its an aircooled OPE so you need oil with high HTHS MB229.5...BMW LL01....

 

[Audios]

Anything you listed would work, although I think the ESP is overkill. If youre not running extended intervals, any name brand, quality oil will work, whatever fits your budget. Shell Rotella T5 comes in 10/30, do you get that?

 

[Tkonrr]

Your Honda gx series engine is ultra durable. I use 10w-40 in my EU1000i Honda generator and 10w-40 in my Honda tiller with a gx series engine it. They run very hot after extended use, which is why I feel better bumping up the oil weight a grade. Much more important for your EU2000i generator is the fuel. Keep it fresh with fuel stabilizer and check the oil level each time you refuel. Great choice for emergency power.

 

[ad244]

Whatever the cheapest 10w-30 is.

 

[tig1]

Last month my son bought a Honda like yours and we put M1 10-30 in.

 

[nascarnation]

I've seen reports of these rigs lasting 15,000 hours (where they're used in off the grid RVs so they run continuously) and nothing special as far as oil quality. So in your application the lubricated parts are probably good for a lifetime on any well regarded brand.

 

[Sjc3081]

I spoke to NYC street food cart operator, he runs his EU 2000 16 hours a day. He started he changes his oil weekly. He didn't specifically state which oil he uses.

 

[tundraotto]

I'd stick a synthetic 5W-40 HDEO (if ever cold operation) or a 15W-40 HDEO in there. Good for long running and long OCI.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted by Tkonrr

Your Honda gx series engine is ultra durable. I use 10w-40 in my EU1000i Honda generator and 10w-40 in my Honda tiller with a gx series engine it. They run very hot after extended use, which is why I feel better bumping up the oil weight a grade. Much more important for your EU2000i generator is the fuel. Keep it fresh with fuel stabilizer and check the oil level each time you refuel. Great choice for emergency power.

Good advice on the fuel. Honda OPE could care less about oil, but fuel is critical. Don't know about ethanol in your part of the world, but Honda doesn't like it. Stabil or similar and exercise it monthly to run fresh gas in the carb.

 

[Astro_Guy]

I am having a hard time understanding how you cannot get 10w-30 oil. That being said, I would add 5w-40 to your list of possibilities. This is what I run in my generators in a climate more extreme than yours.

 

[Colin_Southern]

Thanks folks - I'm more confused than ever, but now on a much higher level! OK - 3 choices. Which would be better? - Mobil One 0W-40 - Mobil One 5W-50 - Mobil One 5W-30 ESP

 

[JHZR2]

I know it's not an option for OP, but for us in the states, Amsoil ACD 10w-30, if you can get it.. For OP, I'd try to find a 10w-30 or 15w-40. But from your later list, I'd vote for M1 0w-40 as it's pretty stout and if it shears down it will be a stable 30wt.

 

[spasm3]

I ran mine a few hours for break-in on some 10w 30 i had in the garage, then amsoil HDD ( heavy duty diesel) 5w30. I've run it about 8hrs since then, so i'm going to a 2nd oil change this time with amsoil AME 15w40 since our winters are not that cold, usually above 0 F. The Amsoil AME has a tbn of 12.1 so i will leave it in a couple of years or 50hrs, which ever comes first.

 

[tundraotto]

Originally Posted by Colin_Southern

Thanks folks - I'm more confused than ever, but now on a much higher level! OK - 3 choices. Which would be better? - Mobil One 0W-40 - Mobil One 5W-50 - Mobil One 5W-30 ESP

How many hours a year do you run it? Just to give us an idea of how much - if at all - price matters.

 

[Colin_Southern]

Originally Posted by tundraotto

Originally Posted by Colin_Southern

Thanks folks - I'm more confused than ever, but now on a much higher level! OK - 3 choices. Which would be better? - Mobil One 0W-40 - Mobil One 5W-50 - Mobil One 5W-30 ESP

How many hours a year do you run it? Just to give us an idea of how much - if at all - price matters.

These days they (I actually have 2 of them) are kept just for emergencies - so I don't know in advance whether the following year will require them to not run at all or to run for days on end if there's a natural disaster. They only take (off memory) about 400ml - so I really don't care if it comes to "$35" instead of "$25". I really do appreciate people taking the time to reply, but I'm not kidding when I say I'm now more confused than ever; things like "use 15w40 HDEO.....or just anything in sae40...its an aircooled OPE so you need oil with high HTHS MB229.5...BMW LL01...." may as well be written in a foreign language (if it isn't already). Bottom line for me is "book says 10W-30" but I can't seem to find that - and I don't know the implications of going "up" or "down" from those numbers - nor the multitude of other options ("ESP" - "New Engine formula" etc). Looking around online there appear to be literally hundreds of different types of oil; about all I've been able to ascertain so far is "synthetic is better than mineral" and "Mobil 1 probably has the best reputation from those I can source here in NZ" but other than that I'm still lost. This is what I have to choose from: https://alliedlubricants.co.nz/online-store/1-litre-packs/ I see things like: 0W-40 and think (that appears to be quite a bit "wider" range than the 10W-30 that the book say). And then 5W-30 ... getting close, but it says it's a "New Vehicle Formula" ... what are the implications of that for an engine that's probably 10 years old now? There's a 5W-50 ... someone mentioned the engines run hot and thus I conclude that I'm "better off with a higher last number" ... and yet the manufacturer seemed to think something ending in "30" was OK ... so I ask myself why they wouldn't have specified something ending in "40" or "50" if that was beneficial to the engine? Then there's a 5W-30 - again - pretty close, but is the "30" enough if they're hot running as someone mentioned?

 

[dnewton3]

The owner's manual states either 30 grade, 10w-30, or 5w-30. SJ or later (which is pretty wide for the spec range). There have been a LOT of lube improvements since SJ. I, too, don't understand how you can get all the other grades, but not 10w-30. But whatever ... It sounds to me like this pretty much never gets used, and if it were used, it would only be for a temporary time perhaps up to several hours. In that case, frankly, the oil grade probably does not matter as long as you're "close to" the preferred spec. In fact, if it does not get too cold there, why not just use a mono-30 grade if you cannot get multi-grade 10w-30? The only real risk with a thinner lube is that may experience some volatility a tiny fraction more than a thicker lube, but frankly if the unit is only going to run infrequently, you'll end up changing oil long before the LOS function would intervene anyway. Honestly, if the engine is like pretty much most other well-made Japanese products, the grade choices you mention won't matter. You're overthinking this. This reminds me of the angst some folks have when talking about oil in their Kubota small tractors ... It matters to your brain far, far more than it does to the engine. Side note: How old is your genny? If it's older, have you changed the timing belt? That's probably a far greater risk of stopping your Honda than what oil grade you choose. The timing belt in these units is a wet-belt design. Age and oil impregnation are an issue with this design.

 

[Kamele0N]

Keep it simple In an aircooled engine you dont want oil with spread to wide.... Like 0w40 or 5w50...0w30.... That will only contribute to higher oil consumption (except IF you are living somewhere way up on the north) and your generator will fail if not equiped with low oil kill switch (or if that switch fails) BUT what you want is a robust oil....with higher HTHS...and you wont find that in any ILSAC/GF5 oil...especially not in sae20&sae30 grades (ACEA oils are exception here) So thats the reason behind my statement above HTHS 3.5 and up.... PCMOs...ACEA A3/B4/C3/C4.... MB 229.5/51/52...BMW LL-01/LL-04....Vw504/507 grades from 5w40 5w30 10w40 HDEOs...ACEA E4/E7 or E6/E9 usually 10w40 or 15w40 Dont know why Americans put ILSAC oils in everything...especially those thin 0w20 (plus turbo engine)....I find it funny sometimes

 

[Eddie]

If HONDA spects 10w30 then I'd use Mobil 1 in 10w30. Ed

 

[Astro_Guy]

Originally Posted by Colin_Southern

OK - 3 choices. Which would be better? - Mobil One 0W-40 - Mobil One 5W-50 - Mobil One 5W-30 ESP

Given only those three choices, I would favor the 0w-40 (HTHS 3.6) or the 5w-30 ESP (HTHS 3.5) and just forget about the 5w-50. A high temperature high shear (HTHS) viscosity of 3.5 or higher is what you want for this application. The only time to consider 5w-50 would be when running for extended periods under high load at temperatures above 40C. The operating temperature of air cooled engines is some fixed number of degrees above ambient air, for all intents and purposes. You want your oil to behave like SAE 30 at the actual operating temperature. Having a HTHS viscosity of 3.5 to 4 should more or less guarantee that performance.