mower oil question

[layback40]

Originally Posted by roscoea26

Yes we should be using the manufacturers recommended oils and this is what I have been saying all along. anthonygubbin started this question and I understood the manufacturers recommendation was SAE30.

layback40 challenged what i said and advocated the use of multigrade 5w 30, normal engine oil from what I understood. Air-cooled engines require air cooled engine oil and there is no doubt about that as far as I'm concerned.

Please provide technical information to support your claim. The current multi grade oils are far more heat stable than the SAE30 specified at the time the engines were designed.

Originally Posted by roscoea26

Yes Briggs and Stratton do specify their fully synthetic oils but you are quoting from an american site not the Australian site.The Australian site recommends their synthetic SAE 5w 30 for use in all their air-cooled SMALL engines. You can't just go and use fully synthetic water cooled engine oil in their small-air cooled engines.

Are you saying that because we are in the southern hemisphere the oil behaves different? Maybe you want us to blame it on Coriolis forces?
Can you please provide a link to the information where there are different SAE oil specs for air cooled & water cooled engine oils. Many "water cooled" engines run much higher temperatures & bearing loads than any B&S air cooled engine.

Originally Posted by roscoea26

I can't use that oil in my John Deere B&S engine. While the recommendation says all air-cooled small engines my advice from the local B&S dealer is that for optimum performance B&S SAE 30 should be used unless the engine's manual says Synthetic 5w 30.

Is black-xj your local B&S dealer?
All this comment about air cooled B&S engines requiring special oil is more BS than B&S !!
If some sales guy at B&S in Australia is as lacking in knowledge as what is being suggested here, we have a good reason to stay away from B&S engines. You would be flat out finding a technically competent (with regard to oil) person in B&S Australia. Even the Chinese dont bother cloning B&S engines. They mainly stick to Honda.

[anthonygubbin]

Man such a debate for a simple question. All I really wanted to know was whether I could use cheap 20w 50 in my tired old Victa 4 stroke or whether I would FI completly. My mind was already made up about what I would run in my pretty new B&S engine.

Regards A

[rastus2571]

Originally Posted by anthonygubbin

Man such a debate for a simple question. All I really wanted to know was whether I could use cheap 20w 50 in my tired old Victa 4 stroke or whether I would FI completly. My mind was already made up about what I would run in my pretty new B&S engine.

Regards A

I was going to ask how to change a light bulb.....lol. I think I got it figured out.

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[black-xj]

Originally Posted by black-xj

This was the case when i worked in the industry for 12 years, but that is about 10 years ago now....when it
becomes about re-using waste oil, it becomes clear that money is the issue...

My post was about using what is recommended, and that was always the recommendation !!
If modern day water cooled 2 stroke oil is adequate in air cooled engines, then go for it....
The point i was trying to make is, don't buy some cheap water cooled 2 stroke oil that is not
adequate for air cooled engines !!

Water cooled engines will run at a consistent controlled temperature regardless of summer/winter...
Where as an air cooled 2 stroke will run at greater varying temps due to summer/winter...

My advice is sound, as i have seen first hand the failures resulting from what i have suggested, but
i have not kept up to date with modern oil qualities...my advice is there for you to take or leave, i'm
not enforcing it...

Layback, I will refer back to this post...You will see that I indicated that I no longer do this in a full time
capacity, it is only just a part time thing i will do for friends of mine that need something doing...You seem
to be discrediting me and my ability, yet you don't know me at all...

This thread was started to get some very basic advice, and up till this post i have quoted, everything was
fine... then you have taken it on as though everyone else is wrong in a fairly aggressive manner...

As it turns out, it is a Tecumseh motor anyway...

I thought i was agreeing with you, that if modern day "2 stroke" oils are adequate, then go for it !
(this was not a sarcastic comment !)... But the information about using water-cooled 2 stroke oil
not to be used in air-cooled "2 stroke" engines was from the horses mouth (the oil manufacturers).

In the time frame indicated, I don't think in any way have i said anything contrary to the truth, when
regarding what i was referring to...I don't believe this thread ever asked for the scientific understanding
of what was needed for Anthony's old mower, to which some of us agreed that using 20w 50 would be
fine in his old clunker...

If you feel the urge to set us all straight again on what is currently the recommended products to
use, then start a new thread on it, because your coming across as if your the only one who is right, and
small engine dealers don't know there stuff......

[layback40]

Originally Posted by black-xj

Layback, I will refer back to this post...You will see that I indicated that I no longer do this in a full time
capacity, it is only just a part time thing i will do for friends of mine that need something doing...You seem
to be discrediting me and my ability, yet you don't know me at all...

This thread was started to get some very basic advice, and up till this post i have quoted, everything was
fine... then you have taken it on as though everyone else is wrong in a fairly aggressive manner...

As it turns out, it is a Tecumseh motor anyway...

I thought i was agreeing with you, that if modern day "2 stroke" oils are adequate, then go for it !
(this was not a sarcastic comment !)... But the information about using water-cooled 2 stroke oil
not to be used in air-cooled "2 stroke" engines was from the horses mouth (the oil manufacturers).

In the time frame indicated, I don't think in any way have i said anything contrary to the truth, when
regarding what i was referring to...I don't believe this thread ever asked for the scientific understanding
of what was needed for Anthony's old mower, to which some of us agreed that using 20w 50 would be
fine in his old clunker...

If you feel the urge to set us all straight again on what is currently the recommended products to
use, then start a new thread on it, because your coming across as if your the only one who is right, and
small engine dealers don't know there stuff......

As far as 2 stroke oils go you are correct. Water cooled 2 stroke oil is quite different from air cooled 2 stroke oil. Mainly for water dispersion properties, these additives do cause problems in air cooled 2 stroke petrol engines.
SAE 30 or any multi grade oil is not suitable for a modern 2 stroke engine. It will cause sticking rings. In work with small engines I suspect you have seen this.
For 4 stroke B&S engines including Vanguard ones used in some John Deere products, multi grade oil is fine.

[black-xj]

Originally Posted by layback40

As far as 2 stroke oils go you are correct. Water cooled 2 stroke oil is quite different from air cooled 2 stroke oil. Mainly for water dispersion properties, these additives do cause problems in air cooled 2 stroke petrol engines.
SAE 30 or any multi grade oil is not suitable for a modern 2 stroke engine. It will cause sticking rings. In work with small engines I suspect you have seen this.
For 4 stroke B&S engines including Vanguard ones used in some John Deere products, multi grade oil is fine.

Yes, agreed !!

Back in the day when multi-grade wasn't as common either, my understanding is, they actually used engine oil
until they designed specific 2 stroke oils, hence very old McCulloch's and the like quite often had gummed up rings...

You might of mentioned i think about the oil slinger/splash feed oiling system, which is important never to overfill
because this will not allow the oil to splash on to vital areas, because it just is too submerged and just aerates the
oil instead... which i guess you might already know...

Some engines such as Vanguard have full pressure lube oil pump systems with replaceable oil filters...
Just mentioning some of these things for anyone else interested too...

[swoody]

I'm a mechanic for a major hire company, we have everything from small Honda, Briggs, Robin, etc, to big Cummins, Cat, Perkins engines, plenty of them run 24/7 in pumps, generators etc, and they all get the same engine oil Caltex Delo 400 15w40 mixed fleet oil, it meets all manufacturers requirements and is fine to use during warranty period for all of our engines, our engines almost never wear out, usually everything else is trashed and the machine is disposed of before any engine troubles crop up.

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