Honda 5.5hp push mower / calls for 10-30

[PZR2874]

Hey all,
I've had this mower for ~5 years and I've only changed the oil twice and with 5-30.

I know you guys will prob eat me alive and say "use what the manufacturer rec which is 10-30.

Well, I only have 5-30 PP and 5-40 T6 on hand. It's always run very well and here is my question:

Is 5-40 ok to use in this desert heat? Because I know 10-30 won't be needed here.

Feel free to bend me over on this subject if need be.

Here's the model # 12AV834Q711. Honda motor/Troy-bilt mower.

 

[Eddie]

Use the 5w30 since the manufacture recommends a 30 at running temp. I'm sure you won't hurt anything if you ran 5w40.

 

[hemitom]

I have a MTD pro with the same engine, I have used 15w40 10w30 and 5w20 10w30 mix. mower never ran any different. my personal preference is 15w40. If I had 5w40 thats what i would use over any of the others.

 

[chubbs1]

Do you have access to DELO 30? That is a good choice as well.

 

[PZR2874]

Awesome, thanks guys. I'll report back on the 5-40 if it grenades. LOL

Only reason I question the 5-30 is because the 5-30's I use (PP/PU)aren't all that thick like 10-30's I've seen in the past. I have however used M1 in it (I believe that's what I used last time) and after sitting for the season (what seasons we have here) It took a few pulls to get it to jump.

I appreciate the advice guys.

 

[PZR2874]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
Do you have access to DELO 30? That is a good choice as well.


Not that I've seen. Although I will start actually looking. Thanks.

 

[double vanos]

Ha ha! My Honda mower gets whatever the cars are using at the time! It's had GC , PP, PU, M1 and a high mileage oil or two over the years. Same thing for the 4 stroke Honda weed wacker. Only 7 years on both but so far so good....

 

[Darkfire]

Originally Posted By: PZR2874
Awesome, thanks guys. I'll report back on the 5-40 if it grenades. LOL

Only reason I question the 5-30 is because the 5-30's I use (PP/PU)aren't all that thick like 10-30's I've seen in the past. I have however used M1 in it (I believe that's what I used last time) and after sitting for the season (what seasons we have here) It took a few pulls to get it to jump.

I appreciate the advice guys.

Give conventional Valvoline VR1 SAE 30 a try. It has 1400ppm Zinc/1300 Phos, so it's good for break in as well. You can get it at a Napa auto parts. Should be perfect for really hot environments.

 

[Quest]

Honda is never picky on the type of engine oil to use, and their manual states to use typical 10W30 multiviscosity oils in their OPE.
Trust their manuals and use multiviscosity oil. You can even go fancy with syn or similar on them.

older B&S and Tecumseh manuals that call for the use of mono-visc is no longer holds true (even though many ole folks still swear by them).

Q.

 

[xxch4osxx]

I use Amsoil 5w30 HDD in my Honda GCV160 powered MTD Gold push mower and have never had a problem. The mower has a sticker on it saying to use 10w30 but the HDD is thicker than most 10w30's and seems to do well.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Honda actually calls for a 30wt oil for temperatures greater than 60*F and on up. They call for a 10W-30 for lower temperatures and up to about 90*F. This is according to their service manuals. I've always used a multi-grade in mine. Either 0W-30 or 10W-30...whatever I've had on-hand.

Since I no longer have any on-road vehicles that take a 30 grade, I buy quarts of 10W-30 for the mowers (one with a GCV160 and one with a GXV140). Lately, I've been using Mobil 1 High Mileage 10W-30. It's still SL rated, so may have higher levels of anti-wear additives beneficial to these types of engines.

 

[exranger06]

My Honda mower gets whatever oil I have on hand when doing the oil change, which is usually a 5w-30 synthetic or 5w-40 synthetic. It's really not picky about oil it gets. I've also used SAE 30 and 10w-30 conventional at various points in its life. Right now it has Valvoline VR1 10w-30 synthetic in it. You can basically use whatever you want.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Here's a pic of my GCV160 under the cylinder head cover. No sludge! Ha ha.

This engine is from 2004, and has seen all sorts of oil, from the original Sears 30WT in the box to 0W-30 GC to 10W-30 Rotella to 10W-30 Mobil 1. Usually changed once a year, sometimes more often.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Here's a pic of my GCV160 under the cylinder head cover...


Oh COOL! Thanks for posting that Jason.

That's the first real cover off, closeup I've seen of a Honda GC and I've owned mine since the first model year. 1999.

Joel

 

[hemitom]

hey hokie did you mange to get the cover off with out bending it, The sealant they use is tough stuff.

 

[Vikas]

Is that belt supposed to be bathed in engine oil?

 

[hemitom]

As odd as it looks yes.

 

[Hokiefyd]

I just carefully pried at the top edge of the cover. It did come off good. I resealed with Permatex Ultra Grey. If it needs to come off again, we'll see how the Permatex holds.

Yes, the belt is bathed in oil. It transports oil up to the valve area, so it actually stays well lubricated. Once I get this mower put back together, I will open up the GXV140 on the Honda Masters mower and see what it looks like inside.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Here's a pic of my GCV160 under the cylinder head cover.


Cool, now that I know what's in there I won't have to open mine... Anyway I doubt it is as clean as yours, don't think the oil was ever changed by the original owner...

I'm using M1 0W-40 in my GCV160, with 1100 ppm zinc I'm hoping it will be happy for a long time...

 

[clarklawnscape]

Originally Posted By: Quest


older B&S and Tecumseh manuals that call for the use of mono-visc is no longer holds true (even though many ole folks still swear by them).

it still does hold true, but most ppl arent smart enough to read the manual and if thats the case i will read it for you....blah blah, in 60 plus degree farinheight use sae30 or 10w30 synthethic.....blah blah. And if you talk to dealers or daily users such as me, we will sware by sae30, as it wworks and works wonders. if youre a "well i think so" type of guy who swares by 15w40 or etc, youll see that it does work, but cant back that reccomendation up past it works for me and i should know because i put 50 hours a yr on a small engine wich makes me a genius. And those of us whom put way more than 50 hours on an engine (small) know that using synthetic CAN cause consumption. But most I read from on here, have their own ideas as if they were engineers, but have very little to base their findings on, such as most of what i read in this section here. For a daily user/professional such as myself, its nearly a joke for me to come to this level, but here i am on the "i think so so it must be true" page. truth is, an engine will WORK on any oil, but will LAST on this such and such oil. I have numerous machienes and numerous hours, and i can tell you that sae30 is the way to go, unless its a newer kohler command (10w30) due to the valve train. But I make my living on this equipment and im sure you put almost an hour weekly on it, so what do i know?