new ztr with 24hp brigs help

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Hi guys long time lurker just signed up.. Anyway i just got a ariens zrt at homedepot for a steal. it has a 24hp brigs turf guard comerial engine. Ok so I followed the manuel and changed the oil at 5hrs. I used penzoil platinum 5-30. Heres the problem. After i changed the oil When ever i start the mower after it sat for a while i use the choke and it puffs out grey smoke. It never did that with the factory oil in (i think it was straight 30wt). It now has 15hrs on it and it still puffs out smoke at every cold start. Once it has ran for a few sec it dosnt do it again until the next mow. what do you guys think? Also should I use a heavier weight oil? I was thinking of like rotella 5t 10w-30.. so,Any help would be great.
Also, I should note that I also use abit of lucas upper cylinder lubricant incase that matters?
thanks
 
5W-30 is good for well below 0*f starts.Why would the upper cyl need extra lube?
 
I have a 22hp twin briggs(probably the same engine with different carb) and it too has the same issue but after 8 years it still uses next to no oil between changes. If it was sucking up oil at a higher rate I would be concerned.
Enjoy the Zero turn and with some care should last a long time. I have a Husqavarna zero turn and its now 13 years old and with painting the deck bottom with graphite paint and some tlc it looks very good and tackles 6 acres.
 
Originally Posted By: bioburner
I have a 22hp twin briggs(probably the same engine with different carb) and it too has the same issue but after 8 years it still uses next to no oil between changes. If it was sucking up oil at a higher rate I would be concerned.
Enjoy the Zero turn and with some care should last a long time. I have a Husqavarna zero turn and its now 13 years old and with painting the deck bottom with graphite paint and some tlc it looks very good and tackles 6 acres.


If it starts to suck up oil all of a sudden, it's most likely a blown head gasket. That happened to my 21HP Briggs this spring. Apparently Briggs engines are prone to do that from the research I found.
 
I had a Briggs Vanguard 16hp v-twin that did the same. Ran for many years until it was stolen. I was told by others that this was typical of a v-twin. Never used oil and was a good strong motor.
 
Car engines have a design where the piston goes up and down. Vertical shaft engines have the piston level and any small amount of oil that may settle down can get trapped in the combustion chamber and create the puff you see. If you are parking your mower slanted down hill try parking it backwards and see if that helps.
 
You keep your oil at the full mark on the dipstick?

Drain some oil out of the case and keep the oil level halfway between full and add.
 
Originally Posted By: charles83
So what are your thoughts on why its doing it now vs when it had straight 30wt?


It's probably so thin on shut down that's seeping into the combustion chamber through the valve guides.
 
I have a 20 hp kohler with 900 hours and a 27 hp briggs with 130 hours and both do it occasionally. I have been using Mobil 1 high Mileage 10-30 in both.

I don't think I am hurting either one with 10-30 over 30 wt. I know what is in the Mobil 1 but often don't know what is in the straight weight 30.
 
it's a new engine,the rings probably haven't seated completely yet. 5-30 is a thin-ish oil for air cooled engines, and air cooled engines may still have a little more gap/tolerance in them due to wider operating temps -- + everything above... to mean (at least to me) don't worry. If it bothers you, change it out in another 5 hours for 10-30 and see if that makes a difference.

My single lung briggs does it too, 14.5 HP on an ariens ZTR. It's gotten better over time and is a very smooth and predictable engine.

-m
 
What does your engine's owner's manual say? I have a riding mower with a twin cylinder Briggs and it recommends 30wt but xw30s are ok. While ok to use the xw30s, the manual warns the engine will use more oil.
 
Originally Posted By: DeafBrad
What does your engine's owner's manual say? I have a riding mower with a twin cylinder Briggs and it recommends 30wt but xw30s are ok. While ok to use the xw30s, the manual warns the engine will use more oil.


Read your owners manual again. Or if its an OLD manual, read the most recent guidelines on their wesbite, which will supersede and replace all past owners manuals.

SYNTHETIC 5W30 is Briggs number one oil recommendation (they say provides best protection) and makes no mention of using more oil.

SAE30 is recommendation number 2, to be used above 40 degrees F.

Conventional
10W30 can be used at 0-100 degrees F, but expect excessive consumption above 80 degrees F.

Followed finally by conventional 5W30 which can be used under 40 degrees F.

lawn_mower_oil_1.jpg






*With that being said, I run synthetic 10W30 instead of synthetic 5W30 if I am going to run synthetic, or just plain SAE30 if running conventional oil.
 
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