Oil

[7394]

No, I called last year when I just got my Z. & Local Toro Dealer has plenty of Kaw 30wt on hand.

 

[Ric]

Years ago I had syn oil that had run 7000 miles in my honda pilot vehicle tested at a lab. The report said the oil was in great shape but was at the outer limit for contaminants like fuel dilution and fine metal particles.
My "Takeaway" from this was although syn oil will most likely outlast Dino oil it can't magically get rid of the contaminants. Btw...the 7000 miles weren't hwy.
So...for me my new plan on motors is any good oil...but change more often.
I believe my kaw manual says change oil every 100 hours and filter every 200.
I found 5 qts Mobil 5000 10-40 at ww for $12.85.
My plan is to change oil every 40 hours....filter every 80. Unless the oil looks really clean..then might add 10 hours. Btw...bought a 3 ft chunk of 1/2" id hose at the hardware store that makes changing really ez.
Park the unit on a side hill w/drain valve on lowest corner.... run the hose out past the tire into an old cat littler jug....didn't spill a drop or have to crawl under the machine.
I wonder how good the $12.50 kaw engine filter is.....hopefully a tad better than the average auto equiv considering the kaw recommendation of skipping every 100 hours?

I use the Mobil 10w30 and get 5qts for the same price from Walmart, the Mobil synthetic is double that price and I change oil and filter every 50 hrs.I also use the Kawasaki filter 7007. Will see how the synthetic that they put in it goes.

 

[Ric]

Ric- I guess they did everything they could to yours.. Yeoww !!!



kraky- I spoke directly to Kawasaki (phone number is in my ZTR info packet). And I asked to speak to a tech, he said to me that yes the book says oil change every 100 hours & oil filter every 200 hours. But also said that should not be in the manual, he stated every 50 hours, or once a year if hours don't hit 50.. This I agree with, & is what I'll be doing with mine. & as long as I'm under warranty I'll be using Kaw oil & filters.

PS: Yes I did do the 8 hour oil & filter change, as should be done on a new engine.

The Kawasaki oil is good stuff but I'm not paying $8.00 a qt for it. I have seen it at the dealers. Can I ask what Toro ztr your running and what warranty you have? The new Z Masters are running the 5yr / 1200 hr warranty now.

 

[Brian902]

Mobil 10w30 synthetic in everything.

Change oil at least once a year or if hours exceed manufacture specs in a given year.

Filter always at the same time if one exists.

Done!

 

[SARG]

I used to waste the money on the "latest-greatest" oil ..... or the packager that was spending the most money for advertising.

Today after 40 years of doing my own maintenance ... I buy the Wallyworld brand ..... not caring which manufacturer they are bottling this month .... and use it in three vehicles ... five garden tractors & a ZTR.

Regular changes mean more to me that the current favorite flavor.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Years ago I had syn oil that had run 7000 miles in my honda pilot vehicle tested at a lab. The report said the oil was in great shape but was at the outer limit for contaminants like fuel dilution and fine metal particles.
My "Takeaway" from this was although syn oil will most likely outlast Dino oil it can't magically get rid of the contaminants. Btw...the 7000 miles weren't hwy.
So...for me my new plan on motors is any good oil...but change more often.
I believe my kaw manual says change oil every 100 hours and filter every 200.
I found 5 qts Mobil 5000 10-40 at ww for $12.85.
My plan is to change oil every 40 hours....filter every 80. Unless the oil looks really clean..then might add 10 hours. Btw...bought a 3 ft chunk of 1/2" id hose at the hardware store that makes changing really ez.
Park the unit on a side hill w/drain valve on lowest corner.... run the hose out past the tire into an old cat littler jug....didn't spill a drop or have to crawl under the machine.
I wonder how good the $12.50 kaw engine filter is.....hopefully a tad better than the average auto equiv considering the kaw recommendation of skipping every 100 hours?

Exaxctly.
Way back in the 60's When I was a young man with hair & teeth I was incidental to a project using X-rays to analyse the metallic particles in avaition oil.
The idea was to plot the actual amount of each alloy in the oil against the measured amount of wear in each part in the engine when they were stripped for routine inspection with the aim of substantially reducing the number of times the engine had to be stripped down,
The project was scientifically an outstanding success and now this is SOP for not only military but also civil and even some private operators.
The actual amount of fine metallic particles in the oil was staggering as was the difficulty of filtering it out so we could analyse it and this was using equipment a lot lot lot better than any bolt on can of paper will ever be.
This changed my ideas about oils for good and for the better.
So it went from very expensive oil changed at long intervals to cheap oil changed very very regularly.
Oil is the cheapest part you can put into any engine and the easiest one replace.

And this got applied to everything, the truckes, vans, hire cars, private cars, courier motorcycles, daily transport motorcycles and even my vintage & veteran motorcycles.

 

[KrashnKraka]

Exaxctly.
[..]
This changed my ideas about oils for good and for the better.
So it went from very expensive oil changed at long intervals to cheap oil changed very very regularly.
Oil is the cheapest part you can put into any engine and the easiest one replace.

And this got applied to everything, the truckes, vans, hire cars, private cars, courier motorcycles, daily transport motorcycles and even my vintage & veteran motorcycles.

Concur.
Fits in with my policy of using oil as a 'mop' of sorts.
Change, run (~1hr), flush and recharge with filter.
In all engines I have had just one failure... a Repco rebuild their
advice was metal fatigue of a woodruff key.
Engines sent "out there" are another story, mixed outcomes like.

KK

 

[7394]

The Kawasaki oil is good stuff but I'm not paying $8.00 a qt for it. I have seen it at the dealers. Can I ask what Toro ztr your running and what warranty you have? The new Z Masters are running the 5yr / 1200 hr warranty now.

Yeowww !!! I only pay $5.99 a qt. for Kaw 30w at my local Toro Dealer.

Ric -If you were asking me, I have a 2014 TimeCutter 4260, & that has 3 yr warranty w/ unlimited hours in that time frame. Dealer also included the belts & battery for 3 yrs. ( but I bought mine there as well, at last Aug yr end sale)..

My place is an obstacle course of trees & shrubs etc we planted yrs ago, so a 42" Z is all I need ..

5 yr / 1200 warranty sounds pretty sweet.

 

[Ric]

Yeowww !!! I only pay $5.99 a qt. for Kaw 30w at my local Toro Dealer.

Ric -If you were asking me, I have a 2014 TimeCutter 4260, & that has 3 yr warranty w/ unlimited hours in that time frame. Dealer also included the belts & battery for 3 yrs. ( but I bought mine there as well, at last Aug yr end sale)..

My place is an obstacle course of trees & shrubs etc we planted yrs ago, so a 42" Z is all I need ..

5 yr / 1200 warranty sounds pretty sweet.

I remember the Kawasaki oil when we were into the motorcycle thing and even then it was more expensive. Most of the shops sell the stuff and depending on the viscosity it's $6.99 and higher and I just have a real problem paying that for oil and you can't beat the Toro warranty, it's great.

 

[7394]

I just bought oil & my 7007 filter out at my Dealer, same price for oil $5.99

I would love having that 5 yr / 1200 hour warranty.