Hours between oil changes

Carscw · Sep 19, 2013

BWH said:
The Briggs & Stratton manual that come with my 1992 Grasshopper 612 does have a synthetic or detergent oil listed in its recomendations. I run the first two oil changes with detergent oil then due to cold starts I switched to synthetic never changing back. At this point I have just short of 2000 hours and have never had it opened up plus it stills pulls the 48 inch deck around without laboring the engine at all nor does it use any oil between changes (20 hour intervals)

Every 20 hours that would be twice a week.

I don't get why people say I'd it's dusty when mowing change your oil more often
Tell me how the dirt gets in the oil

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

MBDiagMan · Sep 19, 2013

Carscw said:
Every 20 hours that would be twice a week.

I don't get why people say I'd it's dusty when mowing change your oil more often
Tell me how the dirt gets in the oil

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

Through the crankcase breather. Some engines are more susceptible to this than others.

Larry

djdicetn · Sep 19, 2013

MBDiagMan said:
Through the crankcase breather. Some engines are more susceptible to this than others.

Larry

Is the "crankcase breather"(I am small engine challenged:0) part of the "Donaldson air filter system" on my Kawaski FX691V commercial engine? I don't have "dusty conditions", but would think an engine with a "commercial grade" filtration system(which always makes an engine cost increase by around $200) would be one of those "less susceptible" engine types. Would that be a good guess?????

BWH · Sep 19, 2013

djdicetn said:
Wow, you must have a real nice customer base and lawn service income cash flow to afford synthetic oil & filter changes every 20 hours(for most commercial guys that would easily be a weekly expense).

Yea your right I got started when it was new and just never lengthen it out (what can I say it was my baby). It was around once a month oil changes in the summer and I had a number of winters that I had some good hours with a snow blower on it and logged some good hours also. I never mentioned I also have always used a high pressure synthetic greese on the mower also and have had good results it seems like the only things that wore were the non lubercated points.

Carscw · Sep 20, 2013

MBDiagMan said:
Through the crankcase breather. Some engines are more susceptible to this than others. Larry

so if it gets in the oil from the breather tube then it is also going into the carb.

Is this not what the pre filter and filter should stop? This is why you need to keep oil on your pre filter.

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

MBDiagMan · Sep 20, 2013

No the crankcase breather is usually not part of the air cleaner system, but when it is, it leads to an area before the air enters the filter. There is usually a small filter somewhere that vents the crankcase vapors, but filters the air to prevent dust from entering the crankcase. On some small engines there's not even a filter, only a tube that leads away from a valve cover or somewhere. The old OHV Tecumseh comes to mind. It had a baffle that led air away from an area under the valve cover where no oil usually slung around, and then the tube led away and down so that any oil or smoke would be away from the engine.

reynoldston · Sep 20, 2013

I know a lot of people don't agree but, 100% synthetic Amsoil 15W40 and filter every 100 hours and anymore then that you are throwing money away. If it makes you comfortable just change it ones a day can't hurt anything but your wallet.

djdicetn · Sep 20, 2013

reynoldston said:
I know a lot of people don't agree but, 100% synthetic Amsoil 15W40 and filter every 100 hours and anymore then that you are throwing money away. If it makes you comfortable just change it ones a day can't hurt anything but your wallet.

Question....do any synthetics come in a "single weight"(i.e. SAE30)???? Every mower's owner manual and every small engine manual I've ever read stated that the use of multi-viscosity oil leads to oil consumptuion when used at temeratures > 32 degrees(and to check & top up the oil more frequently when using them). Why is that??????

P.S.
The part of that which "stuck in my mind" was that they do not say MAY lead to oil consumption, indicating it's a given. I have read users post how many years they have used 10w40 and never experienced that, but maybe they were "lucky".

reynoldston · Sep 20, 2013

djdicetn said:
Question....do any synthetics come in a "single weight"(i.e. SAE30)???? Every mower's owner manual and every small engine manual I've ever read stated that the use of multi-viscosity oil leads to oil consumptuion when used at temeratures > 32 degrees(and to check & top up the oil more frequently when using them). Why is that??????

P.S.
The part of that which "stuck in my mind" was that they do not say MAY lead to oil consumption, indicating it's a given. I have read users post how many years they have used 10w40 and never experienced that, but maybe they were "lucky".

Yes Amsoil diesel oil has a SAE 30, but I have better luck with the 15W40 with engines with a lot of hours. Yes Amsoil oil cost more to buy but seeing you can run it longer in the engine it end up costing the same. No nothing wrong using a cheaper oil other then the labor of buying it and changing it more often. To each his own on this being what makes you feel the best.

BWH · Sep 21, 2013

Carscw said:
Every 20 hours that would be twice a week.

I don't get why people say I'd it's dusty when mowing change your oil more often
Tell me how the dirt gets in the oil

(( cowboy up and get over it ))

1920 hours divided by 21 years = 91.428 hours per year divided by 5 months (April 1/2, May, June, July, August, September 1/2 = 18.28 hours per month. Then add in 8 to ten years of winter snow blowing. This is just easy averaging but I do have a compleate log of all service and maintenance that is very accurate.

The contaminents in the oil (dirt) is more related to the internal combustion engine and its carburation ineffency than actual dirt contamination. Altho the air breather systems of the early 1990's left a lot to be desired by todays standard.

I know it was mentioned that it gets costly buying synthetic oil at $8.00+ but in 1992 I was buying it for under $3.00.

I guess in the end it goes back to the old oil commercial that went like this " PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER"

No right no wrong just personal preferences.

Hours between oil changes

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Carscw

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MBDiagMan

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djdicetn

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BWH

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Carscw

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MBDiagMan

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reynoldston

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djdicetn

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BWH

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