10w-40 motor oil in lawnmower engine?

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Is it okay to use a multi weight oil like 10w-40 in my lawnmower engine? im asking because its time to change my oil and i have tons of quaker state 10w-40 laying arround. would it cause any damage to the engine?

Thanks for any help
 
I have used 10w and 15w-40 in lawnmowers and other air cooled engines for years without any issues. No noticeable consumption in a year in any of them.
 
SHHHH!
Just don't tell any of the manufacturers that you've gone and NOT used some of their high priced motor/application specific oils.
They might bust us all.
 
Originally Posted By: hi-miler
SHHHH!
Just don't tell any of the manufacturers that you've gone and NOT used some of their high priced motor/application specific oils.
They might bust us all.


youre right but i dont feel like paying $5 for a few ounces of oil.
 
Originally Posted By: cody
Is it okay to use a multi weight oil like 10w-40 in my lawnmower engine? im asking because its time to change my oil and i have tons of quaker state 10w-40 laying arround. would it cause any damage to the engine?

Thanks for any help


I'm using my brother-in-law's Troy-Bilt made in 1996. Annual oil changes using 10w40 until I got it and went to 10w30. Because like you, that's what I had! That oil will work great.
 
castrol australia recommend using castrol magnatec 10w-40 oil for honda lawn mowers so i would say you should be able to use it
 
I'm using some EXXON SUPERFLO 10W-40 in my mower and edger; excellent oil.
thumbsup2.gif
 
I'm using Valvoline Synpower 5w40 that I got for free in my B&S 4.75hp push-mower. I've had this mower for about two years and other than break-in its all I've used, I imagine it's overkill, but I've had no consumption issues and I have at times put the little guy through some pretty thick stuff, nearly 3 ft high in spots.
 
I'm using German Castrol (0W-30) in my two 4-stroke mowers (one with a Honda GCV160 and one with a Honda GXV140). They both really like the oil, with no measurable consumption over the season. I change it once per year, in the fall. That's a thick 30 weight oil when warm, and a 10W-40 would shear down to near that anyway. The main reason I use the GC is because it's an SL (vs. SM) oil and I think that it'll provide better protection in a solid-lifter splash-lube engine than an SM oil.
 
If you run a multi-grade oil in a lawnmower engine, all you have to do is watch the oil level a little more closely. Multi-grads shear down, and then slip past the rings. I always used SAE-30 in my 25 year old lawnmower engine (3 hp B&S), and never encountered much oil usage. On the last (annual) oil change, I put 10W-40 in, and it puffs a little smoke each time I rev the motor from idle to running speed.

Unlike a pump-fed car's lubrication system, small lawnmower engines are lubricated by splashing oil with a dipper connected to the crankshaft. Consequently, it doesn't hurt to run SAE-30 or SAE-40 oil, even in cold temperatures. That oil's getting slung around in there regardless of the viscosity. Only thing it'll suffer from while cold is some power loss due to the higher friction of the thicker oil.

Regards, Gary in Sandy Eggo
 
I recently changed out the oil on a 97 Lawnboy 6HP 4 valve commercial grade engine to 10w40 Pennzoil and some 10w40 Mobil Clean 5000 during a tuneup. When I started it up it didn't blow up so I guess it's alright.
grin2.gif
 
Food for thought:

Tecumseh engine service information includes the proper use of oil grade vs. ambient temperature. Link, p9

SAE 0W-30 : SAE 10 : -20 Deg F to SAE 5W-30 : -20 Deg F to SAE 30 : >= 32 Deg F

DO NOT USE 10W-40 (Their caps, their bold)


The use of non spec'd oil grades might not make a hill of beans to some small engines, but I thought it interesting that Tecumseh would go to the trouble to issue that caveat above. It may have something to do with their oiling system which I understand is more than just splash.
 
You guys will probably not believe this. Aluminum bore flat head 11 hp brigs with 42 inch cut Dixon rider from 1979 to 2010. I did clean the stuff out of the fins every 2 years. Fescue, cut about 6 to 8 inches high every 10 days to 2 weeks 3 acres good dirt. probably 50 to 70 hours a year. So worked hard. Carb butterfly so worn it did not idle well. Original spark plug never been out let alone head off for any reason. Deck was badly rusted and had welded some reinforcement and the second transmission failed so it got scrapped. 31 years of continuous use. aluminum bore. no smoke. At the end just starting to have to add oil every other mowing so finally rings about gone.

so 10W40 OK in my book.


Rod
 
Originally Posted By: cody
Is it okay to use a multi weight oil like 10w-40 in my lawnmower engine? im asking because its time to change my oil and i have tons of quaker state 10w-40 laying arround. would it cause any damage to the engine?

Thanks for any help


In Hot humid Fl? Use it and mow, it'll protect better than any 30wt.
 
And that's one of the most difficult warnings to understand... What was the problem with 10w40 in the past?

Originally Posted By: Mudcat
Food for thought:

Tecumseh engine service information includes the proper use of oil grade vs. ambient temperature. Link, p9

SAE 0W-30 : SAE 10 : -20 Deg F to SAE 5W-30 : -20 Deg F to SAE 30 : >= 32 Deg F

DO NOT USE 10W-40 (Their caps, their bold)


The use of non spec'd oil grades might not make a hill of beans to some small engines, but I thought it interesting that Tecumseh would go to the trouble to issue that caveat above. It may have something to do with their oiling system which I understand is more than just splash.
 
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