[AT] B&S engine oil

[k7jdj at aol.com]

 Larry,

It has always amazed me how little oil the small air cooled engines hold.  Sometimes I don't think I drain more than a cup out of the little guys.  Same with smaller air compressors.

Gary
Renton, WA

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Goss <rlgoss at insightbb.com>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sat, Nov 10, 2012 5:50 pm
Subject: Re: [AT] B&S engine oil


That IS the way it works, Charlie. Multi-viscosity oil is basically a light 
weight oil that has additives in it to keep it from thinning out at the 
operating temperature of the engine.  The problem is that air-cooled engines 
have a tendency to run hotter than water-cooled ones, and the additives boil off 
or burn out and leave you with nothing but the basic light-weight oil.  Before 
you know it, you get piston or bearing galling because of metal-to-metal contact 
and the engine is ruined.  It doesn't take much to make a multi-viscosity oil 
work like it's supposed to even in an air-cooled engine.  Pressurized oiling, an 
oil filter, and a little larger sump (so there is more oil to dissipate the 
heat) are often enough to lower the oil temperature so it keeps the additives 
instead of burning them off. Some engine brands make use of an optional oil 
cooler to keep the oil temperature even lower.  Pressurized oiling systems are 
so commonplace today that "putting the wrong oil" in a !
 small gas engine isn't nearly the problem that it used to be, but those of us 
who work with older splash-oiling engines still have to be aware of the problem 
and act accordingly.

Larry

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