Abby’s Guide > Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) > Discussions > Glitter in motor oil
Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions |
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aa335
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434
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Re: Glitter in motor oil
Reply #6 Jan 31, 2011 7:27 pm |
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Probably only in Chinese engines. And unfortunately, I don't mean that as a smartalec answer. I own the same machine and I didn't see anything in the old oil when I changed mine. I'm beginning to think our problems with the Chinese engines have just begun. So far, this Chinese engine has performed better than my expectation. Fuel leaks is fairly minor, I dealt with the problem temporarily until Toro respond with a proper fix. It could be worse.
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CharlesW
Joined: Jan 9, 2011
Points: 76
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Re: Glitter in motor oil
Reply #7 Jan 31, 2011 10:35 pm |
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So far, this Chinese engine has performed better than my expectation. Fuel leaks is fairly minor, I dealt with the problem temporarily until Toro respond with a proper fix. It could be worse. The 421 has done a great job for me as well. It's my first single stage machine and so far it has been pretty impressive. Like you, I have no real complaints about the Chinese engine, no gas leak or any other problems, but I am still not as comfortable with it as I could be. FWIW, The mechanic at my local dealer told me that other than the carburetor recall, he has not had to work on any of the Toro Chinese engines. Also, none of the 20 or so 180s he did the recall on was actually leaking when they were brought in. Just a little more info, the carburetor is removed and if it looks new and pristine inside, it gets a new needle only. If the carburetor has gunk, rust. or shavings in it, a new carburetor is installed. To me, the gunk and rust sounds like classic ethanol problems. The alcohol collects moisture and that probably causes the rust. The gunk residue is also pretty common when ethanol gas is used. I can still buy "pure" gas and I avoid ethanol blends in everything I own.
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aa335
Joined: Nov 29, 2008
Points: 2434
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Re: Glitter in motor oil
Reply #11 Feb 1, 2011 11:57 am |
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The alcohol collects moisture and that probably causes the rust. The gunk residue is also pretty common when ethanol gas is used.
I'm trying to grasp how rust could be formed if the alcohol in the ethanol collects moisture. If the alcohol is hydroscopic and absorbs the moisture, that deprives rust of moisture, how does rust continue to form? It's like starting a fire, you need three things to get it started and keep going. Anyways, a little off topic too, but until we know more of the plausible root cause(s), I wouldn't want to place the blame on ethanol and/or Chinese engines. As much as I hate losing our jobs to another country that is more than willing to do it at a fraction of what we demand here, there are people here who made short-sighted decisions to outsource overseas to appease investors and stockholders quarterly reports. Don't blame the Chinese, they have as much drive as us progressing through the Industrial revolution in the US years ago. Instead of blaming, how about a restrospective look at our spending habits and penchant for cheap consumables? If you want to buy products cheap at discount stores, how many Americans are willing to produce it? Sorry to get off topic and going political. But every problem has multi faceted root causes. I've done my fair share of failure analysis and if anyone think they found a smoking gun without data to back it up, they're just a clown with an opinion. Sorry, but not all white papers are unbiased truth. They can be bought and sold just like any fiction books out there. Off my soapbox now. Back to our regular topic. :)
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