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Hi; noob here. I have a 22' Toro rotary mower that originally had a Tecumseh 120LEV engine. Despite being properly maintained, the Tec engine failed after about 7 years of moderately hard use. It lost compression because it had metal transfer between its rings and cylinder. So I'm replacing it with a Kawasaki FJ180V motor.

Is it unrealistic to expect a mower engine to last longer than that? I would like the Kawasaki engine to last longer than the Tec did, so I'm trying to figure out if I did something wrong to the Tec motor that made it fail.

Is there any reason why you can't tip a mower on its side in order to sharpen the blade? This doesn't deprive the engine of oil when it first starts up, does it?

I found it quite difficult to get the correct amount of oil in the Tec engine. No matter how slowly you added the new oil, you would usually overfill it a little bit. Does this cause lack of lubrication somehow?

I used 20-50W oil in the Tec, even though they recommended straight 30W detergent. Do yo think this caused a lack of lubrication?

I would appreciate any ideas you might have on how to make the Kawasaki engine last longer. Thanks.

The 20W50 may have been too heavy for the plunger type oil pump in the Tecumseh on a cooler day that lead to lack of lube. Tipping the mower on its side won't have any effect on lubrication but can lead to hydraulic lock if the oil gets into the breather then is pulled on top of the piston.

that was definitely a lubrication issue....either from cold starts or overheating....many of us here use ROTELLA T6 synthetic to alleviate both those issues......when you tip...keep the carb on the top side:smile:

Overfilling can allow the crankshaft etc. to hit the oil and aerate it, the foaming causes a loss of lubrication. Also, if the engineer/designer specified 30 weight oil, why do so many people use somthing else? Just because Uncle Joe got 500,000 miles out of his Rolls-Kinhardly using whale oil doesn't mean it's the oil for everyone. The manufacturer puts out a manual hoping someone will read it. I won't apologize for the rant, because I am an engineer, putting large ($4,000,000) diesels into marine applications and then the users want to disregard the OEM oil recommendations. I like lawn mower oil, in the right viscosity, because it's formulated for air cooled engines and hasn't had the extreme pressure additives reduced/removed to protect an automotive catalytic convertor.

And yet neither is the Rotella T6 that reddragon recommends the same as the factory-recommended oil, which was straight 30W. I thought I was using an oil that was better than the factory-recommended one. So do you think I should use the Rotella oil in my new engine?

Grass ala Mowed said:

Overfilling can allow the crankshaft etc. to hit the oil and aerate it, the foaming causes a loss of lubrication. Also, if the engineer/designer specified 30 weight oil, why do so many people use somthing else? Just because Uncle Joe got 500,000 miles out of his Rolls-Kinhardly using whale oil doesn't mean it's the oil for everyone. The manufacturer puts out a manual hoping someone will read it. I won't apologize for the rant, because I am an engineer, putting large ($4,000,000) diesels into marine applications and then the users want to disregard the OEM oil recommendations. I like lawn mower oil, in the right viscosity, because it's formulated for air cooled engines and hasn't had the extreme pressure additives reduced/removed to protect an automotive catalytic convertor.

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If the manufacture would update the manual from th 1940's then people would give them more consideration.

I was pleasantly surprised when I read the manual on the new JD that I bought this past spring it recommended 10w40 but some manufactures are still recommending 30w for the same engine.

You are correct about PCMO having reduced ZDDP and that is why those in the know use the T6 it has not been reduced HDEO is still at about 1200 PPM

Bill Crowell said:

And yet neither is the Rotella T6 that reddragon recommends the same as the factory-recommended oil, which was straight 30W. I thought I was using an oil that was better than the factory-recommended one. So do you think I should use the Rotella oil in my new engine?

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Asking questions about which oil is better will ALWAYS cause a post volley on this and any site that has anything to do with engines.
I've read dozens of them and I've come away sure of 2 things:
1. See above text in green.
2. The correct answer to the, "better than factory recommendations" questions will never be clear.
I personally believe that if you use the oil the manufacturer tells you and change it at regular intervals and don't let it get black and full of deposits, you will reach the "correct" service life.
7 years does not mean much, hours of use it what you need to factor. Given the same size lot, someone in Florida does a lot more mowing in a year than say someone in Canada. You may very well have exceeded the service life for that engine, there is no way to know what 7 years means in terms of hours running.

Mower manic is absolutely correct about oil questions raising a volley of responses on equipment related sites, that's for sure.:laughing:
I do know that having the correct amount of oil in a piece of equipment is a very important part of the equation. Since I have such a bad memory for numbers for all the junk I own, I'll usually make a label that attaches by the dipstick for how many ounces go into an oil change. I've got a dedicated measuring cup that I use for filling up all the different junk around here. And just to put my $.02 into the fray, I use Amsoil ASE, a synthetic oil that has been specifically engineered for the needs of small 4 stroke engines.

I think part of your issue was with the Tecumseh itself. I've never liked them. Always preferred a Briggs motor. And there's something to be said as to why Tecumseh isn't around anymore. Part of that could have been marketing, but surely a major part of it was lack of quality. But then, what do I know? I didn't know Kawasaki made an engine that would fit a 22" rotary.

I can't disagree about most of the advice given here. Too much oil is bad. 20W50 might have been too heavy. I might have used a 10W30 or 10W40. 30W might be of better use closer to the equator. What my comment would be is "how good of a job of sharpening can you do without removing the blade?".

And Mower Manic, while you are correct about oil threads, these are nothing compared to the ones in another forum I belong to. It's a motorcycle forum, dedicated to inline 4 cylinder Honda's from the 70s. A niche group, for sure, but world wide, they're almost 10,000 strong. And if there's one thing they can't agree on, it's oil. Half of the people who way in on any given thread, only do so to ridicule, or egg on other posters. It's hilarious.

Mower manic said:

Asking questions about which oil is better will ALWAYS cause a post volley on this and any site that has anything to do with engines.
I've read dozens of them and I've come away sure of 2 things:
1. See above text in green.
2. The correct answer to the, "better than factory recommendations" questions will never be clear.
I personally believe that if you use the oil the manufacturer tells you and change it at regular intervals and don't let it get black and full of deposits, you will reach the "correct" service life.
7 years does not mean much, hours of use it what you need to factor. Given the same size lot, someone in Florida does a lot more mowing in a year than say someone in Canada. You may very well have exceeded the service life for that engine, there is no way to know what 7 years means in terms of hours running.

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You left out the number of cold starts, While engine hours is what you would measure and not years of service every time you start the engine with straight 30w it must run until the oil warms before it will get proper lubrication.

The major reason car engine last so much longer is Muti-Grade oil that and electronic fuel injection so they no longer wash the cylinder walls with fuel like the old carb with choke did.

reddragon & BlackBart have got it correct... a GOOD multi viscosity Synthetic oil is going to be best...
Other oils may do okay... but whatever you choose, use a synthetic ... I also say you will never go wrong using Rotella T6, fantastic oil at a great price... :smile:KennyV

All good posts. I use synthetic in my car and truck, but they have to be started all year long from zero to 100 degrees, I don't mow if it's too hot. I do think air cooled motors can and will run hotter, so if I wasn't using the lawn mower oil (which says it is for air cooled motors), I would use synthetic. For the 20 ounces my Kohler takes, it's probably under a dollar per oil change to go to synthetic. I'll look at the Rotella, but it's a diesel oil, and make up my own mind.

I think we all agreed that a quality oil, of the right viscosity, changed often enough, and filled to the proper level is key to long engine life.

Grass ala Mowed said:

All good posts. I use synthetic in my car and truck, but they have to be started all year long from zero to 100 degrees, I don't mow if it's too hot. I do think air cooled motors can and will run hotter, so if I wasn't using the lawn mower oil (which says it is for air cooled motors), I would use synthetic. For the 20 ounces my Kohler takes, it's probably under a dollar per oil change to go to synthetic. I'll look at the Rotella, but it's a diesel oil, and make up my own mind.

I think we all agreed that a quality oil, of the right viscosity, changed often enough, and filled to the proper level is key to long engine life.

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T-6 clearly states on the jug it is API certified for gasoline engines the big difference is the add pack is much better.
Wal-Mart sells it for just a little over 21 Bucks for a gallon jug.

It was $16.00 until last winter they raised it.

I'm never too old to learn, I need to buy some soon; I'll go read the jug. Maybe I can use the T-6 in my portable back up Generator too and just buy one type of "off-road" oil.

Grass ala Mowed said:

All good posts. I use synthetic in my car and truck, but they have to be started all year long from zero to 100 degrees, I don't mow if it's too hot. I do think air cooled motors can and will run hotter, so if I wasn't using the lawn mower oil (which says it is for air cooled motors), I would use synthetic. For the 20 ounces my Kohler takes, it's probably under a dollar per oil change to go to synthetic. I'll look at the Rotella, but it's a diesel oil, and make up my own mind.

I think we all agreed that a quality oil, of the right viscosity, changed often enough, and filled to the proper level is key to long engine life.

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I think your point about synthetic in a small engine equates to a few dollars a year so why not? Is a good point..... It's pretty clear to me that it holds up better and I don't think there is a bigger challenge for a motor oil then a small, air cooled, engine crankcase.