Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > New Engine . . . Change the Oil ? How Soon ?
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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New_Yorker
Preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary
Location: Long Island, NY
Joined: Nov 26, 2010
Points: 219
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New Engine . . . Change the Oil ? How Soon ?
Original Message Jan 6, 2011 9:43 am |
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For every new engine I ever purchase, whether in a new car or a lawnmower I change the oil after just a few hours of use. I learned to do this because a new engine wears in and creates small metal particles that cause excess wear if they are not removed from the engine, and even in new cars with oil filters the filter is limited in how small the particles it can trap. In the case of my New Honda GX 270 engine that powers my Honda Snowblower, I ran the machine for about 2 hours, then drained and refilled the engine with 100% synthetic oil. When the oil was visible in the drain pan it was grey in color from the large quantity of metal wear particles suspended in the oil. I will probably wait another 4 to 6 hours of operation before doing another oil change. Considering that the expensive new engine only requires a little more than 1 quart of oil, and it has no oil filter, it seems a prudent investment to add these very early oil changes to the maintenance regimen of a new engine. Incidentally, Honda suggests the first change after 20 hours. Based on the evidence of the metal in the oil, I would suggest that is far too long to wait for that initial oil change. I'm curious how others feel about this.
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borat
Joined: Nov 10, 2007
Points: 2692
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Re: New Engine . . . Change the Oil ? How Soon ?
Reply #7 Jan 6, 2011 2:54 pm |
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Easier starting due to low viscosity. Heck it's only a quarts worth anyway O I used synthetic oil in my snow blower for the first three years. Consumption was at a rate of about 1 oz. per hour of hard use. Not sure if it was the engine or the oil. I changed back to 5W30 conventional oil to see if it's the oil or the engine causing consumption. Still need more time to get the results of that experiment. As far as easy starting, no difference between synthetic and dino of the same viscosity. None. You're right. We're only talking a quart of oil here and there. Nonetheless, why pay two or three times the price when you're not utilizing the expensive oil's properties?
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New_Yorker
Preach the Gospel always, use words when necessary
Location: Long Island, NY
Joined: Nov 26, 2010
Points: 219
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Re: New Engine . . . Change the Oil ? How Soon ?
Reply #15 Jan 6, 2011 9:13 pm |
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including Corvettes. I've been racing for over 20 years and my engines have synthetic oil in the oil plan from the very 1st lap but are broken in on the dyno and/or in the shop with conventional oil. That said, I don't see a benefit to using synthetic oil in my snow blower than probably won't see more than 20 hours of run time per season. Snowblowers are used in the coldest places during the coldesy time of the year. Petroleum oils thicken and do not lubricate as well in cold climates because they contain parrafin wax. In severe arctic cold engines must often be kept running all the time to prevent the oil from becoming so thick it won't flow. 100% Synthetic Oil has NO parrafin wax in it, and does Not thicken in the cold. I'd say a snowblower is a very appropriate application for 100% synthetic motor oil.
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