New HU700H - Oil Question

l008com

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I just unboxed my new mower and it's very nice! You can certainly see the difference between this thing and a $200 machine. But I have one important question. It has a honda engine, 160cc i believe. The manual says it takes 18.5 ounces of oil, but the mower came with a bottle of just 15.5 ounce? What gives? Do you want to run it with less oil when it's new? Did they make a mistake during packaging? I have other oil I can top it off with, but my other oil is full synthetic 0w-30, can I mix that with traditional non-synthetic?

Other than the oil, man this thing is nice. So fast and surprisingly light for how big it is. Super easy to maneuver. Even the one-lever height adjustment, which you figure would probably be somewhat of a pain to use, is actually a piece of cake!
 

Bwells

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I would say to not mix synthetic oil with petroleum based oil. Do one or the other and I have never heard of 0w-30, do you live in North Dakota?
 

bertsmobile1

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Synthetic oil is petrolium oil.
All they do is to break it down into smaller basic molecules hen reassemble it the bits they want.
Exactly the same as we do with flour
 

robert@honda

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I just unboxed my new mower and it's very nice! You can certainly see the difference between this thing and a $200 machine. But I have one important question. It has a honda engine, 160cc i believe. The manual says it takes 18.5 ounces of oil, but the mower came with a bottle of just 15.5 ounce? What gives? Do you want to run it with less oil when it's new? Did they make a mistake during packaging? I have other oil I can top it off with, but my other oil is full synthetic 0w-30, can I mix that with traditional non-synthetic?

Other than the oil, man this thing is nice. So fast and surprisingly light for how big it is. Super easy to maneuver. Even the one-lever height adjustment, which you figure would probably be somewhat of a pain to use, is actually a piece of cake!


The standard Honda GCV160 has a published oil capacity of 17 ounces. That said, the only way to properly check/measure/fill is to use the dipstick; don't just dump 17 ounces in there and think it is okay. Measure it, and add/drain as necessary:
attachment.php

Probably not a good idea to mix synthetic and petroleum-based oils together. Honda recommends SAE 10W-30 for most environments, and it does not matter what type of oil, as long as it is marked "SAE 10W-30" What IS important is the change interval. Don't buy into the hype you can extend the factory change interval since you are using a high-zoot synthetic oil. First change on a brand new engine is at 25 hours, then every 100 after that. Fit an hour meter to your new mower and you won't have to 'guess' when it should be serviced. Honda offers one made by ENM that displays engine speed when the engine is on, and total hours when the engine is off. ($35 list).



Google the Part Number to find a Honda dealer selling it online, our buy it local by finding a dealer near you:

Find A Honda Dealer
 

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cpurvis

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I just unboxed my new mower and it's very nice! You can certainly see the difference between this thing and a $200 machine. But I have one important question. It has a honda engine, 160cc i believe. The manual says it takes 18.5 ounces of oil, but the mower came with a bottle of just 15.5 ounce? What gives? Do you want to run it with less oil when it's new? Did they make a mistake during packaging? I have other oil I can top it off with, but my other oil is full synthetic 0w-30, can I mix that with traditional non-synthetic?

Other than the oil, man this thing is nice. So fast and surprisingly light for how big it is. Super easy to maneuver. Even the one-lever height adjustment, which you figure would probably be somewhat of a pain to use, is actually a piece of cake!

The second paragraph seems to indicate that you have used the mower.

What did you decide on the oil before you started using the mower?
 

Honda Tech

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The reason for the 15.5 ounce bottle of oil is because Honda starts and runs all engines at the end of assembly. It is impossible to drain all of the oil out of the engine, so there is always some residual oil remaining. The 15.5 + the residual amount remaining in the engine will bring your oil level to the recommended level. Honda does recommend changing the oil on the GCV series engines after the first 5 hours and then every 50 hours thereafter. Always Be Sure To Properly Check The Oil Level BEFORE Starting Every Time. Even though it is a Honda, all small engines use oil and more so until the engine is properly broke in. Do Not Use a synthetic or synthetic blend until the engine is properly broke-in. This usually is recommend at the 50 hour mark.
Honda does offer engine oil that is formulated for air cooled engines, but any quality 10W30 or 30W is acceptable.
 

l008com

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The second paragraph seems to indicate that you have used the mower.

What did you decide on the oil before you started using the mower?

I didn't actually mow with it, just started it for a few minutes. The oil was a little low on the dip stick but not terribly low. I ran it for maybe 5 minutes then packed it away.
 

l008com

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The reason for the 15.5 ounce bottle of oil is because Honda starts and runs all engines at the end of assembly. It is impossible to drain all of the oil out of the engine, so there is always some residual oil remaining. The 15.5 + the residual amount remaining in the engine will bring your oil level to the recommended level. Honda does recommend changing the oil on the GCV series engines after the first 5 hours and then every 50 hours thereafter. Always Be Sure To Properly Check The Oil Level BEFORE Starting Every Time. Even though it is a Honda, all small engines use oil and more so until the engine is properly broke in. Do Not Use a synthetic or synthetic blend until the engine is properly broke-in. This usually is recommend at the 50 hour mark.
Honda does offer engine oil that is formulated for air cooled engines, but any quality 10W30 or 30W is acceptable.

Are you sure about those numbers? 50 hours seems like a long time between oil changes (the Husqvarna manual says 25). And 50 hours seems like a REALLY long time before you can start using synthetic oil, that's like two full years of mowing right there, maybe a bit more. Also I haven't been able to find any mention of the "change after 5" thing. I was just going to change it in the spring, which means i probably will do 5-10 hours with what's left of this season anyway. But I was planning on going right to synthetic in the spring.
 

Honda Tech

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Are you sure about those numbers? 50 hours seems like a long time between oil changes (the Husqvarna manual says 25). And 50 hours seems like a REALLY long time before you can start using synthetic oil, that's like two full years of mowing right there, maybe a bit more. Also I haven't been able to find any mention of the "change after 5" thing. I was just going to change it in the spring, which means i probably will do 5-10 hours with what's left of this season anyway. But I was planning on going right to synthetic in the spring.

The maintenance chart in your Honda engine operators manual. I would personally recommend Husqvarna's recommendation though. Oil should be changed annually or every 25 hours, whichever comes first. Also concerning the use of synthetic oil. Honda doesn't recommend synthetic oil for two reasons: 1. It is more expensive and would still need to be changed at regular intervals per maintenance chart. 2. It will also lower the engine temperature. Air cooled engines are designed to operate within a specific temperature range. If it doesn't, it can lead to excessive carbon build-up, carbon fouling the plug and auto-chokes not operating properly. I attached the Honda Maintenance chart.
Maintenance Schedule.PNGMaintenance Schedule.PNG
 

l008com

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A few days after this weirdness, I checked the oil level before actually mowing my lawn with it for the first time. And the oil level was at the normal full level. Looks like the oil fairy had stopped by in the middle of the night and topped off my tank. I can't really explain it but I guess the problem is no more. I'll check it before my next few mows and if it stays good then I guess it's all set. I still think I'm going to switch to synthetic next spring.
 
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