SN or SP oil in air-cooled Mowers

[road_rascal]

I've been using Delo 400 XSP 5w-40 in all my OPE- from the ATV, jetski, riding and push mover and soon the new generator which I just finished breaking in. The riding mower (Crafstman T2200 which is apparently a rebranded Husqvarna) is at it's 10th year of service at our cabin and hasn't skipped a beat. I get the Delo at the local parts store since they always have it in stock and it's reasonably priced.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Was in a Lawn and Garden shop today and we were talking about oil. The mechanic told me not to use N or P rated oil in my Z turn. He says the high temp causes sludging and manufacturers will turn down warranty repairs because oof that. I have been using Kirkland 5-30 for the past year and it hasn't used any oil. I would say what's in there now is sn. Anybody hear this stuff?

Which Z turn?

 

[siriusc1024]

I run QS All Mileage 10w-40. High heat tolerance. Pick something for gas engines. I'd avoid HDEO (even that dual rated nonsense) due to splash lube and bearing area. Small air cooled engines take a lot of abuse, and some say the oil type doesn't matter, but if you're in the process of choosing might as well do your research.

 

[ripcord]

I run QS All Mileage 10w-40. High heat tolerance. Pick something for gas engines. I'd avoid HDEO (even that dual rated nonsense) due to splash lube and bearing area. Small air cooled engines take a lot of abuse, and some say the oil type doesn't matter, but if you're in the process of choosing might as well do your research.

No reason to change with what's been working well for you. Clean and full for the win.

 

[y_p_w]

API standards aren't really geared towards small engines. They're for modern engines with catalytic converters.

Briggs & Stratton doesn't sell an oil with an API rating these days. So it probably has some sort of secret sauce that works for small engines but isn't helpful with new cars.

This is kind of old so things might have changed, but someone did a VOA on Briggs & Stratton SAE 30 over 15 years ago. However, I'm not sure why it would necessarily be any different other than maybe the availability of base oils. They also noted that it was labeled as meeting API SJ/CF. But it had a ton of zinc and phosphorous, which would indicate a high ZDDP level. Are there a lot of small engines with catalytic converters these days?

R

Thread 'Briggs/Stratton SAE 30 SJ/CF'

May 20, 2009

Recently I picked up a Toro 340 XP mower, which came with an 18 oz bottle of Briggs & Stratton branded oil. Out of curiosity, I had to send a sample off for analysis (I used Rotella 30 wt in the mower). Here's what Blackstone says:

RON: This sample of Briggs & Stratton 30W oil had a viscosity in the high 20W-range. This shouldn't be a problem. No water or contamination was present in the sample. Insolubles were acceptably low at a trace level. The TBN of this sample is 9.8, and that's a fairly typical starting TBN for virgin motor oil. Calcium, boron, and magnesium perform a...

• RWEST
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Virgin Oil Analysis - PCMO/HDEO

 

[Snagglefoot]

Although I don't see a date on the source, it’s Kawasaki that recommends a 10W40 to fit between the 10W30 and the 15W50. The same source says that 10W30 is suitable for ambient temps up to just over 86 F and 10W40 to just over 104F.

 

[loneryder]

Which Z turn?

Ferris 700z 61”with a 27hp Briggs Commercial VTwin.

 

[loneryder]

Although I don't see a date on the source, it’s Kawasaki that recommends a 10W40 to fit between the 10W30 and the 15W50. The same source says that 10W30 is suitable for ambient temps up to just over 86 F and 10W40 to just over 104F.

I remember Kawasaki going to 10-40 because they were having engine problems.

 

[y_p_w]

API standards aren't really geared towards small engines. They're for modern engines with catalytic converters.

Briggs & Stratton doesn't sell an oil with an API rating these days. So it probably has some sort of secret sauce that works for small engines but isn't helpful with new cars.

This is kind of old so things might have changed, but someone did a VOA on Briggs & Stratton SAE 30 over 15 years ago. However, I'm not sure why it would necessarily be any different other than maybe the availability of base oils. They also noted that it was labeled as meeting API SJ/CF. But it had a ton of zinc and phosphorous, which would indicate a high ZDDP level. Are there a lot of small engines with catalytic converters these days?

R

Thread 'Briggs/Stratton SAE 30 SJ/CF'

May 20, 2009

Recently I picked up a Toro 340 XP mower, which came with an 18 oz bottle of Briggs & Stratton branded oil. Out of curiosity, I had to send a sample off for analysis (I used Rotella 30 wt in the mower). Here's what Blackstone says:

RON: This sample of Briggs & Stratton 30W oil had a viscosity in the high 20W-range. This shouldn't be a problem. No water or contamination was present in the sample. Insolubles were acceptably low at a trace level. The TBN of this sample is 9.8, and that's a fairly typical starting TBN for virgin motor oil. Calcium, boron, and magnesium perform a...

• RWEST
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Virgin Oil Analysis - PCMO/HDEO

Just a follow up. Found an image of the back of the bottle, and the label claims that it's formulated to API SJ standards. I believe over the years the API gasoline standard has brought down the amount of ZDDP allowed in favor of different antiwear additives like titanium compounds.

I have seen things like house branded oil at Autozone that claims to meet older API standards.