Moms 3000 psi Simpson pressure washer with a Honda clone. Had been sitting up for a while with old gas and only ran on choke. Tore apart the carb and threw it in my new ultrasonic cleaner with water and simple green. Runs like a champ now. Also put a new NGK plug and some Napa 15W40
Post your latest small engine oil change
- Thread starter greenaccord02
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- Jul 3, 2025
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- 113
HF predator 3500 super quiet generator a few months ago. I changed the oil out and one more time.
Out 10w30 synthetic blend diesel engine oil.
In Yamalube 10w30! I knew I bought this quart marked down to $3 for some reason. This weekend I dropped off the generator to a close friends house as we are in Northern Michigan and can run his pellet stove or a trying else with it. They already had the power go out in a nasty winter wind storm with a kid on the way so he's welcome to it! I have no room for it where I currently rent.
Out 10w30 synthetic blend diesel engine oil.
In Yamalube 10w30! I knew I bought this quart marked down to $3 for some reason. This weekend I dropped off the generator to a close friends house as we are in Northern Michigan and can run his pellet stove or a trying else with it. They already had the power go out in a nasty winter wind storm with a kid on the way so he's welcome to it! I have no room for it where I currently rent.
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- Jul 3, 2025
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I felt guilty about still having rotella 15w40 T5 in my 1999 Honda Fourtrax 300 with the cold temps. It is MA2 wet clutch rated.
I warmed it up good, dropped the oil and filled it with 10w30 kawasaki ma2 small engine oil! $7 a quart, takes two. I was surprised how difficult it was to find 10w30 wet clutch rated oil in stores in Michigan. I picked this oil up at a farm and fleet store.
Once it's over 50 degrees I will change the oil out for 10w40 valvoline atv I imagine!
10w40 doesn't flow too badly in cold, but found 10w30 wet clutch oil fairly cheap and will change it out when it warms up again.
I warmed it up good, dropped the oil and filled it with 10w30 kawasaki ma2 small engine oil! $7 a quart, takes two. I was surprised how difficult it was to find 10w30 wet clutch rated oil in stores in Michigan. I picked this oil up at a farm and fleet store.
Once it's over 50 degrees I will change the oil out for 10w40 valvoline atv I imagine!
10w40 doesn't flow too badly in cold, but found 10w30 wet clutch oil fairly cheap and will change it out when it warms up again.
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How many hours do you have on the generator?
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17 hours. It's a big thing with these generators to break them in when new and immediately drain the oil at 20 or 30 minutes. There's lots of metal shavings and debris (said to be normal) from break in and these don't use an oil filter. So I had changed it earlier on, and the last time I changed it twice because I could still actually see debris. I left the drain plug out, and poured some oil in the fill tube as well to try to flush them out in addition!
People generally get thousands of hours on these with a few silly issues in between. Make sure to use ethanol free fuel and or stabilizer because these carbs due gum up badly otherwise! And run minimum once every 90 days to charge the starting battery.
Run a generator with a medium load, like a shop heater or similar. Gets the engine up to temperature, excites the stator, and actually tests it completely so that there’s no surprises when it’s actually needed. Use a stabilizer regularly with the stored gas. Non-e isn’t available to everyone anymore.
When finished drain the carburetor…easy on any Honda engine. Stalling by shutting the fuel off still leaves 2 or 3 tbls which will gum the carburetor eventually.
Below are my Reds on an exercise day
When finished drain the carburetor…easy on any Honda engine. Stalling by shutting the fuel off still leaves 2 or 3 tbls which will gum the carburetor eventually.
Below are my Reds on an exercise day
Right on with the space heater load to fully op test the genny! It’s how I break mine in and do the maintenance runs.
I've had the same genrator since 2018 but have only managed to put 79 hours on it. I did the initial change at about three hours, another at 28 hours and another quite recently at 78 hours. The last change was via topside extraction so I plan to do a full drain the next time the machine gets an exercise run. I like to exercise it against the target loads at least one hour every calendar quarter. That means connecting it to the house with its 10 circuit manual transfer switch.
Fuel is always E0. The first two oil fills were Mobil 1 Extended Performance 10w30. I figured that it was their best oil at the time. The 50 hour interval was 5w-40 RT6. The last change was Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w30. I am probably going back to that oil for all of my numerous pieces of OPE just to simplify things. The only piece of equipment I have that doesn't call for 10w-30 is the snowblower. That lives in an attached garage so I doubt moving up from 5w-30 will matter.
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Predator 3500 imverter generator. 79 total hours on the machine. I did a topside extraction change in late November. Today I ran it a full hour connected to our transfer switch powering the target loads. Most of what came out had only one hour of runtime. The final bits that came out were very dark indeed.
Out: 20 ounces Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w30
In: same
I still run high mileage oil from back in the day when Mobil published HTHS viscosity. Back then the MH version had a 3.5 HTHS. Who knows what it is now.
Out: 20 ounces Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w30
In: same
I still run high mileage oil from back in the day when Mobil published HTHS viscosity. Back then the MH version had a 3.5 HTHS. Who knows what it is now.
I liked when you could still get non resource conserving High Mileage oils. I used to like Quaker State high mileage/defy. Fortunately you can still get higher hths 30wt oils in hdeo and euro offerings. How much of the old Mobil 1 do you have?
None - this is recent stuff.
Oh ok, I must've misinterpreted your post. I thought you meant you were running a stash of older Mobil 1 high mileage
I just bought a new 26” snowblower w/252cc engine. I put in the 20 oz bottle of synthetic 5w30 that was provided, ran the blower, cleared the snow from my driveway and changed the oil immediately after. Then again putting in ~19 oz more synthetic 5W30. I will change the oil again soon and then again at the end of winter. After that, once per year OCI should be good’nuff!
Any pictures of that snowblower available?
I got snowed in for three nights in Rochester back in the '90s for what was supposed to be am in/out luncheon presentation.
Well, the snowblower is a PowerSmart 26” that looks like any 26” blower. I paid $599 + tax & free shipping.
I waited 2 weeks to get it but it was a good deal.
https://powersmartusa.com/products/...MIyt-r28z6kQMVM11HAR04qS0vEAQYASABEgJE1fD_BwE
I waited 2 weeks to get it but it was a good deal.
https://powersmartusa.com/products/...MIyt-r28z6kQMVM11HAR04qS0vEAQYASABEgJE1fD_BwE
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old buddy of mine, who admits he does not take care of his stuff. The Briggs powered edger had been sitting for 3 years, look at the flywheel 
cleaned that out, put some Napa 20W50 and a freshly oiled Briggs air filter and threw the carb in my ultrasonic. Cranked up first pull, runs great
The Champion generator had been sitting for a year, threw the carb in my ultrasonic also, put in some Napa 20W50, cranked first pull and runs great but is leaking from the fuel solenoid on the carb bowl. Ill have to find an o-ring
Anything I fix or service that gets abused, now gets the cheapest 15W40 or 20W50 I can find
cleaned that out, put some Napa 20W50 and a freshly oiled Briggs air filter and threw the carb in my ultrasonic. Cranked up first pull, runs greatThe Champion generator had been sitting for a year, threw the carb in my ultrasonic also, put in some Napa 20W50, cranked first pull and runs great but is leaking from the fuel solenoid on the carb bowl. Ill have to find an o-ring
Anything I fix or service that gets abused, now gets the cheapest 15W40 or 20W50 I can find
CleanSump
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Mud Daubers make a mess.
that they do
Craftsman 22" walk behind lawnmower.
Out: Briggs & Stratton 30W oil.
In: Briggs & Stratton 30W oil with a jigger of MMO.
Washed & waxed. Coat of Fluid Film under deck. Sharpened blade. Used Fogging Oil in cylinder.
Replaced air filter. Lubricated wheel spindles.
Waiting for Spring.
Out: Briggs & Stratton 30W oil.
In: Briggs & Stratton 30W oil with a jigger of MMO.
Washed & waxed. Coat of Fluid Film under deck. Sharpened blade. Used Fogging Oil in cylinder.
Replaced air filter. Lubricated wheel spindles.
Waiting for Spring.
Craftsman 10.5/29" LH358SA
Out: Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30 and BR2-LM
In: Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W30 and BR2-LM
Snowblower has already seen 30+ hours of use this season, so I figured with the 50cm+ dumping we are getting, I'll change it out. Oil black, but doing it's job. Starts first pull by hand in -22°C weather, just like it did 30 years ago. Little MMO in fresh fuel and should be good for the rest of the season until it is disassembled and overhauled, like every summer.
Out: Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W30 and BR2-LM
In: Valvoline Restore and Protect 5W30 and BR2-LM
Snowblower has already seen 30+ hours of use this season, so I figured with the 50cm+ dumping we are getting, I'll change it out. Oil black, but doing it's job. Starts first pull by hand in -22°C weather, just like it did 30 years ago. Little MMO in fresh fuel and should be good for the rest of the season until it is disassembled and overhauled, like every summer.
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