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Thread: Mower oil

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    Default Mower oil

    Just purchased a new 4 stroke mower.
    Can I use multi grade oil oil in it like car engine oil, or does it have to be 30W only ?
    The one I use in the car is a top brand full synthetic 5W40.



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    Use what the book says :-)
    If u want to go on an expedition get a Land Rover, if u want to come home from an expedition get a Landcruiser!

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    Briggs engines and thier copies usually specify 30W , so i would keep using that. mainly not because of cold starts , rather the splash feed lubrication which is more important.

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    Use only the recommended oil Briggs & Stratton SAE 30, you can use Briggs & Stratton SAE 5W30 Synthetic oil, As your post indicates the mower is new, use the recommended oil for warranty purposes

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    OK well the manual says 10W30.
    I'll go and buy the proper stuff.

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    I've use B&S motors for years and only ever used engine oil I had on hand, typically the machine fell apart before the engine did. I'm talking commercial landscaping here, so the devices had a hard life. Usually running several hours a day. The only B&S engine that did fail on me was a ride on Bolens that we purchased when we first started (did not know any better). That machine was used 5 hours a day for 12 months before the valve seats started hammering their way down through the block. (Nothing to do with the oil, because they were, supposedly, fixed. Ooops I do remember putting a con rod through the side of a push mower once, but that, IIRC, was insufficient oil in the sump.
    I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message...

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    I bought a mower for $50 off the side of the road 7 years ago.

    I leave it outside in the rain. This week it ran a little rough. It had no oil in it.

    Found some 12 year old Valvoline dregs in an container and put that in. Runs fine now

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    Quote Originally Posted by admin View Post
    I bought a mower for $50 off the side of the road 7 years ago.

    I leave it outside in the rain. This week it ran a little rough. It had no oil in it.

    Found some 12 year old Valvoline dregs in an container and put that in. Runs fine now
    remind me never to lend you any tools or anything with an engine in it.
    Cheers, Tiny
    "You can lead a person to knowledge, but you can't make them think? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
    The information is out there; you just have to let it in."

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tiny View Post
    remind me never to lend you any tools or anything with an engine in it.
    Its not something I normally do, in fact it is normally the opposite. But I was interested to see whether giving a crap really made any difference. It doesnt seem to

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    I think the best grade oil is when its just been changed because its fresh and has no gunk in it from previous use.
    Most of these small engines run in appalling conditions much of the time and so long as the oil can leave a film on the bearing faces and carry away unwanted heat its done its job.
    I stand unequivicably behind everything I say , I just dont ever remember saying it !!

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    Your not wrong Gordon, mower engines are the most abused small engine without doubt so they have to be pretty hardy and robust.

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    the straight 30w oils are mineral oils with no additives, engines which require these oils should not have modern multigrades with additives put in them.

    i use the straight 30w mower oils in my old pommy motorbikes in winter.

    in summer i use straight 50.

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    All my 4 stroke mowers, yes I have a few, run SAE 30.
    I used to use Briggs & Stratton SAE 30; now I run Honda SAE 30, as it is what I use in my Honda ATV, so I buy a bigger container to do them all which brings the cost of the good oil down.
    Cheers, Tiny
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    The information is out there; you just have to let it in."

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    Been told many many years ago by a couple lawn mower businesses using car engine oil will be ok, well after owning two B&S lawn mowers & one rotary hoe in the last 30 years I never suffered engine issues using any car engine oil I had available.

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    i use the synthetic i have on hand for the falcon

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    Quote Originally Posted by loopyloo View Post
    OK well the manual says 10W30.
    I'll go and buy the proper stuff.
    What model and brand is it?
    Just use any of the oil companies websites and select your model mower - eg




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