My Kawasaki FH580 is 19 years old and has 1,408 hours on the meter. I have changed the oil/filter every 30-35 hours. With a couple of simple mods to the engine, it runs stronger than new with no oil usage or leaks. Take it for what it’s worth. BTY, I checked the compression 3 months ago , 126/127psi.
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No Oil Change In 5 Years: Kawasaki 17HP V-Twin. Now what?
- Thread starter MrBatter
- Start date
I would add a recommendation that since the oil changes have been so drastically neglected to change as recommended above and then do another change after about 15 hours to flush out contaminants and sludge and then change every 30 hours thereafter with good quality full synthetic 10w30 or 10w40. Keep in mind that these engines are subjected to dirty and stressful environments. Yes, my advice is overkill but my Kawasaki FH580 is 19 years old with 1,408 hours on the meter. Starts and runs stronger than new. (I used my knowledge of building M/X engines to modify this engine for more torque and cleaner running). Hechange it when it is hot and all the particles are in suspension. If you wait until the next day they settle so many remain.
Don't count on it.I've been told to add a cup of ATF to the new oil to help break down any deposits. Not sure if that's a good idea.
ATF. no not a good idea in an air cooled engine.
There is no engine manual on this planet that says to add ATF or any other snake oil to the oil sump. Tell your friend they need to read more.
Copy. Well, I now know it's gotta be changed & done so more often. I just wanted opinions on adding a cleaner & doing more than one change somewhat back-to-back. The overwhelming opinion says to skip the cleaner & probably do two changes. That's the plan. Was under the impression that if it didn't have many hrs of use, it didn't need changing. Had no idea time degraded oil. Live & learn. I change the oil in my push mower twice per yr bc I put more hrs on it. I was only putting maybe 5 hrs a year on the X300, so I figured it didn't need it. I was wrong. The hrs will change when age & health say so. Till then, I'm gonna push & sweat like a Turk. Did four hours of push mowing 7 3 in 97* temps to make it look good for the 4th & loved every minute of it. I do not doubt that even with neglecting the oil changes, the X300 will outlive me!If it has or takes oil, it WILL NEED TO BE CHANGED. Ooops, just let the secret out.
Stunned by the question of should I change the oil or not? Only holds what 1.5 quarts total? Not like you are draining and refilling a container ship engine.
Change the oil and filter and move on.....Ok, it's been 5 yrs but only 27 hours of run time since my John Deere X300's Kawasaki engine's last oil change. QS 10W-40. The book says to change yearly regardless of hours run. My bad. Should I do the regular oil change by letting the engine heat up 1st or maybe add some kind of cleaner to the mix? Good idea to follow that up with a 2nd oil change after maybe the 1st few hours? Thx.
farmerdave1954
Active Member
I have 3 tractors, 2 cars, one pickup, motorcycle, riding mower, portable generator, pressure washer, 3 push mowers and a few other misc engines around the farm. I write on all my engines' oil filters the date, hours or mileage, and type of oil used at the last oil change. I also write the same info on the empty oil filter box and keep the boxes on the shelf where I keep new oil filters. That way there is never any question what oil was last used, or when it was changed. For the small engines that don't use an oil filter, I have a notebook where I keep maintenance records for all vehicles and engines. I have never had an oil-related failure in any engine I've in over 55 years of farming.Hello M.,
How many total hours are on this machine? Your post states 27 hours since the "last oil change"?
Warm it up good then change the oil and get that old oil out of it. Run it a few hours with normal use and then change it again. After that you should be good to go.
It helps to mark your calendar ahead for your next oil service. I usually plan mine for the end of each cutting season.
andrewslarge
Well-Known Member
There is a free app called “VMT” or Vehicle Maintenance Tracker. It’s great
I too write on my equipment or use a label maker to document services
I too write on my equipment or use a label maker to document services