Kohler courage 18 oil/filter reccomendations

[blmlozz]

Did the oilchange on my lawn mower today, took off an STP S3512 and it had synthetic 5W30 in there.

there were noticable gold/metallic particles in the engine

I'm not quite ready to be alarmed, even though it's 2-3 years old I would estimate that it doesn't even have 100 hours on it.

However, I thought I would pickup something better to the effect of a Napa gold 1348, but, looking up the beta ratios for the wix exchange;
Beta Ratio: 2/20=21/37
you can see that it's effenciency is pretty horrible, and that's for an $8 filter mind you.
http://www.fleetfilter.com/filter/wix-oil-filters/51348.html


questions;
I'm planning on using M1 Ep 5W30 for all my combustion engine service needs(I threw it in there for the OCI today), makes things simple, and I believe I used something similar last time. I would think that it would be very much overkill for a 600cc 1.5quart sump motor-- is that about right(being overkill) or could it be causing some extra wear? Or is the metallic oil a simple fact of the poor filter filtration & capcity as well as the fact that it's lawn mower engine.
Thanks.

 

[JR]

i have a neighbor that has a craftsmen rider with a courage that i have serviced since new. he uses parts store house brand sae30wt and house brand pham 3614 cross-ref filter. no broblem, except an average of .5-1.0 ounce oil burn rate an hour.

 

[2cool]

I use ANY auto spin-on filter that fits the threads and the rubber ring mates with the housing. I change it every spring, along with the air filter and plug. Probably don't really need to change the plug but it makes me feel better. As for oil, I use 15W-40. If a diesel can't kill it, no gas engine will. If you elect to use 5W-30, become very diligent in checking the oil before every use. The looser tolerances will allow a lighter oil to burn off at a faster rate than the heavier stuff.

 

[CaptainNed]

Run the biggest oil filter that seats on the base plate and fits under the hood. Kohlers (I've got one in a Cub GT2544) run screaming hot and any extra cooling surface will help. Oil-wise I run Rotella T6 for the full-syn heat capacity and the fact that it's cheap at Wally World.

 

[JTK]

I assume this is a Courage single cyl engine?

If so, your filter SIZE choice is limited to the size that came on it.

The way the filter is tucked up to the block on the Courage single cyl engines is your limiting factor.

On Courage V-twins, the sky is the limit (same as Commands). I've seen guys run PH8A sized filters on Kohler V-twins. I run FL400 sized on mine... and 15w40 engine oil.

Joel

 

[GMBoy]

I am still mad that my Husqvarna rider I bought last year with the 21hp Kohler Courage engine has no plug for an oil pressure gauge. One day I will drill for it! I did add a volt gauge and oil temp gauge by putting the sender unit in place of the drain plug.