Old toro lawnmower help

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Hi guys, I just purchased an old toro lawnmower from a garage sale for $30cdn. it's my first gas and self propelled lawnmower. The lawn mower starts fine and runs well, the self propel works.

The tried searching what oil it uses but there are so many toro products. Seems the majority uses sae 30 oil.

Does that mean 0w30 can work?
 

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Yes a 0w30 will work but your old mower may burn thru it. So check it often. You can also use a 5w30 or 10w30. I use SAE 30 in mine when it's warm out only.
 
Congrats on the purchase. Since I use mine in cooler fall temps to bag leaves, I usually use a full synthetic 5W-30 for easier starts on the colder fall days. I wouldn’t hesitate to use a 0W-30, though, but like Warstud said, I’d keep an eye on consumption when it’s hot again next summer.
 
Hi guys, I just purchased an old toro lawnmower from a garage sale for $30cdn. it's my first gas and self propelled lawnmower. The lawn mower starts fine and runs well, the self propel works.

The tried searching what oil it uses but there are so many toro products. Seems the majority uses sae 30 oil.

Does that mean 0w30 can work?

It's going to depend on the engine. My father's old early 90's Toro called for 10W-30, but SAE30 could be used in hotter months. I think it had a GTS engine. Up until a few years ago, the Briggs and Stratton engines exclusively called for SAE30...

I wouldn't use 0W-30 syn in an older mower engine...
 
DO NOT use 0w-30 in it. Use either SAE 30 HD or synthetic 10w-30. That premium B&S engine was also used on their commercial 21" mowers, it replaced the Suzuki OHV engine. It uses splash lubrication which is sensitive to proper oil viscosity. That was a very expensive mower when it was new, a top-of-the-line homeowner model with blade clutch and the best drive system on the market. If you didn't get the mulching plug with it, purchase one, this mower is an outstanding mulcher, it mulches so well that I threw my bag away. Yours looks to be in excellent condition for it's age, you got a genuine bargain. If you take care of it you could get another 20 years out of it (but don't wash it, the "dirt doesn't hurt" and water will kill it).
 
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if you have 0w30 use it you will not hurt that engine !
i have used 0w30 in my mowers and snowblowers for years without issue .
My John deere push mower with the kawasaki fj150 engine doesn't burn a drop on the stuff.
 
DO NOT use 0w-30 in it. Use either SAE 30 HD or synthetic 10w-30. It uses splash lubrication which is sensitive to proper oil viscosity.
I think there's actually some truth to this. After I bought my snowblower I changed the oil, I put PP 5w30 in it..... thinking it would be best for cold weather. And within 5 minutes of running it.....it threw a rod. It is a Tecumseh splash lube engine.
 
Hi guys, I just purchased an old toro lawnmower from a garage sale for $30cdn. it's my first gas and self propelled lawnmower. The lawn mower starts fine and runs well, the self propel works.

The tried searching what oil it uses but there are so many toro products. Seems the majority uses sae 30 oil.

Does that mean 0w30 can work?
I wouldn't use 0w-30 in anything other than a snowblower. Expect higher oil consumption and a puff of smoke when you first start the engine. Go with SAE30.
 
I think there's actually some truth to this. After I bought my snowblower I changed the oil, I put PP 5w30 in it..... thinking it would be best for cold weather. And within 5 minutes of running it.....it threw a rod. It is a Tecumseh splash lube engine.
That really stinks man. I don't think changing from one 30 grade to another would have caused it though. Maybe it already had an issue? I have run 5W30 in all 3 of my Tecumseh powered MTD snow blowers their entire service lives. The two 10HP units are up front and I use the 8HP to clear the wood yard out back. The 8HP is about 20 years old, never been apart. In the early years, it was likely 5W30 Supertech conventional.
OPE's aren't typically picky on oil viscosity. It's more important to just have oil in it! I'm the small engine repair man when it comes to friends and family. My best friend gave me a Generac 2700 pressure washer because it "wouldn't run". There was only a few oz of oil in it! He told me to keep it as he already bought a new one. I changed the goo that came out and she fired on the first pull.
 
Regarding the OPs mower and 0W30 - it will run fine on that 30 grade oil. As many have said though, keep an eye on consumption.

In my experience for hard use, especially a mower in summer, you can't beat a 30HD. When I process wood in warmer months, the oil level in my splitter remains constant. I picked up a ton of Castrol SAE30 HD from Tractor supply on closeout for $1/qt last year. It's been working very well - right up there with my all time favorite Delo 400 SAE30 ($1/gal closeout in 2005/6!).
 
I think there's actually some truth to this. After I bought my snowblower I changed the oil, I put PP 5w30 in it..... thinking it would be best for cold weather. And within 5 minutes of running it.....it threw a rod. It is a Tecumseh splash lube engine.

(sorry in advance sidetracking a bit on the OP's thread)

I did some searching and saw your post from '14 discussing the Tecumseh rod issues. I'm thinking maybe I'm the lucky one!
I found a good post on a minibike forum describing the failure and why, from someone who appears to have a lot of experience with them.
Thought it would be insightful here.

Minibike Tecumseh
 
(sorry in advance sidetracking a bit on the OP's thread)

I did some searching and saw your post from '14 discussing the Tecumseh rod issues. I'm thinking maybe I'm the lucky one!
I found a good post on a minibike forum describing the failure and why, from someone who appears to have a lot of experience with them.
Thought it would be insightful here.

Minibike Tecumseh
The assertion that the rod crankshaft journal is lubricated by a hole through the rod that goes to the rod bolt is nonsense. If you look closely at the rod you will see that one side of the rod journal is chamfered and there is a slot on the top side of the rod to supply oil to the journal through the chamfer. To get more oil to the bearing surface, all that needs to be done is to widen the slot.
I reiterate, splash lubricated engines are sensitive to viscosity (as well as oil level and RPMs). I learned this at the manufacturer's service schools. They insisted that SAE30HD or 10w-30 be used in their engines, except in snow blowers where 5w-30 was recommended. They also insisted that when any multi-weight oil is used that the oil level be checked at each refueling and changed at least once a homeowner season. In Texas, I always put SAE30 in my customer's machines, except for generators where I used 10w-30. We didn't see any snow blowers, but I would use synthetic 5w-30 in them if I serviced them.
 
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Thanks for the help and replies! I'll just use 10w30 as I have a few litres on the shelf.

Is this engine a ohv design? There is a lawnmower sae30 oil at Canadian tire that says use on none ohv configuration, not suitable for 2 cycle engine.
 
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