Your last generator Maintenance Run

[Industrial Toys]

Yeah, who knows. Better to leave in expensive oil, or change out cheap oil often? I said it a bunch of times. I only use $100/pail JD Engine and Low Visc Hyd Oil in everything except my Duramax. Maybe just foolhardy. Sure, if money was no object, I would use Synthetic, which I now don't use in anything. Too much equipment, not enough hours of use.

 

[jgayman]

Yeah, who knows. Better to leave in expensive oil, or change out cheap oil often? I said it a bunch of times. I only use $100/pail JD Engine and Low Visc Hyd Oil in everything except my Duramax. Maybe just foolhardy. Sure, if money was no object, I would use Synthetic, which I now don't use in anything. Too much equipment, not enough hours of use.

The single most important factor is to use oil with specifications that meet or exceed those recommended by the manufacturer. Unless you have an environment which pushes conventional oil to the edges of its envelope you are probably just as well served by a quality brand named oil changed frequently. I put very low hours on my JD diesel tractor but use JD's 0W-40 synthetic because the majority of those hours are during the winter and it helps a bit with cold starts and being a 0W-40 I can use it in any temperature range.

 

[3930dave]

I started a post in oil/lubrication about finding oil for my new propane Cummins/Onan LP gen, part of my new small MB Sprinter
chassis rv, with the smallest gen they make in it, just enough to run a 15kw a/c unit.
Noisy little thing too, 3600 rpm buzz bomb, but then it's a small rv and the gen
is under the bed. Thankfully I do not dry camp so unlikely I will use gen much. I've spent many a night anchored out on an old boat with an ancient Onan diesel
banging away down below, would prefer less noise...

I did not post here because the question was not about maintenance. I greatly appreciate the "safe" nature of posting in this thread however.
I no longer go in Transportation, too many unpleasant, over-imbibed, my way or the highway folks seem to troll there. The bad apple always seems to
show up. Dave, this is a backhanded compliment for saying thanks for a nice, and pleasant, resource here.

The gen in question calls for 15/40 conventional oil, not truck diesel oil which I, and most of you, have plenty of.
Finding a 15/40 oil, which is clearly called for in higher heat conditions (my driving through Nevada...) has resulted in 100 percent
saying HD Truck Diesel oil. Onan has someone formulate their oem oil, 15/40 conventional, and the cheapest I can find it is ten bucks a quart.
My question was can I just use Rotella T5 in the gen or does a LP lawn mower engine have some other spec
that overrides the diesel spec. I doubt it, but just don't know. I don't see why this little single cylinder gen would be any different than my
Generac 22kw, both are air cooled. But only the little LP gen seems to focus on 15/40 oil.

Makes me wonder if here in NC, where it gets mighty hot, if I should be running a more heat tolerant oil in my big gen.
GRS, has oil ever been an issue on these gens for engine wear, or if you change it regularly, will they run on most anything?

I'm OK with back-handed compliments d :drink: ...... figured there's always plenty to learn and discuss about generators et al..... no time for Grade 3 at Recess stuff that can be found in abundance around the web......

My 2 cents on this 15W40 issue - I'd just go ahead and use something like Rotella T4 in 15W40, or even T6 in 5W40 if you want synthetic. Especially in your case, I can't imagine there being any issue - as you usually maintain all your equipment no later than what the OEM calls for.

For hot (ambient) use, some gas motors will call for a 15W40, to try and stay ahead of consumption (seen it called for on gas motors in 5 ton U-haul trucks).

Rotella de-listing their Sx gas specs - see this next link (short answer - small engines with zero emission equipment (cats) - no issue):

Rotella no longer gas engine rated? - Bob Is The Oil Guy

If you want to double-down, there are a few boutique synthetic 15w40 options around. This Amsoil being one example, and maybe less $ than that Onan oil.....

AMSOIL Heavy-Duty Synthetic Diesel Oil 15W-4

Rgds, D.

 

[number two]

Our small RV has a 2.8kw gasoline powered Onan air cooled genny.
It also calls for 15W40.That's what we use,just plain old 15W40 diesel oil.
That seems to be common in the rv industry to use 15W40 in the Onan generators.
And,most of the 15W40 oils now carry CK4 and SN specs,good for any fuels.
It's too bad they just don't use a diesel genny since the engine uses the same fuel,but the LPG unit is much cheaper.

Good Luck!

 

[Robin Veerman]

and they still say the manufacturer's preferred oil is straight 30W if not in cold climates.
Problem is who makes a "good" 30W oil? I have jugs of TSC 30W and 40w (nope, gave 40W to guy who bought my Super A)
in my barn, so I could run 30W also, but that's pure dyno oil. I'm thinking for an aircooled gen inside an compartment that conventional
wisdom would say go synthetic for better performance.

Sometimes I wonder if oil got as good as it had to get about 20 years ago, and we are just buying the latest and greatest due to marketing.
I mean we have motorcycle motor oil, we have RV and Heavy Truck motor oil, we have Super Fuel Economy motor oil and we have synthetic motor oil made out of
LNG. I'm surprised we don't have Generator Oil, and I guess Onan has decided we should with their conventional 15/40 they call Onamax. And then of course we have the semis, and I'm not talking trucks, the semi synthetics. Ever see a percentage as to how much crude based oil vs synthetic is in that jug? Just what kind of blend is it anyway...Can you call something semi synthetic if it has 2 percent synthetic oil in it?
With all the claims being made for motor oil, not much industry policing for all these marketing claims.

Here's a Synthetic oil that is made for small engines including Generators. AMSOIL Small Engine Oil in 5w30, 10w30 and 10w40. I use the 10w30 in my Honda generators and other Honda engines and even in my compact Diesel tractor that calls for a Diesel CC, CD oil. AMSOIL 1W-3 Synthetic Small Engine Oil
Works for me and simplifies what oils I've got in my garage. Dutchy

 

[3930dave]

Here's a Synthetic oil that is made for small engines including Generators. AMSOIL Small Engine Oil in 5w30, 10w30 and 10w40. I use the 10w30 in my Honda generators and other Honda engines and even in my compact Diesel tractor that calls for a Diesel CC, CD oil. AMSOIL 1W-3 Synthetic Small Engine Oil
Works for me and simplifies what oils I've got in my garage. Dutchy

One of their "small-engine" oils used to also have an SAE 30 rating, but that seems to have changed.

What does still meet SAE30 from their line is this diesel oil, which covers gas up to SL:

AMSOIL 1W-3/SAE 3 Synthetic Heavy-Duty Diesel Oil

Perhaps another possiblity for hot running air-cooled motors....... haven't looked, but I'd also suspect Schaeffer of having a similar niche offering.....

Rgds, D.

 

[90cummins]

Get me a serial number and model # and I can check for you

Generac 25kw PTO MODEL 9738-4
Thank you
90cummins

 

[ultrarunner]

Perhaps a million or more Californians will be without power over the next few days... the Office of Emergency Management has been activated broadcasting continual updates all in an effort to avoid a repeat of another fire storm.

PGE says some can expect to be without power for up to 7 days because lines must be checked prior to energizing.

My elderly neighbor called me at work today... they use an oxygen concentrator and worried just what would happen if they lost power.

The wife said they had a generator they kept when they sold the RV 4 years ago and asked if I could help.

Never expected to find a Honda Invertor 3000 in the shed... it was full of gas... didn't smell bad, oil looked good so I gave it a pull... first pull and it started right up... so the 4 year maintenance run was a success.

They have 10 gallons of fresh extra fuel and a pickup with 35 gallons in the tank...

Lots of people talking generators right now... at work... some are down right in a panic at the prospect of living without electricity... the reality is at home refrigeration is probably the number one rational concern... water should be ok as well as natural gas and triple digit heat was last week.

I said just think of it as camping at home sleeping in your own bed.

The Hospital looks like all elective surgery is being cancelled as a precaution...

When benefit of tech is the extraordinary life of LED battery lanterns and flashlight...

A small little bigger than a penlight LED with a magnetic base can light a room in a pinch and do so for hours.

Even at $4.29 a gallon for regular gas there is no shortage of customers today...

 

[5030]

Glad I don't live on the west coast....

But then the power goes out here pretty regular, why we have a diesel powered 25KW genset and it runs (maintains) itself pretty much. Tuns every Saturday at noon for 15 minutes. All I do is make sure the battery is good and change the fluids and filters when required.

 

[grsthegreat]

Generac 25kw PTO MODEL 9738-4
Thank you
90cummins

I went into my GENERAC service site, and there’s nothing related to pto generators at all. Very odd. Let me check one other source