30w Oil getting scarce in my parts!?!

[whc160 74]

My local NAPA has 30w in there brand all of the time. They even have detergent & non detergent. There are alot of small engine shops around here that the amish run & that is why I think they keep it on hand.

I also run 30w all year long with no problem in the winter.

[sorekiwi 761]

My reason for changing to a lighter oil in winter temperatures is because Kohler tells me to!

Spalsh lubricated engines are dependant on oil getting to the moving parts, and 30 wt oil is pretty thick at sub-freezing temperatures.

While I do believe that anything an engine manufacturer puts in writing is going to be reasonably conservative, I also believe that they know more about their engines than anyone else does, so if I tend to go with what they recommend.

[boatman 3]

I USED TO ALWAYS GET MY 30W PENNSOIL AT WALMART HERE IN PARIS TN, BUT CAN NO LONGER GET IT THERE. SO

NOW I GO TO OUR RURAL KING STORE. MY BOAT MOTOR RECOMMENDS STRAIGHT WT OIL TOO.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

Really pi$$es me off that WAL-MART stops selling certian items all the time.

A lot of GoldWing motorcyclist used the Super Tech oil filter...good filter and less expensive, but now they discontinued the Super Techs.

Rant over........

[perry 82]

i buy the rotella 30W gallon from wally world. sometimes it's hidding on the bottom shelf. neighbor just told me ACO hardware has wolfs head oil for under $3 a quart.

[VinsRJ 721]

I did have a problem locating 30w Rottela this season. Finally located at Auto Zone.

I run 30w in all air cooled engines during the summertime.

[Hydro 130]

I wonder if each Wally World chooses to some degree what they carry as I have looked here last weekend and no 30 weight oil. We are also not in as big a farming area as some other store locations.

[Forest Road 594]

I've been running Amsoil in my horses and autos for years now. It's not much more expensive than conventional oils as of late. Lasts longer, gets shipped right to my house, and they send a letter before price increases. Im a very happy customer. I probably have 5 to 10 gallons on hand now, I usually buy 3 -5 gallons twice a year to save on shipping costs. There's no more driving from store to store looking for my preferred brand.

[stevasaurus 22,237]

First, let me say that I agree with Mike (sorekiwi) in going with what is said in the manuals by the manufacturers. I believe that they say to do things for a reason. I happen to have one horse that only does summer chores, and I have another horse that only does winter chores...those 2 have the correct oil in them for the season they work in. I happen to have 2 others that do chores in all seasons, and I try to change the oil accordingly. I did not get to change their oils this last fall, but with the snow we had, they only saw service 2 or 3 times for maybe a total of about 3 hours. Actually the 857 was the only one to do winter and summer chores, the 702 got to sit the winter out. My thinking is that I would have to change the oil in the 857 to get ready for summer after only 3 hours of use...not very cost effective. I am also thinking (for my situation) that it would be better to run 30W all year then to run 10W30 in the summer. I let the horses fully warm up before they hit the trail. I have never been a believer in dual viscosity oils. In my 1960's vehicles I would run 30W in the summer, and 20W in the winter. I guess that is why I am a dinosaur. One other note...we did not go below zero degrees F all winter this year...and I think when I did use the horses to clear snow the temperatures were in the 20's. If I lived up in Minnesota, Green Bay, or Maine, I would go by the manuals for sure. It is great to hear what the rest of you guys have to say...thanks :)

[mrc 727]

hi guys, i buy rotella "T" oil at TSC. about $13. a gallon. comes in many weights. straight 30W or 10-30W. best thing is its a diesel oil that is API graded as well. so its good for gas engines too. because its a diesel engine oil it contains high zinc. zinc is a great anti-wear additive. many years ago all oil had high zinc. the epa made the oil companies remove it because the zinc was messing up the catalytic converters on modern cars. i use the rotella in my old chevy truck with the 350 cubic inch engine too. zinc really helps flat tappet cam engines like our old kohlers. regards mike in mass.

[sorekiwi 761]

I wonder if each Wally World chooses to some degree what they carry as I have looked here last weekend and no 30 weight oil. We are also not in as big a farming area as some other store locations.

I think you are right there, I have one Wallyworld near me that never has 30 Wt but another (in a more rural town) that always does.

[Hydro 130]

I just found a 5 litre jug of 30 HD for $19.99. That would be about the equivelent of 5 US qts. Best deal I have found.

[Docwheelhorse 2,560]

I recently picked up a Briggs powered C111 and the previous owner said it didn't burn oil.... well I used it for two hours and it went through a half a quart.... I was ripped and then I remembered that Briggs said to be very cautious of multi grades 10/30, 10/40 etc as consumption will go way up. I contacted the previous owner and was told ----yah I put 10/30 in it for the winter. Well I immidietly changed it to straight 30 and it hasn't burned a drop in about 4 hours of run time. With that said I have also run 15/50 Mobil 1 in my Kohlers during the summer and never noticed an increase in oil burning. Mobil 1 isn't available single weight so thats that....

Just my expreience

Tony

[Hydro 130]

Today I've seen everything from 0W-20 to 5W-50? I didn't know there was that much variation in what engines required? Gotta wonder if it's something like fishing lures... catch'n more fisherman than fish!

[rydogg 186]

I went to my local NAPA store and was able to get 30w NAPA brand at $3.58 a quart so I bought 2 cases since I am currently servicing a lot of lawn mowers for customers I go through oil pretty quick. I think I am going to look into the Rotella 30w if I can find it...most of my old kohlers have never been rebuilt and could use all the help they can get after 40+ years of use.

[smoreau 658]

Today I've seen everything from 0W-20 to 5W-50? I didn't know there was that much variation in what engines required? Gotta wonder if it's something like fishing lures... catch'n more fisherman than fish!

The thinner oils are for newer cars and trucks with tighter tolerances in the crank and rods, also they are for fuel economy and do make these newer engines run with less friction. Failure to use the right oil in newer cars like GM's dexos oil will void the warranty. Newer dodge Hemi engines need 5w20 in them for the variable cam timing, If you use the wrong weight of oil, the service engine soon light will come on! This is the way new cars will be and we cannot change it because you know better. You don't! Manufacturers are requiring oils to meet cretin criteria and the new oils may not work in older engines. The days of fixing your one cars in the back yard with some tools from Sears are a thing of the past, we know use laptops and programing to fix your car! I will tell you that customers do look at you funny when you tell them that the fix is to reprogram there PCM so the AC compressor doesn't screech when the trans shifts from 1st to 2nd. They ask why I.m not replacing the belt and tension er? I just hope the chemist in the oil making industry don't quit making the oils for are older equipment. I did just find out that a local fuel station will be putting in a pump that will have no ethanol in it for older engines! :handgestures-thumbupright:

[Jim_M 178]

I too have noticed that the auto parts stores and local department stores around here aren't carrying straight weights.

Try a local farm store, TSC, Rural King, etc, any place that caters to agriculture or construction. Or a local Farm Bureau Co Op. Many of the larger grain elevators also sell oil. They will have 30W and it will be "off road" oil so it will have a better additive package for your air cooled engines, like Rotella has.

I like synthetic oils for my water cooled engines but not an air cooled engine. My 520xi has an oil temperature guage. I thought I would try Mobil one in it this spring but the oil temperature went higher than I like to see so I changed back to Rotella and it's normal again. Same weight oil, but the synthetics seem thinner to start with and much thinner when they're hot.

I always ran conventional 20W50 racing oil in my Harley, but this spring I decided to try Valvoline 20W50 Air cooled motorcycle oil, it says on the bottle it's formulated for air cooled V Twins. It may be good stuff but I have a lot more lifter noise when the engine is hot than I ever had with the racing oil. I'm changing it back to conventional oil before the hot weather gets here. It was an expensive lesson, but I think I'll only use synthetic oil in water cooled engines from now on.

[Kelly 1,028]

Mobil 1 isn't available single weight so thats that....

Just my expreience

Tony

Tony my local Walmart has straight 30W Mobil 1 I think it has green numbers on it, but I can't say you can get it everywhere, but they do make it, I think it's labeled 0W30

[rmaynard 14,922]

0w30 is still a multi-viscosity oil according to many oil company web sites. Here is a pull quote from Amsoil:

0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30 synthetic motor oils are ALL 30 weight oils. The answer is that ANY one can be used regardless of the vehicle owners manual recommendation. To better understand, in a 5W-30 oil, the "W" stands for winter performance. In winter weather the 0W oil will flow like a 0W oil, and the 5W will flow like a 5W oil and a 10W will flow like a 10W oil just until the engine warms up. This multi-grade performance allows faster oil flow during cold start, however when the oil warms up, they all reach the designated 30 weight viscosity.

Just my 2 cents worth.

[Lars 526]

I have not had any trouble finding 30W here...west of Chicago, but I have not had to buy any for a while. You guys are scaring me with the prices you are talking about. I think I will check out buying it buy the gallon. Thanks for this thread guys. I have to ask...is there a reason that I can not use 30W in the winter, other then it may be a little harder to start.??

u can use 30W on the winter is not a problem if the tractor is innside a heated shop.. but it depends on what u guys ar calling winter and cold.... im using 10w30 all the year. 10 is the cold the oil handel 30 is the hot the oil handel

lubrication recommendations for an Kohler engine is like this...

kohler,onan,tecumseh: above 32F: SAE 30, 10W-30

below 32F:SAE 5W-30

Briggs&Stratton above 40F:SAE 30

0F to 100 F:SAE 10w-30 or 10w-40

Below 20F:SAE 5w-20 or 5w-30

But the most importen thing u can do to ur ENGINE is to change OIL on it.. if i dont remember wrong the oil change on a kohler engine is evry 25hrs.. so even if u dont use it a lot Change the oil atleast one time a year to keep the engine good and fresh..

many of the engine blows because of bad oil services..

[Hydro 130]

For the last several years I know 5W-30 seems to be the oil of choice for new car engines but I have to say the strangest thing I ever saw was setting up the idle on an outboard with a lap top on your knee.

[squonk 38,988]

According to the Kohler manual 10w-30 is NOT RECOMMENDED above 32 deg f. Also specifies detergent oil only

[Lars 526]

According to the Kohler manual 10w-30 is NOT RECOMMENDED above 32 deg f. Also specifies detergent oil only

Hmmmmmm my manual dont say it like this.. they recomend 30 oil but u can also use 10W30 :)

[squonk 38,988]

My bad. I should have said for the K series they don't recommend 10w-30 over 32 deg.

[Lars 526]

My bad. I should have said for the K series they don't recommend 10w-30 over 32 deg.

i Know it say that in the one u got there. but not in the older one.. so it's wierd.. LOL