SuzukiSavage.com - Small engine oil

rl153 Serious Thumper Offline S40 Just right! Posts: 907 Bloomfield,CT Gender:	Small engine oil 12/01/11 at 14:08:26 My generator for my home is supposed to use small engine oil, 10-w30. Is that the same as motorcycle oil, atv oil, or auto oil ,or does it matter?Thanks!
Back to top	IP Logged

justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Small engine oil Reply #1 - 12/01/11 at 15:09:15 No clutch to consider, so you can run friction modifiers. YOu can run any oil you want.
Back to top	The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke. IP Logged

rl153 Serious Thumper Offline S40 Just right! Posts: 907 Bloomfield,CT Gender:	Re: Small engine oil Reply #2 - 12/01/11 at 15:21:46 Thanks
Back to top	IP Logged

mpescatori Serious Thumper Offline Romanum Thumperium Cavalco, yeaaah !!! Posts: 3547 Rome, Italy Gender:	Re: Small engine oil Reply #3 - 12/02/11 at 08:26:15 "Small engine" oil is really oil made to run in small engines 0> engines with teensy weensy oil passageways. Hence the old tradition of using "light" (="runny") oils in the "0 - 30" range. Modern synthetic oils are much more compatible, so my assumprion is any 10-40 or 10-30 oil is good.
Back to top	Maurizio Pescatori, Esq. Gentleman Rider Mikuni BST40, K&N filter, Stage2 cam, Verslagen tensioner, Sportster muff, 120 proof moonshine, Pirelli MT 66 tourers... and a chain conversion too ! IP Logged

Gyrobob

Serious Thumper

Offline

Posers ain't
motorcyclists

Posts: 2571
Newnan, GA
Gender: male

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #4 - 12/04/11 at 17:46:23

"Small engine oil" is actually a mispelling of the correct term "Small Injun Oil" which refers to oil handcrafted one cup at a time in tepees by Injuns no more than 5'2" tall. Briggs and Stratton was originally formed by Red Deer Briggs and Crazy Fox Stratton, both descendants of a long line of short (small) Injuns,... hence the requirement for Small Injun Oil.

Back to top

If you think there's good in everyone, you haven't met everyone.

IP Logged

bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Small engine oil Reply #5 - 12/04/11 at 18:16:31 Gyro you finally said something that makes sense.
Back to top	william h krumpen IP Logged

bill67

Serious Thumper

Offline

old tired

Posts: 8517
genoa city wisconsin
Gender: male

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #6 - 12/04/11 at 18:19:56

mpescatori wrote on 12/02/11 at 08:26:15:

"Small engine" oil is really oil made to run in small engines 0> engines with teensy weensy oil passageways.

Hence the old tradition of using "light" (="runny") oils in the "0 - 30" range.

Modern synthetic oils are much more compatible, so my assumprion is any 10-40 or 10-30 oil is good.

0w/30 is a newer oil they have had small engine oil for years nothing to to with small oil passageways.

Back to top

william h krumpen

IP Logged

WD

Serious Thumper
2005 No Login

Offline

Professional
"scooter
trash".

Posts: 5207
Rosemark TN
Gender: male

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #7 - 12/04/11 at 19:41:11

Old engines run ND (HD) 30 weight. New engines you'd best stick with what the manual recommends... Service truck air compressor exploded after the big end rod bearing spun. Oil pump worked fine, but 15W40 diesel oil was a bad idea... Cam snapped in half, crank mount tore out of the casing, piston cracked...

New compressor was only $500 more than a replacement engine.

Back to top

On 2 wheels since 7/87

Black and Chrome 2003 1950s style custom

IP Logged

dasch

Serious Thumper

Offline

SuzukiSavage.com
Rocks!

Posts: 1137

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #8 - 12/05/11 at 00:59:49

Gyrobob wrote on 12/04/11 at 17:46:23:

"Small engine oil" is actually a mispelling of the correct term "Small Injun Oil" which refers to oil handcrafted one cup at a time in tepees by Injuns no more than 5'2" tall. Briggs and Stratton was originally formed by Red Deer Briggs and Crazy Fox Stratton, both descendants of a long line of short (small) Injuns,... hence the requirement for Small Injun Oil.

Injuns no more than 5'2'' tall... hahahahahahah

Back to top

IP Logged

justin_o_guy2

Serious Thumper

Offline

What happened?

Posts: 55279
East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #9 - 12/05/11 at 07:05:34

WD wrote on 12/04/11 at 19:41:11:

Old engines run ND (HD) 30 weight. New engines you'd best stick with what the manual recommends... Service truck air compressor exploded after the big end rod bearing spun. Oil pump worked fine, but 15W40 diesel oil was a bad idea... Cam snapped in half, crank mount tore out of the casing, piston cracked...

New compressor was only $500 more than a replacement engine.

What a costly mistake that was.. a few of those & a guy could go broke.,

Back to top

The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion.- Edmund Burke.

IP Logged

WD

Serious Thumper
2005 No Login

Offline

Professional
"scooter
trash".

Posts: 5207
Rosemark TN
Gender: male

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #10 - 12/05/11 at 18:30:46

Not with the amount of federal disaster recovery contracts the company gets.

Now at my place it's a different story. All the pre-2004 small engines get ethanol free fuel, synthetic 2 stroke for those nasty little noisemakers, Kohler engines get Kohler oil, Briggs and Tecumseh engines get whatever is handy since you can't hurt them.

Our pecan cleaner (blows out empty shells, dirt, grass, leaves, small twigs, etc) has a very primitive engine, you have to hand wind the starter rope. I could probably run that old 10 hp Briggs on kerosene with 90 weight in the crankcase. Pretty sure it is from the 50s. The pecan cracker (electric) is from the 30s. Come to think of it, so is my sewing machine...

Back to top

On 2 wheels since 7/87

Black and Chrome 2003 1950s style custom

IP Logged

Boofer Serious Thumper Offline Nearly too old. Posts: 1760 N Ms Gender:	Re: Small engine oil Reply #11 - 12/06/11 at 18:18:13 So's your motorcycle engine.
Back to top	2001 Black, Spitfire windshield, Headlight upgrade, Sissy rack, Tool bag, Fork bag, Harley muffler, Memory foam seat, Crash bars. Hwy pegs, Raptor. IP Logged

WD

Serious Thumper
2005 No Login

Offline

Professional
"scooter
trash".

Posts: 5207
Rosemark TN
Gender: male

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #12 - 12/07/11 at 18:08:50

I wish, I hate OHC engines, much rather be riding a sidevalve. Of the 6 pickups on the farm, the only one I truly love has a 218 cubic inch flathead 6, released to service in 1933, series pulled from the market in 1970. Mine is a 1949, has a 1948 car engine right now, getting a 1957 car 230 flathead 6.

I've got a real nice 318/727 I'd love to swap for a 251L6/4 spd...

Back to top

On 2 wheels since 7/87

Black and Chrome 2003 1950s style custom

IP Logged

Gyrobob

Serious Thumper

Offline

Posers ain't
motorcyclists

Posts: 2571
Newnan, GA
Gender: male

Re: Small engine oil
Reply #13 - 12/08/11 at 07:29:57

WD wrote on 12/07/11 at 18:08:50:

I wish, I hate OHC engines, much rather be riding a sidevalve. Of the 6 pickups on the farm, the only one I truly love has a 218 cubic inch flathead 6, released to service in 1933, series pulled from the market in 1970. Mine is a 1949, has a 1948 car engine right now, getting a 1957 car 230 flathead 6.

I've got a real nice 318/727 I'd love to swap for a 251L6/4 spd...

Cool. This is the same mindset that puts ownership of a 1956 Harley KHK on my bucket list.

Back to top

If you think there's good in everyone, you haven't met everyone.

IP Logged