Oil Recommendation for Briggs&Stratton?

[California]

I have a 5 hp B&S I bought 30 years ago together with a water pump. It is seldom used, maybe 75 hours by now, so essentially new. I last used it about 1997.

I thought its owners manual back in the day specified 30 weight non-detergent oil. So today I bought a quart of 30 weight non-detergent, SAE grade SA. But reading its label, it says 'not recommended for automobiles made after 1930'. And that it is simply oil with NO additives.

Is this the right stuff for a 1980's B&S? Is there a later recommendation from B&S for that era of engine?

 

[Doc]

Good question CA.
I was all set to answer synthetic but was scratching my noggin once I read your entire question. So I did a little searching and got it straight from the horses mouth, so to speak.

From the Briggs and Stratton website:
Synthetic 5W-30 -20 to 120° F (-30 to 40° C) provides the best protection at all temperatures as well as improved starting with less oil consumption.

http://www.briggsandstratton.com/su...il-recommendations-for-the-equipments-engine/

So, since this engine sits more than it is run that you would see benefits from using synthetic. I'm running synthetic in my boats which were made in the 1980's and both boats have lower operating temps than they did with dino oil thanks to synthetic.

 

[California]

Thanks Doc!

 

[Art454]

any mineral oil will work....they have not made non-detergent in many many years...u sure it is?
Its even hard to find 30 wt detergent oil today.
10w -30 w oil would work just as good.....do not use Synthetic oils in these older engines.

Art

 

[California]

any mineral oil will work....they have not made non-detergent in many many years...u sure it is?
Its even hard to find 30 wt detergent oil today.
10w -30 w oil would work just as good.

This really is non-detergent. I was surprised too when I read the container saying it has no additives at all and isn't suitable for much anything. Their web description doesn't mention the limitations.

The kid at Autozone was sure this is the right oil for garden equipment. But I'm going to take it back and get modern dino oil.

 

[shvl73]

I would use the 30w you have in moderate to higher temps and 10w30 in lower (below 40) temps. I would think less of the specifics of the additives and more of the freshness of the oil, ie; no moisture, clean, etc...
Finally replacing my old explorer with 234k on 5k oil changes with whatever was cheapest. It still runs strong, though New England rust is taking it's toll.
There are always people who are fanatical about additives packages, and all that, I just feel correct weight for the temp, application and keeping it clean is by far the big deal.

 

[Art454]

Only thing that oil is good for is a Ford model T.....lmao

Autozone has really gone downhill the last few years....cheapest place to buy oil I have found is wallmart these days.
Advance auto or napa is better place to get parts these days.
Now a lot of repair places that use to buy at autozone have stop buying from them because even though they warranty stuff they don't warranty your time and these repair places were getting tired of doing labor free 2 or 3 times for there customers
and loosing money....so most have gone to Advance auto or NAPA.
Even some of there stuff is junk. Whats the world coming to.....go to your dealer and pay the high price.
Seems what is going on.

Art

 

[20/20]

I switched everything over to synthetic, much happier.

 

[Doc]

I switched everything over to synthetic, much happier.

I'll 2nd that. Even my older engines with no issues at all.
I do extend my oil change interval as I don't like changing oil. I double or triple change intervals and test with blackstone to ensure the oil was still okay. Works for me and saves me time and money.

 

[California]

Something I've wondered about - with the switch to low sulfur diesel, used oil shouldn't be as corrosive as before. Of course changing is needed at the same intervals in dusty conditions to get rid of abrasive particles. But for a diesel engine in a clean environment, say a forklift or something, it seems to me the oil change intervals might be extended now. Has anyone studied this?

 

[Art454]

I'll 2nd that. Even my older engines with no issues at all.
I do extend my oil change interval as I don't like changing oil. I double or triple change intervals and test with blackstone to ensure the oil was still okay. Works for me and saves me time and money.

Most Manufacturers still requirement changing the oil at certain miles or hours regardless so why spend 2 or 3 times as much for synthetic oil unless Manufacturers require it?
My friend at a dealership see this all the time and the customer pays big time in repair bills by not doing it buy the book.
Its your money not mine.

Art

 

[Doc]

I have no doubt your dealership frend does see all kinds of huge repair bills from engines not properly cared for. When you have your oil tested at the blackstone labs http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ you are assured that you change your oil at or before the oil is 'used up'. They report on life of the oil and how dirty the oil is and 50 other variables. They also tell you how many more miles you could have driven on the oil you sent in a sample of (or how much sooner you should have changed it if you wore the oil out ....I've never done that). It is an amazing science. I've run synthetic in my old Chevy and got up to 199k on it before I sold it. A nephew bought it and it is still going strong. A car I bought new in 04 has had the extended changes and synthetic since the first change. I'm at 140k on it with absolutely no issues. I had a 95 accord that I drove up to 160k, gave it to my daughter who took it up to 220k and my son is still driving it and it's at 300k, and still going strong. No engine issues at all. Blackstone makes it possible to do all this knowingly rather than trusting blind luck. Otherwise I would agree, you want to stick closely to the manufacturers suggested change intervals.

 

[Art454]

All I was trying to say if you have warranty better use what they tell you is all.....after warranty you can use whatever you like.
Myself I have always used regular Pennzoil all my life and drag raced for 25 years and use it in all my engines unless I have to use what the Manufacturers require.
And I have never had a oil related issue with it in my life.
Most important thing is to change it whatever oil you use.
I am not a big fan of synthetic oil as I have seen to many troubles over the use of it unless you use it from the start.
And like how many of us are going to send our oil out to get tested?
That only works if you drive the same way day after day.
I can tell just by the color of the oil when it needs changing....some motors require it sooner than some.....depends on the motor and how you drive or use it.

Art

 

[Doc]

All good points Art, and I agree changing oil regularly is the most important thing you can do to maintain your engine. I do a blackstone test once every three oil changes. Not perfect but it is a good rule of thumb / warm fuzzy about my engines.
What sold me on synthetic was running it in my go fast boat, a 25' Baja w/ a 454. The operating temp went down 5 to 10 degrees. Nothing else changed. Less heat and less friction is a good thing, especially in a boat where it equates to driving up a 30 degree hill and never getting to the top. Either oil will do a fine job for you. No argument there.

 

[20/20]

Knew a guy that never changed his oil, his car had 150k on it. Not saying I'd ever do this but it does make one wonder. Not to long ago there were reports of how engine oils are changed to frequently. Again I believe in changing oil but still have to question what is the "true" rule of thumb. I have switch all my gas engines over to synthetic and am much more pleased with performance plus I can go longer between changes. Not sure exactly how much I actually save, synthetic being more expensive, but I do save some in the long run. I also don't have the mess of all the extra oil changes. I was just like Art454 and said synthetic is vodo, all I can say now is "I was wrong". I have not switched to synthetic in my diesels yet for the simple reason I don't rack the miles up on them so the oil gets changed more on a time line then hrs run. I've been running synthetic for yrs now and feel very confident it was the best choice for the longevity of the engines. I quess the best way to sum it up, not as many oil changes needed, savings on filter and oil, engines run cooler, perform better.