Honda HRR216VKA Strange phenomenon

[shurguywutt]

A while back I only had 10w-20 on hand so I put it in my mower and ran a total of about 15 hours fine (about 4-5 mows).

A week ago I was mowing the lawn and hit something and the mower started vibrating pretty bad.

Of course I thought the blade was out of alignment which it was and a .25" chip was in the blade.

I evened it out as best I could and started the mower back up. Vibrations decreased by about 50% and I finished the lawn.

At the end of the mow, I had some 10w-30 on hand now so I decided to change the oil to the right spec. Now the vibrations are completely gone and the mower seems to be running stronger than ever. :confused2:

I thought this was super weird. Have any of you guys experienced something like this before? Could a lighter oil viscosity cause vibrations? If so what would this have to do with me hitting something and the blade getting chipped?

I could just be crazy lol.

 

[mechanic mark]

Everything, use only manufacturers spec. oil & parts if you want your engine & mower to keep running & operating properly, avoiding internal engine damage as well as mower damage.

 

[shacky]

A while back I only had 10w-20 on hand so I put it in my mower and ran a total of about 15 hours fine (about 4-5 mows).

A week ago I was mowing the lawn and hit something and the mower started vibrating pretty bad.

Of course I thought the blade was out of alignment which it was and a .25" chip was in the blade.

I evened it out as best I could and started the mower back up. Vibrations decreased by about 50% and I finished the lawn.

At the end of the mow, I had some 10w-30 on hand now so I decided to change the oil to the right spec. Now the vibrations are completely gone and the mower seems to be running stronger than ever. :confused2:

I thought this was super weird. Have any of you guys experienced something like this before? Could a lighter oil viscosity cause vibrations? If so what would this have to do with me hitting something and the blade getting chipped?

I could just be crazy lol.

Can't see how difference in oil weight could possibly cause a vibration. Maybe there was some grass or dirt caught in blade of shaft that fell out during oil change?

 

[shurguywutt]

Actually it was 5w-20 not 10w-20. I actually had my blade sharpened and balanced since at the shop and now it runs better than when I first bought the mower. It must have just been a combination of the lighter oil (probably running at higher rpms since less friction in the cylinder) and the unbalanced blade.