# Snowblower Oil change.. SYN or Reg? Blend?



## Biketrax (Jan 28, 2015)

So I was curious about who may use Syn vs reg oil on their small engines? I was also wondering if those who do try syn have you switched back to reg? I know that motorcycles highly discourage this for you may develop leaks on the seals.
I was also assuming that the syn would coat the walls and not allow the reg to lubricate the same.
My SB manual (Ariens 921 Series 28 inch) say syn is OK. 
but I was just thinking about using reg 10-30. and sticking to that. I was also wondering where syn blends fit in?
Snowblower Oil change.. SYN or Reg? Blend?
I am sure this has been discussed plenty in the past!


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## Dauntae (Nov 10, 2016)

At the amount I use I just go synthetic, Use the same as I do in my truck and usually have leftover so I use it in the snow blowers also, synth also helps easier starting in the really cold days also IMHO.


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## nwcove (Mar 2, 2015)

i use syn 5-30.....but only after the recommended break in period if the equipment is new.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

When I repowered my 1971 Ariens back in 2011 with the Briggs And Stratton, I started using Castrol Edge Extended with Titanium Technology. I figured with the work that they do, I was not going to skimp and anything that might help her work easier. Now that I purchased the Ariens 2015 Pro 28 and with not knowing the oil history, I put Castrol Edge Extended perfomance Titanium Technology (20,000 miles) in her. Am I fooling myself, maybe, but I feel pretty assured.


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## Oneacer (Jan 3, 2011)

I use nothing but 5W30 *Full Synthetic* in all my equipment, summer and winter, old and new, all engines..... B&S, Tecumseh, Predator, Honda


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

I use Mobil 1 Synthetic 0W-30 in all my small engines, summer and winter. Mobil guarantees the 0W-30 flows like a 0 weight synthetic when cold while meeting engine manufacturers spec for 5W-30 oil. It stands up to heat much better than regular oil. Regular oil flows slowly at cold temperatures.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Kielbasa said:


> When I repowered my 1971 Ariens back in 2011 with the Briggs And Stratton, I started using Castrol Edge Extended with Titanium Technology. I figured with the work that they do, I was not going to skimp and anything that might help her work easier. Now that I purchased the Ariens 2015 Pro 28 and with not knowing the oil history, I put Castrol Edge Extended perfomance Titanium Technology (20,000 miles) in her. Am I fooling myself, maybe, but I feel pretty assured.


The extended mileage oils have additional additives to neutralise the combustion chemicals over a longer period of time. Unfortunately the extra additives replace some oil while working to keep surfaces lubricated. So you get lower oil performance over a longer period of time. Extended life of the oil is probably not a great idea for a snowblower that has oil changes within 40 hours of operation or if less than each year. May help if oil is hardly ever changed.


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## Kielbasa (Dec 21, 2013)

So... my thinking is probably not too wise? What do you think I should be using? 



Town said:


> The extended mileage oils have additional additives to neutralise the combustion chemicals over a longer period of time. Unfortunately the extra additives replace some oil while working to keep surfaces lubricated. So you get lower oil performance over a longer period of time. Extended life of the oil is probably not a great idea for a snowblower that has oil changes within 40 hours of operation or if less than each year. May help if oil is hardly ever changed.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I use 5-20 synthetic when I have it and 5-20 dino when I don't


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## enigma-2 (Feb 11, 2014)

A few years ago I had my Simplicity tractor in for service (Briggs Professional engine) and asked for synthetic oil to be used in the change. 

The dealer refused, stating that dino was required to allow the rings to seat properly. (He may have also mentioned the babbet bearings as well).

I corrected him by stating that it allowed synthetic in the owners manual. He pulled up a copy of the manual on the Simplicity website. It clearly stated the synthetic was permitted. He still argued that it wasn't good for the engine as synthetic is "too slippery" and the engine needs several hours with dino juice so the friction could "set" the rings. So he called Simplicity Engineering. 

We talked with a senior engineer who is responsible for the engines and the engineer stated that "only" conventional motor should be used during the break-in period. We told him what th he manual stated and he downloaded a copy. 

Leaving out a particular phrase he used, he felt the people who developed the owners manual may have not understood the requirement properly and the mannual was wrong. When asked, he felt that 50 hours was needed for the rings to seat properly. I remember he felt the minimum was no sooner than the second oil change. (5 hours on the first, 20 hours on the second, 25 hours minimum).

I followed his advise and switched to Mobile One synthetic after the break-in interval.

As far as the change interval, I have a digital oil quality test meter that tests for acidity, water, dirt and metal particles (everything that contributes to the degeneration of the oil). Heres a link of what I use:

https://www.shopnewsport.com/produc...blwI_lSYKE1rI9nbSTfeAtXi0yfEx8lxoCHgIQAvD_BwE


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## GustoGuy (Nov 19, 2012)

Amsoil XL Synthetic 5W/30 for the snowblower and 10W/30 for the summer months in the minibikes. I also use Amsoil synthetic in my automobiles and Amsoil HP for the boat and Amsoil interceptor for the watercraft and snowmobiles.


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

I have been using Amsoil Synthetic Small Engine oil 10w-30 for years now in all my power equipment. It flows at minus 46 degrees Fahrenheit just fine and withstands very high temperatures very well. 
I use it year round in tractors and all of my equipment.
Amsoil is the pioneer of synthetic oil, and you can mix mineral/petroleum oil with synthetic oil, it wont hurt anything, it will only dilute the synthetic to make it less effective, but will not harm a thing.
People don't realize that synthetic oils are made from petroleum/mineral based crude that has been highly refined, they are all mineral oils.
Ester based oils are different and do not mix properly with mineral/petroleum based oils. Ester based oils are not very popular as mineral/petroleum based oils are.


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## Town (Jan 31, 2015)

Kielbasa said:


> So... my thinking is probably not too wise? What do you think I should be using?


I am not an expert, but I would say you should change your extended service oil to a normal service synthetic oil. Synthetic comes in 2 main forms, the superior Polyolefin and the lesser hydro treated. Hydro treated synthetic oil is legally acceptable in North America, but frowned upon in Europe. Hydro treated is still superior to regular oil since the molecules are smaller and still long chain. So likely a synthetic oil labeled as European formula is the best and most expensive (apart from specialty brands). It is hard to determine whether other synthetic oils are polyolefin or hydro treated since documentation usually avoids that distinction. I think Full Synthetic label is not a determinant of anything in North America. 

I trust Mobil 1 synthetic and believe their guarantee that 0W-30 oil flows better than 5W synthetic at cold temperatures and still meets engine manufacturers spec for a 5w-30 oil. Other manufacturers 0W oil is specified where the engine manufacturer specifies 0W-? oil. Mobil 1 is a blend of synthetic stocks which tells me nothing, except it is better than regular oil in all respects.

Changing oil regularly is more important than the type of oil.


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## dr bob (Dec 12, 2015)

I ran the new LCT blower engine for fifteen minutes or so at low speed when it first arrived, and changed then to 5W-30 Mobil 1. Been doing that to new cars and gas-powered to toys for a couple decades now.

My thinking is that I want to get any casting sand or remaining manufacturing debris flushed out before they do much damage. Then move to the best available lubrication from that point on. For those who still want a "break-in" period, I feel that manufacturing tolerances no longer really require that. Most "wear-in" is really the early stages of "wear-out" in my experience, something I really want to delay as long as possible. So far so good with that strategy. 

Why synthetic? It's relatively inexpensive insurance. One of the cars uses 4.5 quarts of the same 5W-30 synthetic, so I have a convenient supply for the snowblower. I'd have to shop for and store a conventional oil if I wanted that, making that perhaps the higher-cost option thanks to the other logistics.


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## cranman (Jan 23, 2016)

I would run a new engine for the first season on regular oil, then switch to synthetic....really give it a good break in.....


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## broo (Dec 23, 2017)

I buy a jug of Mobil1 High Mileage 5w30 (full synthetic) for my car and after an oil change I have 1L left in the jug. My snowblower needs 0.8L so I don't have to buy a bottle for it anymore and I have almost no wasted oil from that jug.

Up to last year, that machine had only seen regular oil. This is my second year on synthetic. No noticeable change.


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## mats (Feb 10, 2019)

Syn Oil in al my small engines.
5W-30 or 5W-40


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

You can run synthetic oil brand new, even as a "Break-in" oil. The only things you are doing is spending more money on it if you decide to change it at say 5 engine hours to remove any "Break-in" particles that may have accumulated in the oil, that's all.
A lot of newer engines made today don't need the oil changed as soon as the older models because of the way they are made today, and some manufacturers "Run-in" their engines at the factory to more or less "Break them in" before putting them out for production and sale to the public.
It will not slow down or take longer for any "Break-in" to occur.
A good high grade synthetic oil will generally last longer, stay cleaner, and hold up to temperature extremes better than standard mineral/petroleum based oils.
A lot of "Synthetic Oil" that is out on the market today is really a synthetic blend or a certain percentage of actual synthetic properties in it, but not an actual "Full" synthetic.
Probably your best full synthetic oil is Amsoil. You can look them up on the internet and check into a lot of their technical information, and how it is actually made. They do get very scientific in some of their explanations about their different lubricants.
Amsoil has many different grades of their oils and greases, and many other products besides lubricants.
They are a little bit more expensive than most other brands, but they do a lot of testing and research on their products and they do post the results and comparisons of their products, and how they compare with other brands.


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## gibbs296 (Jun 22, 2014)

What ever is on sale. Oil is oil, it's when there ain't none in 'der that the problems start...


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## notabiker (Dec 14, 2018)

ST1100A said:


> You can run synthetic oil brand new, even as a "Break-in" oil. The only things you are doing is spending more money on it if you decide to change it at say 5 engine hours to remove any "Break-in" particles that may have accumulated in the oil, that's all.
> A lot of newer engines made today don't need the oil changed as soon as the older models because of the way they are made today, and some manufacturers "Run-in" their engines at the factory to more or less "Break them in" before putting them out for production and sale to the public.
> It will not slow down or take longer for any "Break-in" to occur.
> A good high grade synthetic oil will generally last longer, stay cleaner, and hold up to temperature extremes better than standard mineral/petroleum based oils.
> ...





You'd be surprised at the shiny metal in the oil in the first 1,000 miles of a brand new vehicle, and it only went that far because we bought it many states away and that was the mileage it had when we arrived back home. And the amount still coming out after another 1,000 miles. $30 for a jug of oil and a filter is cheap enough to clean out a new engine. And I'll change it again when she gets back from her "vacation" in Las Vegas in another month. Car should have about 5,000 miles on it by then, fyi VW deems 10,000 miles as the OCI on this 2.0 TSI gas engine pushing #5k of Atlas around but I'll do 7,500 oil changes probably. 



I picked up a new B&S 1150 engine for my blower. Ran it five or ten minutes varying the throttle and engaging impeller and such and then drained it. Nice and shiny. Did that again and seeing as it snowed the next day I got to run it for 20 minutes under load and then changed the oil again. I'm using some penzoil 5w30 I picked up for $12 per 5 quart jug on sale. I'm going to wait for another storm and use it and change the oil afterwards again. And do that a few more times until I don't have metal particles saturating the oil. Probably have to do that for what passes as a winter here in Co next to the Rockies before the engine is broken in fully. Then I'll switch to synthetic and probably just use Rotella T6 5w40 diesel oil. I've also put about an ounce of Redline engine oil additive to give the engine a bit more zddp during this time.


You must also remember how these engines lubricate themselves... unless it has a pressurized system they all use SPLASH lubrication and all those metal bits get thrown on the cylinder walls just to get scraped off again via the oil ring to repeat ad infinitum. I'd rather have clean oil splashed up there than stuff full of shiny bits. And at something like 0.5 quarts it's costing me about $1.20 in oil and another $0.80 for the redline. So $2 for an oil change is peanuts and well worth it to get rid of the metal junk. 



I'll also say that I picked up a craftsman mower with one of the B&S "Just check and add" never needs an oil change engine equipped mowers for our rental place. It's a few miles away (understatement) so I don't want the renter to have to worry about changing oil. I put in some regular oil when I brought it up there and played with it by mowing the patch of grass that is the pathway my old neighbor keeps open all winter (there was over 2 feet of snow at the time) and drained after five or ten minutes. Repeated that with the other half of the quart of oil I brought and ran for another ten to 15 minutes and drained then added the oil that came with the mower and put it away. The first change, the oil was looooaaaaded with sparkles of metal but the second change was about 50% less and so even with a brand spanking new engine you will have lots of break-in particles in the oil.




Btw all the extra used oil will get put to good use in the family logging business back where I grew up. It's only used and it still has a little life left in lubricating chainsaw chains...


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## ST1100A (Feb 7, 2015)

I don't trust those new B&S "Check and Add" engines at all. Those things only have an expected engine life of about 100 hours if that.
If you think about it, an average person might use their lawnmower 20-25 engine hours a season depending on where they live, so that might give them 4-5 years of life with the mower, but I would never trust the condition of the oil in the engine for that long with all the dirt in it, metal deposits.
Briggs says that as long as you check the level and add when its low, you will keep replenishing it with fresh oil. But that does not remove any of the old dirty oil so all of the deposits stay inside the engine, helping to shorten the life of it.
I asked a College Degree/Educated Briggs representative about that, and the answer was, "We never really thought about that, and that is why the price is so low for the engine, plus most people are too dumb or lazy to change their oil"."This way all they have to do is keep adding fresh oil".
I thought that sounds like a good answer for a cheap piece of junk Chinese motor. I couldn't believe the answer I got from the Rep, I guess they don't think too much of quality and think everything is "Throw Away" today.


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## 88-tek (Nov 5, 2017)

ST1100A said:


> I don't trust those new B&S "Check and Add" engines at all. Those things only have an expected engine life of about 100 hours if that.
> If you think about it, an average person might use their lawnmower 20-25 engine hours a season depending on where they live, so that might give them 4-5 years of life with the mower, but I would never trust the condition of the oil in the engine for that long with all the dirt in it, metal deposits.
> Briggs says that as long as you check the level and add when its low, you will keep replenishing it with fresh oil. But that does not remove any of the old dirty oil so all of the deposits stay inside the engine, helping to shorten the life of it.
> I asked a College Degree/Educated Briggs representative about that, and the answer was, "We never really thought about that, and that is why the price is so low for the engine, plus most people are too dumb or lazy to change their oil"."This way all they have to do is keep adding fresh oil".
> I thought that sounds like a good answer for a cheap piece of junk Chinese motor. I couldn't believe the answer I got from the Rep, I guess they don't think too much of quality and think everything is "Throw Away" today.


I wonder if this "College Educated" rep applies this same philosophy to his own car...:facepalm_zpsdj194qh


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## 88-tek (Nov 5, 2017)

After working her tail off from a early season snowfall, Tekkie was feeling tired and dirty. So as a thank you, I sent the little lady off to the Oil Spa. :wink:

After a Bath, Tire massage, Auger manicure, and 21 oz. of Pennzoil 5w-30, she was feelin' like a new woman. :kiss:


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