oil type

reynoldston

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Bought a used model 180 John Deere from a lawn sale and no owner manual. It has a 17 hp Kawasaki engine. Would anyone know what the type of oil that this engine takes other then brand. I use Ams oil in everything when I buy it new but don't want to put synthetic oil in a engine I don't know.
 

mullins87

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You may be able to find an online manual. Otherwise, if you'll only use it during hot summer months, then 30w is okay. However, if you are going to use it in the cooler months of spring and fall as well, then maybe you should use 10w30. I use 30w in my two older engines. I have a newer John Deere and I use 10w30 in it. I may use a little more oil, but since I check it everytime I mow, keeping it full is no issue.
 

reynoldston

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You may be able to find an online manual. Otherwise, if you'll only use it during hot summer months, then 30w is okay. However, if you are going to use it in the cooler months of spring and fall as well, then maybe you should use 10w30. I use 30w in my two older engines. I have a newer John Deere and I use 10w30 in it. I may use a little more oil, but since I check it everytime I mow, keeping it full is no issue.

I will be useing this mower in the summer only with less then 10hrs per season so I will use the SAE30 oil in it and change the oil and filter once a year. My other mower I have been useing Ams synthetic 10W40 diesel oil and change it every 100hrs. I have been looking for a on line owners manual but the only ones I can find they want money. Seeing I will be useing this mower so small amount of hrs I don't want to buy a owners manual just to know what type of oil to use in this mower.
 

KennyV

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My other mower I have been useing Ams synthetic 10W40 diesel oil and change it every 100hrs.

Just wondering why you don't want to use the good oil, Synthetic 10W40 diesel oil in this engine???

Is there some reason you would not ? It can't be that it will take too much oil to do an annual oil & filter change...
I run 5W40 synthetic diesel oil in every engine I have... and I do it for the same reason in all of them... I can't think of a good reason not to use a great oil ... and I change them all once a year... :smile:KennyV
 

reynoldston

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Just wondering why you don't want to use the good oil, Synthetic 10W40 diesel oil in this engine???

Is there some reason you would not ? It can't be that it will take too much oil to do an annual oil & filter change...
I run 5W40 synthetic diesel oil in every engine I have... and I do it for the same reason in all of them... I can't think of a good reason not to use a great oil ... and I change them all once a year... :smile:KennyV

What is wrong with Ams oil? I just checked what I have been useing and it is 100% synthetic 10w-30 not 40 in the mower. I have been useing Ams oil in every thing I own for many years, car, truck,mowers, scooters, motorcycle and never had a problim yet. It sure is not a cheap oil at over 11 dollars a quart. The ferris mower gets around a 100hrs. use a year, it is used by more then one family and we all share in the maintenance so I should of said annual oil change. We have found that one good mower is better then each of us buying a cheap mower and it does a better and faster job of mowing. As far as a great oil gos I think you will find that any brand name oil is a good oil and I would never get into that debate.
 

KennyV

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What is wrong with Ams oil?

...As far as a great oil gos I think you will find that any brand name oil is a good oil and I would never get into that debate.

Ams is great oil...!
I was just wondering Why you didn't use a good multi vis oil, even a summer only use is not going to have the same temperatures from start to-in use to stop...
just seems as if you were saying that engine for some reason didn't need the same great oil you were using in others... ?

I just like a wider spread 5W40... Also been using it for ever....
And your right.... It's Hard to find a bad oil. :smile:KennyV
 

reynoldston

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I have away been told not to put synthetic oil in and older engine that never had synthetic oil in it. The reason is that it will start useing oil. I don't know this as a true fact because I never tryed it. I also don't know what this mower had in it for oil seeing I bought it at a lawn sale. This is the reason I was asking what Jhon Deere recommend in there owners manual for oil.
mullins87 said that he used 30w in his older engines and it just sounded good to me so this is the reason I said SAE30.
 

KennyV

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I have away been told not to put synthetic oil in and older engine that never had synthetic oil in it. The reason is that it will start useing oil. I don't know this as a true fact because I never tryed it.

Now is the time to try it... I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you will discover... :smile:KennyV
 

reynoldston

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You have a good point seeing it takes less then one quart for a oil change.
 
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