Recommended oil for LCT 208cc on snowthrower???

[gonefishing]

Hello everyone! New to this board. Just purchased a new SnoTek snow thrower. The manual recommends 5w30 and changing the oil after the first month. I was looking for some recommendations on good oil for cold weather use (synthetic and conventional)

Thanks!

 

[abycat]

I would get a decent 5w30 syn or dyno and do what the manual says for the first month and then change it out after the end of each season it most likely holds under a litre so you could use the most expensive oil you could find and your change would be under 25$ a season. Thats if you use it for home use. If you used it commercially like more than 250 hours a season I would change it out every 200 hours. If it were mine I would use the left over Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30 my truck uses and never lose sleep over it.

If you were really thinking you would choose an oil run it for the break in and let the next change go till the end of the season and get a used oil analysis done on it to see if the oil is still providing protection for the time its in there. Providing you dont have to change it out before then from the amount of use. In that case do the used oil analysis on the second oil change when it hits the amount of hours and go from there. Also i dont think it has an oil level kill switch so remember to check it every time you go to start it. It will soon be a habit and is a very safe one unlike most others. good luck!!

 

[Nick R]

Any synthetic 5w30 or 0w30 will be ideal. Also, make sure you occasionally run some carb cleaner, those carbuerators are finicky.

 

[Bror Jace]

The biggest thing we need to know is where is this thing stored and how cold is it when it's started? If it's stored and started in a heated garage, any XW-30 will do ... HDEO preferred. Conventional is fine. Synthetics will give you a cold flow advantage if you have to start it in the freezing cold.

Even though it's overkill, I plan on using "Yeti Blood" this winter in my brand new Ariens with a 250cc B&S motor:

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee149/BrorJace/Chevron_Delo_0W-30_large.jpg

 

[gonefishing]

The snowblower will be kept in an attached garage that won't be heated. I'm actually in the process of finishing the garage and adding insulation so it should be warmer in there than last winter.

What is an HDEO oil? I'm new to these acronyms.

 

[dakota99]

HDEO stands for heavy duty engine oil, basically oils like rotella, chevron delo. They usually go in diesel trucks so they are very stout oils.

I'd use a synthetic 5w30. If you notice consumption, you can move to rotella 5w40 T6, or mobil 1 0w40.

Also those engines for some reason have a sticker on the side that says "Do not start above 45F". I'm guessing it has a special design that would cause it to overheat.

 

[gonefishing]

Thanks for the information everyone. Makes sense to dump the oil and replace with some 5w30 conventional to get the [censored] out first. I'll probably do this a couple times then switch to a synthetic later on.

 

[2cool]

My Snapper snowblower has a B&S 205cc engine. It came with a synthetic 5w30 factory fill, which is what the manual specifies. Calls for the first oil change at 5 hours, then every 25. Capacity is 18-20oz., so I believe that using synthetic isn't too expensive to use. I might use a 0w30 if I can find one, however.

 

[SOHCman]

A high milage 5w30 will likely benefit your engine with the extra anti-wear add pack small engines like. Something like the Mobil 1 High Mileage that was mentioned.

 

[boraticus]

The first oil change was 5W30 Mobil 1 in my B&S 305cc Kool Bore snow blower. That's what the shop put in it when they prepped it for me. I drained it and kept it and put in conventional oil for the first five hours then changed to the supplied Mobil 1.

I used it for a season and found that the engine consumed too much oil and fouled the spark plug. I switched to Castrol 5W30 high mileage conventional oil and consumption is mitigated considerably but not entirely. Spark plug looks better as well.

Try the Mobil 1 to see how well it works. Keep an eye on your oil level. Check it before every use. If the engine eats it, change to a similar viscosity conventional and see what that does.

Either way, synthetic oil isn't really necessary for a snow blower. Chances are that it will not see the hours nor conditions to warrant the need for anything but a proper viscosity conventional oil if you change the oil every season.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
The first oil change was 5W30 Mobil 1 in my B&S 305cc Kool Bore snow blower. That's what the shop put in it when they prepped it for me. I drained it and kept it and put in conventional oil for the first five hours then changed to the supplied Mobil 1.

I used it for a season and found that the engine consumed too much oil and fouled the spark plug. I switched to Castrol 5W30 high mileage conventional oil and consumption is mitigated considerably but not entirely. Spark plug looks better as well.

Try the Mobil 1 to see how well it works. Keep an eye on your oil level. Check it before every use. If the engine eats it, change to a similar viscosity conventional and see what that does.

Either way, synthetic oil isn't really necessary for a snow blower. Chances are that it will not see the hours nor conditions to warrant the need for anything but a proper viscosity conventional oil if you change the oil every season.


I thought all snowthrower engines were Iron sleeve engines, especially the B&S ones. Huh.

The reason synthetic is recommended is for cold flow properties.

 

[boraticus]

"The reason synthetic is recommended is for cold flow properties."

Do you think that your arm can tell the difference between 5W30 conventional and 5W30 synthetic on a cold day?

I know from experience that the cold flow characteristics are virtually indistinguishable when pull starting with either oil.

You'd be surprised how many B&S engines don't have cast iron cylinder sleeves. Kool Bore on a snow thrower is probably one of the better applications for that engine. Cool operating temperatures and clean working environment would contribute to any advantages an aluminum bore may have to offer.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: boraticus
"The reason synthetic is recommended is for cold flow properties."

Do you think that your arm can tell the difference between 5W30 conventional and 5W30 synthetic on a cold day?

I know from experience that the cold flow characteristics are virtually indistinguishable when pull starting with either oil.

You'd be surprised how many B&S engines don't have cast iron cylinder sleeves. Kool Bore on a snow thrower is probably one of the better applications for that engine. Cool operating temperatures and clean working environment would contribute to any advantages an aluminum bore may have to offer.


I was under the impression that snow thrower engines were very heavy duty applications, with engines that tend to wear out far sooner than other OPE engines. I mean, even the Chonda OHV in our craftsman is iron sleeved.

 

[JTK]

I believe I've had everything from conventional, to blend, to full synthetic 5w30 and 10w30's in my 7hp Tecumseh OHV powered snowblower. Something like SAE30 will probably put a stress on your recoil start in extreme cold, especially if your machine has a larger one-lung like a 9 to 11hp Tecumseh flat-head Snow King.

*Knock on wood*, that baby has always started on the first or second pull every time regardless.

However, really cold temps (say below zero F) are pretty few in the Buffalo area.

Snow and heaps of general [censored] are all too common unfortunately.

Joel

 

[gonefishing]

Just looked up the specs on this LCT 208cc and it has a cast iron sleeve in an aluminum block: http://www.lctusa.com/page.cfm?sp=detail&i=8#2

 

[boraticus]

[/quote]

I was under the impression that snow thrower engines were very heavy duty applications, with engines that tend to wear out far sooner than other OPE engines. I mean, even the Chonda OHV in our craftsman is iron sleeved. [/quote]

Not really. I've gone through two snow blowers already and it was the chassis/frame that gave out. Engines were running like new even after ten years of service each. Both of them were 10 h.p. Tecumseh Snow Kings. Not the most sophisticated engines available but certainly reliable if the oil is kept up.

I ran nothing but 10W30 conventional in those things. Neither one used a drop of oil. Ever. Wish I could say the same about this B&S engine. However, the Briggs makes noticeably more power and it is a smoother running engine despite it's appetite for oil. We'll just have to see how long it holds up. It's mounted on a much more robust machine (Simplicity) compared to the old Craftsmans.

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: gonefishing
Just looked up the specs on this LCT 208cc and it has a cast iron sleeve in an aluminum block: http://www.lctusa.com/page.cfm?sp=detail&i=8#2


Exact same engine in most MTD snowthrowers.