Quaker State 10W-30 OK?

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I have a Kohler 22 HP Command PRO (Horizontal Shaft) in a Ariens 931 Series tractor with 620 hours and I am going to change the oil and filter in it tomorrow. I am going to use a Purolator L35310 filter and Quaker State conventional 10W-30. I bought this oil before I joined BITOG and now I wish I got the Rotella for $2 more. Kohler reccomends 10W-30 for this engine anyway. I do not want this oil to go to waste. Would it be alright to use this oil for the rest of the season and switch it to another type of oil(Give reccomendations!) next year? Thanks!!
 
I dobut that the oil in this motor has ever been changed (The filter is faded!), so it is a welcome addition! I would just like some suggestions on some good synthetics to put in this air-cooled beast!
 
Originally Posted By: PurplDodge
I dobut that the oil in this motor has ever been changed (The filter is faded!), so it is a welcome addition! I would just like some suggestions on some good synthetics to put in this air-cooled beast!


Most any 10W-30 synthetic oil is going to be fine... is my conclusion. Even newer SM oils that show API SM/SL/SG...CD

They will all outperform conventionals.

You can't really miss.
 
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(Give recommendations!)

I like Rotella straight 30 wt in my air-cooled Kohler and B&S stuff that's used primarily in the summer. Their 10-30 is excellent as well, but sometimes smokes a bit.
BTW - The Puro L10241 or MotorCraft FL400S work quite well, and are a bit longer, if you're into oversize filters.
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You'll be fine with the QS 10w30 in there. It is what Kohler recommends for the Command series (10w30 that is). You'll probably wind-up changing it out long before that oil would do any harm anyway. A lot of us like to go overboard with heavy-duty engine oils like 5w40 because engines like these are ~$1200 to replace. Most of us would never see the benefit.

Joel
 
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Originally Posted By: RWEST
Quote:
(Give recommendations!)

BTW - The Puro L10241 or MotorCraft FL400S work quite well, and are a bit longer, if you're into oversize filters.
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Yeah, I did a cross refrence last night and found the L10241 filter. The L35310 was already a 1/2'' taller than the stock Kohler 12 050 01 filter. I'm getting ready to cut it open now.
 
I'm going to stay with the 10W-30. Its what Kohler reccomends. I changed the oil in it yesterday, then ran it for 5 hours and it performed flalessly! The motor accualy felt like it had a little more power and ran cooler. The [censored] that I drained out was straight black [censored]. Next time I will definataly put some Rotella in.

And BTW I will not use the QS in the truck. It burns enough oil as is!
 
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You'll be fine with it. For hours of mowing on a ~100deg humid Indiana summer?? Ehh.... I'd want 5w40 in there at a minimum.

Joel
 
Theoretically, it will offer better engine protection under extreme conditions (like excessive heat) over a regular 10w30 and will hold it's beneficial properties longer.
 
I have spent too much time and effort going back and forth on small engine oil. But I learned a lot in the process.

The best solution I have found is Amsoil ASE Small Engine Oil.

-Comercial grade Severe Service rated

-It is an SAE 30wt

-It flows like a 10W-30

-It is a synthetic with no viscosity enhancers to break down.

-Zinc levels are around 1200 ppm

-It has anti-corrosion additives

-It meets all specs. for just about every small engine manufacturer out there.

-It is reasonably priced.
 
I have a 20hp Kohler Command I bought in 2001 with about the same hours as yours. I use the Purolator L10241 filter but did use the Kohler filter when they were $4 instead of $10. With the Motorcrat filter 400 I noticed it took a little longer for the oil to start flowing ( maybe a couple of seconds).

I used Kohler Command oil 10-30 for the first year or two but changed brands as it went up. I change oil every 50 hours. I used Rotella 10-30 for 100 hours, the old Havoline 10-30 for 100 hours, and currently some Valvoline full synthetic Maxlife I got on rebate for 200 hours. I actually thought the engine ran the smoothest on the old Havoline.

If the oil you drained out looked really bad I would use the oil you had for a short flush run of maybe 25 hours. I always change the oil when storing for the winter along with Stabil and a shot of fogging oil in each cylinder.

More important than the oil is the air filter and the cooling fan, fins, and vents. Most of these motors see alot of dust and if not filtered out will wear the motor. Check the cooling fan for blockages with a high pressure air gun. If you suspect blockages you can pull the shroud off with 8 bolts if I remember correctly. Blockages will cause hot spots. My motor has not been prone to stopping up but if the oil looked that dirty I would want to check the rest.

Mine does not use any oil but mine and several others I have seen give a puff of blue smoke when first cranking so don't worry if you ever see it. I read and hear of these motors going 2000-2500 hours. Check it out good and enjoy the ride.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
Theoretically, it will offer better engine protection under extreme conditions (like excessive heat) over a regular 10w30 and will hold it's beneficial properties longer.


Comparing a dino 10w-30 versus Rotella T 5W-40 there is no comparison. The Rotella has a stronger base oil and is a HDEO(built better). Also from experience I don't use any 10w-30 even Delo 400. The reason I say this is from experience. Well they are both a 30wt the Delo 400 30wt verses 10w-30 at operating temp. This was not a new engine but I would say about 1000 hours on it. I tried the Delo 400 10w-30 and after 5 hours the engine seem to shake a bit more and seems like the oil was going to leak out. I was curious how the 10w-30 would perform. This was the first and last time any Delo 10w-30 I would ever considered using. There are things about mono grades from my observation is they tend to cling to the metal surface longer. Just experience and observation.

The Delo 400 30wt has taken abuse also. Temp range 75F-88F. Also keep in mind the oil needs to handle heat but also the oil cools the heat down. A 30wt will cause less heat and cool the heat down quicker than a 5w-40.
 
I thik what I am going to do is change the oil again at 640 hours with some Rotella then go with Sythetic Maxlife until the death...
The only problem with checking the blower housing on my mower is that the fan is pointed to the rear of the mower. The PTO is up front. To take the blower housing off, I would have to take the motor out of the mower. But everytime that I am done mowing I give it a good cleaning with the leaf blower to get the grass out.
 
Originally Posted By: Mamala Bay
...There are things about mono grades from my observation is they tend to cling to the metal surface longer. Just experience and observation.

.. A 30wt will cause less heat and cool the heat down quicker than a 5w-40.


Mamala, your observations are great, but they are just that. SAE30 and "cling"? any oil that's 'thicker' when cold will appear to have that property. A 5w40 is going to cause an engine to NOT cool down as quickly? It's possible there's a test case where that could be true, but across the board, no way.

Joel
 
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Originally Posted By: JTK
Originally Posted By: Mamala Bay
...There are things about mono grades from my observation is they tend to cling to the metal surface longer. Just experience and observation.

.. A 30wt will cause less heat and cool the heat down quicker than a 5w-40.


Mamala, your observations are great, but they are just that. SAE30 and "cling"? any oil that's 'thicker' when cold will appear to have that property. A 5w40 is going to cause an engine to NOT cool down as quickly? It's possible there's a test case where that could be true, but across the board, no way.

Joel


A 40wt when it's not needed but some do like that extra protection will cause an increase in heat over a 30wt. If you test an engine using both oils a 5w-40 versus a 30wt, the 30wt will run cooler and cool down quicker than a 5w-40.

Break in a new engine where the manual states using a 30wt. Say you got a good 150 hours. Given the 5w-40 will have greater heat from friction and will take longer to cool down versus a 30wt.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
You'll be fine with it. For hours of mowing on a ~100deg humid Indiana summer?? Ehh.... I'd want 5w40 in there at a minimum.

Joel

Here in Florida, I see tons of garden equipment being filled with 10w30 and lasting a long time.

My advice would be to run that new Quaker State for a short period of time, and then drain it, because it may pick up deposits left behind by really worn out old oil.

After that, go to regular OCIs.
 
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