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30 wt oil


GregB

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Not to start up the great oil debate, but is there any difference between straight 30w automotive engine oil, and the more expensive 4- cycle engine oil you can buy at True Value or any other mower supply place? GregB
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Probably the other stores have oil packaged for their retail trade so they can have some product identification and mark up the price. Personally I always use a synthetic blend or a straight synthetic oil, such as Mobil 1. Our small tractors use about 2 quarts, so the cost is about $5 for synthetic blend or about $10 for straight synthetic. I've seen aircraft engines torn down on the bench and the results of using a synthetic oil were very,very impressive. More than worth the slight cost of using the improved oil.
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When you say you use straight synthetic do you meam 10w-30? I have not seen straight 30wt synthetic. Thanks JH
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By straight synthetic, I mean not a synthetic blend. For viscosity weight, I've been using 10-30W.
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What I was refering to in my original post was regular oil, not synthetic. Is there any difference between the stuff branded as 4 cycle aircooled and automotive 30w? GregB
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There might be a slight difference in the formulation of ingredients added such as stabilizers, detergents, etc. An air-cooled engine has to deal with a wider range of operating temperatures, and normally runs a little hotter than a water-cooled, thermostatically controlled engine. I don't think there's enough difference to warrant concern, though. If so, the Owner's Manuals would specify one over the other, which I haven't seen. I personally run Pennzoil in my old engines, and Mobil 1 (a blend of synthetic and normal oil) in the one that was just rebuilt -- after the 8-hour oil change. I wouldn't recommend synthetic or synthetic blend in a new or newly-rebuilt engine until its break-in period is over. During this time, IMO, you want the rings to seat, the bearings to set, etc., so you don't want the improved lubrication of a synthetic.
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Actually this is a good topic. Our hardware store has three 30 WT oils. One has a API specification SJ and another has no specification. The oil with the SJ is for engines (This is what you want.)and the other is for door hinges etc. The third has a wrapper for 4 cycle engines and half as much for twice the price. Ed
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