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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2008-02-21          151524

What is everybody's opinions about the use of synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines? I've always used Mobile 1 in my motorcycles and turbocharged cars. Cooling seems to be an issue in the higher-output lawn mower engines and I wonder if synthetics could help with engine durability.

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2008-02-21          151525

I was never sure about this so, in a waffling manner, I use synthetic blends :) No problems so far. ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2008-02-21          151528

I'm all for waffling! I may follow your lead and use a semi-syth. ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2008-02-21          151530

The cylinders and the oil don't know or care what kind of cooling, so that's not a factor. Synthetics hold their properties almost twice as long as regular but that's not a factor either because they get just as dirty and contaminated.

But they can be engineered with an extreme viscosity range, as wide as 5/50. So if you operate hard (and therefore hot) for brief periods in extreme cold, synthetics would be worth the cost, otherwise not. ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2008-02-21          151532

I use full synthetics in air cooled engines without any reservations at all. I've got it in my push mowers, my riding mower, my generator. And I even use synthetic 2-stroke oil for my chain saw and brush cutter.

That said, my equipment is for residential and farm use. I can't speak for commercial use.

//greg// ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2008-02-21          151533

I ditto Greg on my use. Have used in lawnmower for a few years and no problems. kt ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2008-02-21          151534

I pretty much use synthetics for everything.

....

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BillMullens
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 649 Central West Virginia
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2008-02-21          151541

I started using Mobil 1 in a street bike I had, an FJ1100 Yamaha. It was one of the more powerful air-cooled bikes and had a known problem scorching the cams if you used conventional engine oil. Synthetic oil was supposed to be a necessity if you ran the bike hard. That is why I bring up cooling; looking at the 25 hp Kawa engine in my Gravely ZTR, I just wondered if cooling is a problem. I see it has a little engine oil cooler built in at the base of the filter, while the next lower hp engine doesn't. This got me curious if maybe synthetic oil might help the engine live a little longer.

Thanks for the replies. I sure didn't know anybody was using sythetics in their mowers.

Bill ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2008-02-22          151562

We go to a different church.

Regular old dino-oil in everything, but change it out on a VERY regular basis.

Cheapest insurance you can get for an engine, clean oil.

Best of luck. ....

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Synthetic motor oil in air-cooled engines

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trbomax
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 133 Starvation Lake, Mi
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2009-03-30          161553

Amsoil synthetic in everything I own,since the 80's,and Ive got some OLD equipment!A 1973 ford lgt 165 and an old honda harmony mower-those were real grenades!Anyway,The lgt I bought new,it didnt see synthetic untill about 84,but its never been apart.Use it in all the systems of the nh tc35d,and the ford sd diesel that has 165k and nothing has ever been apart on it either. ....

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