Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hey Guys,
At the risk of starting another heated oil  thread, I just have a simple question, that should not be a a problem.

For my new snowblower, the Tecumseh manual says this.......

Above 32 degrees............straight 30 SAE
0 to 32 degrees..................multigrade SAE 5W30
Below 0 degrees.................Synthetic 0W30

Now for my question...........most of the time, I think I blow snow in that 0-32 degree range. Sometimes we could get a snow at night, and blow snow the next day with the sun out, and it may be above 32 degrees.  Sometimes, it can get so cold here that it is below 0 for days, and you are blowing snow........(although usually when it is that cold, it does not snow.)

Does 0W30 mean it has almost no lubracation in the coldest weather?  I either plan on using synthetic 5W30 or 0W30, but am not sure which I should really use.  Perhaps I am over thinking this, because I know guys who always use just regular straight 30 with no problems.

Synthetic 5W30 has to be better then that, and I'd say that it is in that range (0-32 degrees) that most of the blowing occurs. Does using 0W30 just give me a wider range of protection, or could it be too thin sometimes since it is sometimes zero weight..( a concept I cannot grasp....how can a oil be zero weight, it would be like water.....??)

What do you guys suggest......??

Hard to believe we have gotten so little snow that until this week, I am still on the break-in oil..........well, off to work.

thanks,

Frank D.

hi frank,

this may not be the suggestion you're looking for but i just use straight 30 because of storing the equipment in a heated garage................

i think that for me thats fine as the start-up isnt harming the engine..................

if a machine would be kept in the cold or an unheated space i would definetly use synthetic...................

just my 2 cents,

bill

faithfulFrank wrote:
Just run the 5W 30 full synthetic and you'll be fine.

Frank-
   I use 5w30 in mine, semi synth(synth base).  My machine is stored in an attched, semi finished(inulation and drywall) garage that is not actively heated.  I would suggest you use at least 5w30 if not 0w30.  Becaue you are in warranty, i would use esactly what the OM says, that way if(god forbid) something happens to the engine they don't get cranky with you on the oil used, not that they'd have a leg to stand on, but ive heard of stranger.

5w30 Synthetic. 

Marc

Frank, I like you looked at the Tecumseh oil spec chart. As I have been hearing good things about synthetic I decided to go that route. For synthetic, the chart only specifies 0W-30 or a Tecumseh oil which is also 0W-30, for temperatures ranging from about –30F to +40F. I have about 8 hours with Mobil 1 0W-30 with no problems so far. I’m keeping close tabs on the oil level. I keep the blower in a garage which has some minimal heat-ranges from 35-40 F. Jonathan

5w30 Mobile 1 here. Has run fine even at zero. You can even run this in warm weather, I do, you just have to watch oil consumption in the warm weather.

based upon info from this site went w/ the synthetic 5w 30.

i had bought the oil. put it in and then  lookesdat the chart in the engine book.  almost drained it out (as it was not wehat was recommended),,,,,but hell tecumseh is requiring (recommending) synthetic at the lower temp range so i deducted that the synthetic in the higher tem range would  not be bad.

Hi Frank,

0W (read zero "dub ya") and 5W (read five "dub ya") are the cold flow ratings for two different grades of a SAE 30 multi-viscosity oil.  The "W" actually stands for Winter and this rating is necessary, due to the property of an oil getting thicker with colder temperatures.

A  0W oil meets a max cold flow rating of 6200 centipoise at -35C (-29F) per the SAE J300 guidelines.

A 5W oil meets a max cold flow rating of 6600 centipoise at -30C ( -20F).

So a 0W -30 rated oil is going to have better cold flow characteristics than a 5W-30 at extreme, below zero, temperatures.

However, to be practical, M1 0W-30 & M1 5W-30 have very similar viscosities from normal engine operating temps down to about 0 degrees F , where the 5W starts to get thicker at a faster rate.

And Frank, as far as the warm weather, I run 5 or 10W-30 even in the summer in my Kohlers. Maybe your Tecumseh Snow engine is different in needing strait 30W, as the manual says but the point is, when are you going to using it much when the temperature is more than few degrees above freezing? I would not use strait 30W in a winter machine. Take your pick of the other two.

I use regular Valvoline 5W-30.  Sometime I'll switch to synthetic.

Blue9R, I really enjoy reading your posts about oil. 

Thanks guys for the info so far.........
I know most of you are far more knowledgeable about oil than I.
Yes Marshall, you are right in that I'l never run this in the summer........
I was basically asking under my conditions, should I pick Mobil 1 0W30 or Mobil 1 5W30.........

Respectfully,
Frank D.

Hi Frank...


One important point... what is the temperature where the snowblower is stored ?

If it's stored above 32... and it's zero outside... then a straight 30 weight is fine...
since the engine is above 32 before it's started... and once started... it'll be way over 32...


Or... am I all wet on this folks ?


Dave...

mml4 wrote:
That's what I use. But I would not fret over the difference between zero dub ya and five dub ya.

If you want to be absolutely sure, maybe call Tecumseh.

Factory Service Location
Tecumseh Power Company
900 North Street
Grafton, Wisconsin 53024-1499
Toll Free 1-800-558-5402

Frank,

Use 5W30 as it falls in the range of your average winter temperature. Check your owners manual and see what it says for recommended oil for all round use.  Mine says to use 5W30.

If you have to start it on a day colder than -20F, the oil will only be thicker for a short time while the engine warms up, but it won't be frozen solid. Seldom does it snow at -30F where either of us live.  We don't live in areas of extreme cold so don't need 0W30.

Dave_in_Ct:

If the machine is stored where the temperature is consistently warm and started there you could use the SAE30 oil, but the 5W30 will perform the same at that temperature. I'd use whatever the manual says, to be safe. Should you have to leave it outside and it gets very cold, it will be harder to start with the straight 30 weight oil. Won't have the wear protection of the multigrade for a short time until the oil warms up.

It sounds like the concensus is to use 5W30 Synthetic.  The baby is stored in an unheated, but attached and insulated garage, so the "start-up" temperature would average between 10 degrees to 35 degrees.............

I may call Techumseh as Rob suggested, since it is a free number, etc..........but I'm sure the 5W30 would be a good choice...........

Frank D.

Heck Frank, you got 9 more months to decide, you missed the snow this year.  

ff,
did you ever call Tecumseh?

This is the rule I go by here.  (Snowshoveler will correct me if I'm too far out)

If it's summer straight 30 - no matter what the engine is.  We've seen larger (25HP) Kohlers run on multigrade and well they seem to do alright for a while - then it's to the repair shop they go for lifters.  As the oil isn't doing a great job in the lubricating department.  Also seen what 5W30 can do in the heat - not pretty.  With the multi grade in the summer the engine will tend to "eat" more oil.  However there are exceptions to every rule.  (That's a new statement I learned today from doing warranty forms.)

Winter use - 5W30 - no matter the engine.  Straight 30 is too heavy and 10W30 sometimes is pushing it.

I expect to see Snowshoveler reply on this one as well.  He can explain it much more eliquintely than I can.

Sherri

Sherri,
I love synthetic. Choose a reputable full synthetic of the proper grade. I think you will really like it if you try it. I like Redline, Amsoil, and in a pinch Mobil1. Becareful the oil companies sued to be able to call a blend, synthetic oil. It's not. Becareful.

We did a little test on our own.  We sat 3 oils out in a snow bank.  2 different regular 5W30's (Tecumseh and Shell) and a synthetic oil (Shell).  Now having said that - it wasn't a very scientific test.

Know something?  They all poured at the same rated when they came inside.

The only advantages I could see would be in the additives.

Sherri

PS - Still trying to get Snowshoveler calmed down a bit from last night.  Still not impressed about time outs...he's a little old to be sitting in a corner.

For those of you looking to run a straight 30wt. in the summer Amsoil makes a synthetic. It is called "SAE30Synthetic Diesel Oil". If you read the label it says you can use it in gas engines as well. It is rated API ServiceCF,CF-2,SH,SJ,SL. Only available in gallon containers for $21.20.

I used it all last season In my 6.5HP Kawisaki ohv lawn mower,5hp Tecumseh Snapperizer and a 31/2 hp Craftsman bagger shredder. The tec. and the craftsman are at least 20 years old and along with the new Kawi. ran great.

Marc

Re: The pour test- Is the Shell a full synthetic or a blend?

ill have to make this short and sweet so i dont get missplaced if you know what i mean.

when it comes to small engines we all have to remember 1 particular thing.for the most part they are all air cooled.so when the BIG OIL boys want to play they really dont have the stuff. just about every on the market is designed for a liquid cooled engine.so what temps do they run ,well think about it .they go from whatever temp engine is at startup to maybe 20 or 30 above coolant temp.

now an air cooled engine oil starts at whatever engine temp is ,but from there it goes well over 400 degrees by times.

even the fancy pants synthetic isnt really designed for that.unless it says air cooled on the bottle.

im gonna catch it for that one. but we must realize we just arent worth it the market for this stuff is too small for them to be concerned with us.there is some real air cooled synthetic stuff out there.

later chris  

ill just keep making small posts ha ha .

and i was talking about oil in air cooled engines.

and got a bit sidetracked  even.

anyway what i was meaning was that if your engine is full of a quality oil then you are better than most people.

i see so many good engines gone bad because of poor oil maintinence (sp)even the mighty will go down when the oil is never changed .

as a rule of thumb with a snowblower ,if your blowing snow then use the 5w30 if your snowblower does duty as somthing else then use the temp correct oil for that season.

even if that engine is started inside  im just not sure how warm that oil is by the time you get to the end of the driveway.

however any oil is better than no oil.

and i have never seen a snow engine go kaboom with a good oil history.

later chris