# Synthetic oil change?



## Chris Radano (Mar 13, 2016)

I've owned my John Deere 1028E since 2012. The owner's manual says to use 1 qt. of 5W-30 full synthetic oil, so that's what I do. But I am wondering...do I really need to change the oil every year? 

This past season, we had a 30" blizzard. The snowblower worked very hard for this storm, and used 1.5 tanks of gas. Due to warmer temps. in between snowstorms, the rest of the times we had snow, there wasn't too much accumulation of paved surfaces. So I really only used it once. 

I will probably change the oil anyway because I want to be safe. But was curious to what others think about the dynamics of synthetic oil.


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## pitbull plowing (Mar 5, 2016)

I just got my craftsman snowblower a couple weeks ago from a friend who buys non running snowblowers and rebuilds them for resale it has conventional oil in it now, planning on changing it to amsoil small engine formula full synthetic.... wondering if i should change the oil before putting it away for the summer or wait until fall since the oil maybe has 3 hours on it the most basically from testing and adjustments. only got to use it once so far for a wet snowfall of about 1.5 inches.


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## UNDERTAKER (Dec 30, 2013)

IF you only used it once this year. change it out next year. *ALOHA from the paradise city.:smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027::smiley-rpg027:*


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

I'm no chemist but I think the oil is the least of the concern in the above posts. Conventional or synthetic oils won't be compromised by such light use. The other cause to change is getting rid of moisture and acids. With my Gilson fleet I have oil in engines longer than I will say publicly and can only say I have not had any problems. Most of these machines see very infrequent use and it's where I choose to draw the line.

Storing the equipment in a clean dry place will go a long way towards keeping things happy.

If you are planning to change the oil for next season anyhow I would go ahead and do it now just so it's resting with the cleanest possible oil.

You stand to sustain far more damage by failing to drain E10 fuel fully for the summer.

Pete


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## Coby7 (Nov 6, 2014)

Full synthetic has no shelf life so I would only change after 50 hours of use or whatever your manual calls for. I average 50-60 hours of use a year so I change mine every spring before putting it away till next winter except for maybe this year.


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## Chris Radano (Mar 13, 2016)

Thank you for the replies!

Yeah, I just re-read the manual and it suggests oil change after 50 hours of use, or at least once a year even if it hasn't been used for 50 hours. 

I have been wondering about changing the synthetic oil less than once a year, if it's one of those years where there isn't a lot of use. I've posed the question a few times to a few different people, with a few slightly different opinions gathered. I've never heard anyone say the synthetic oil MUST be changed after 2.5 hours of use (about this year) at the end of the season.

That said, the snowblower is new enough that it's my "baby". Also, I'm one of those guys who thinks nothing should ever wear out if used correctly. And, all my stuff should work and look good after 50 years when it's handed down to the next generation. Oil is a small investment...so I will probably change it soon.

My snowblower is used just for our house, not for a business. Just for us to get out for our day jobs. Unlike the lawn tractor that's used most every week during the season, some years the snowblower won't get close to 50 hours of use in the Winter.


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## Spectrum (Jan 6, 2013)

When we talk about a first interval it's good practice and sometimes prescribed to make the first change relatively soon in case there are manufacturing remnants floating around in there. Just another twist to consider.

Pete


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## cdestuck (Jan 20, 2013)

Syn or not, oil still draws or attracts water via condensation. It's a lousy qt. I'd change it


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## Bror Jace (Jan 13, 2015)

*Coby 7*: _”Full synthetic has no shelf life … “_


I hope you mean that it does not go bad … just because of a year or two of sitting. If so, I agree (and this is true for mineral/conventional, as well).


Since the original poster has had this since 2012, I assume it's seen at least 10-20+ hours of use and has had a couple oil changes already? As has been said before, doing the first couple of oil changes is important to flush out break-in debris.


I'd leave the oil in. With such minimal use, it's corrosion protection would last several years … not just one or two. I've taken apart junkyard engines that were neglected and despite what you see on the outside, the insides, coated with old, black oil, were shiny and corrosion-free.


My snowblower saw NO USE this year except for 10-15 minutes when I test ran it in November. I will leave the current oil in (changed in April 2015), add stabilizer to the fuel then fog it down for storage. (grrr … grumble, grumble) :emoticon-south-park:


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## Chris Radano (Mar 13, 2016)

If I remember correctly, the first year this snowblower was running, it ran about as much as the time suggested for the engine break in...so that worked out well.

This year, the snowblower worked hard for one storm of about 30" of snow. Most of the snow was higher than the blower deck. Normally, when it snows like that I will clear the driveway at some point during the storm...so after the snow ends, it's easier to clear the remaining snow. But that day it was so nasty outside, I didn't bother going out until the following day. 

Some years, we're not in line with the nor'easters. Some years, once a week there is significant snow. I wouldn't bother to change the oil in the snowblower if it was not used to clear snow for an entire season, either.


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