Snow blower oil recommendation

[andrei3333]

Happy holidays to all,

I just picked up a used snow blower and the chart for the Tecumseh (snow king) engine show this recommendation.

I currently have a stash of Pennzoil Ultra 5w30 on hand and dont want to go and buy 0w30 just for the snow blower, can i use my synthetic? the chart only shows OW-30 for synthetic...thanks
I dont want to use dyno as i already bought a bunch of synthetic and kinda want that extra cold start protection ;-)

 

[spasm3]

the ultra is pretty light, not far from a 0w30 its 10.3 cst at 100.c 57.5 at 40.c

 

[Boomer]

I run an 8 HP Tecunseh on a snowblower that is starting its 25th year. I use the 5W-40 Rotella and it works fine. This snowblower has been used very hard as it did an entire block long cul de sac for 23 years as well as three large driveways. It now does a bit less as we have moved. Engine still runs fine.

 

[marc1]

Originally Posted By: andrei3333
I currently have a stash of Pennzoil Ultra 5w30 on hand and dont want to go and buy 0w30 just for the snow blower, can i use my synthetic? the chart only shows OW-30 for synthetic...thanks


Sure, that oil is more than fine.

I have the exact same family engine in my snowblower [mine is an OHSK120], I use Esso XD-3 0w30 FWIW but I would not hesitate to use the oil you are proposing if I had a similar stash. My machine goes from stone cold (-30C on some days) to WOT under full load and blowing snow in about 15 seconds so I want a good cold flow property oil. Ten years old now, no sign of engine mechanical trouble. It runs rich at idle / no load though, possibly by design based on other's experience. I change the oil every 2 years.

 

[Clevy]

Use what you got on hand. It will be more than adequate

 

[andrei3333]

i got the LH195SP engine. the blower is about 3 years old its barely been used i got it from an 85 y/o man who cant deal with it anymore. its still got the potective plastic on it. he probably never mantained it so i gota drain the gas tank with carburator canister put new oil and replace the spark plug....i will use the oil i currently. have thanks...

 

[bluestream]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
Use what you got on hand. It will be more than adequate


Agreed, you will be lucky to get 10" of snow this year anyway..

 

[andrei3333]

well, i am moving in a week a north of where i am now and i get pretty good snow as it is here. but so far the winter has been mild.

I am planning to change the oil, i will pull the plug see what condition its in, may have to replace it as well. what about the gas, should i drain it and replace it?

i dont have a tune up kit so i cant pull off the canister off the carburetor since i dont have a replacement gasket so draining the gas tank wount get rid of all the old fuel. it starts right us as it is now, so maybe i should just use it until id runs our of gas and then put in fresh gas?

 

[OilNerd]

Check your carb bowl for a spring-loaded drain-button at the bottom.

My Snow King has one, and it's handy for draining the fuel out of the bowl.

 

[andrei3333]

I did, it does not have it, what a shame, its not even that old. i saw on youtube a guy with a similar motor had it so i dont know what gives.

Perhaps i will just empty the tank and run the thing until it dies then change the oil and refill with fresh gas.

and then do the spark plug, i read that its ok to put about 30 ml of engine oil down the spark plug hole to lubricate the top of the cylinder head to keep it from corroding, is that advisable

 

[boraticus]

Some people pour oil into their cylinder at the end of the season for long term storage. If you're not putting it away, don't pour oil into it.

I don't pour oil into the cylinder because I've never seen any bad effects from not doing it. From my experience, if the engine is stored in any kind of decent shelter, it's not really necessary.

 

[JimPghPA]

Sta-Bil makes a foaming oil for foaming the cylinder for storage. I use it for my generators. The plugs seam to get some build up from burning it off, so that after 4 or 5 treatments you might want to replace the plug. I have always pulled the spark-plug and sprayed the oil into the cylinder, then placed a clean rag or paper towel over the spark-plug hole and pulled the rope a few times. Then put the plug back in, and slowly pull the plug, stopping on a compression stroke.

Some people use the foaming oil wile the engine is still running. Some try to kill the engine by flooding it with foaming oil, or what ever they are treating the cylinder with.

Regardless of if or how you coat the cylinder for storage, every time you are done with any single cylinder engine you should pull the rope slowly and stop on a compression stroke, so that the valves are closed. This way moisture can not condense our of the air and into the cylinder, and the valve springs will not be under maximum compression.

 

[JimPghPA]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Sta-Bil makes a foaming oil for foaming the cylinder for storage. I use it for my generators. The plugs seam to get some build up from burning it off, so that after 4 or 5 treatments you might want to replace the plug. I have always pulled the spark-plug and sprayed the oil into the cylinder, then placed a clean rag or paper towel over the spark-plug hole and pulled the rope a few times. Then put the plug back in, and slowly pull the plug, stopping on a compression stroke.

That should read slowly pull the rope. It is sometimes hard to proof ones own work.

Some people use the foaming oil wile the engine is still running. Some try to kill the engine by flooding it with foaming oil, or what ever they are treating the cylinder with.

Regardless of if or how you coat the cylinder for storage, every time you are done with any single cylinder engine you should pull the rope slowly and stop on a compression stroke, so that the valves are closed. This way moisture can not condense our of the air and into the cylinder, and the valve springs will not be under maximum compression.

 

[RAYMONATOR]

I just purchased a very gently used 2 year old Ariens 1130 DLE snowblower with the 11 hp(358cc) Tecumseh engine. The unit has under 10 hours on it. However, now that it's home, I'd like to dump whatever oil is in there, and add some fresh oil. It's brutally cold here right now (around -25c,) so after what I've read here, I think I'll be replacing the old oil with some Castrol full synthetic 0w-30. The recommended grade by Ariens/Tecumseh, is 5w30, and they don't specify conventional or synthetic, but rather just the normal API-SL-SJ.
Still, I'm a tiny bit apprehensive of putting in such a thin viscosity. It's doesn't stay this cold all winter, just now and then. So my question is, will I be ok with the "0" weight when the temperatures get a tad warmer, which is still well below the 32f(0c) mark? I plan on changing oil as often as I would with conventional oil come spring, and every spring after that. Thanks for any input you may have.

 

[typ901]

Raymonator-

Yeah that is cold. My 1 year old Toro with B&S 342cc (11-HP) runs well on Mobil 1 5w30. Coldest I have run it is around -17c. It is stored in my non-heated garage, which was probably around -7c on that day. Starts on 1st or 2nd pull. No need for electric start. I doubt you would have a problem with any 5w30...but you are closer to pour points on conventional with those temps!

 

[Boss302fan]

Any good 5W30 syn would work well for you... Nice snowblower.

 

[gizzsdad]

I usually use a 0w30 synthetic. As to the electric start - I had occasion to use mine for the first time ever the other day. It was my first start for the season, and I usually am a first or second pull guy, myself.

But this time I managed to get it good and flooded. So I decided to try the electric after owning the blower for two+ years. Plugged it in, touched the start button for less than a second - and it was immediately running smoothly.

FWIW -I have an Ariens Deluxe 24.

Nice to know I have the option when I sheepishly need it.