Engine oil for Kohler K301

Ted in NE

Member
The Successful Farming engine man recommended synthetic 5-30w oil for air cooled engines. Is this ok for an older Kohler?

thanks for any thoughts,

Ted
 
Oil choice is one of the most argumentative topics found on forums. Yes.. there are a lot of new oils out there but Kohler has never veered off course from their original oil specification.

Straight grade 30 weight detergent oil is what Kohler recommends along with changing out that oil every 25 hours MAX under normal service. If you are operating in a harsh environment, then change it more often. If you wish to go with a synthetic, then there are brands out there that offer a proper substitute for the straight grade 30 weight detergent oil used in most air-cooled engines that are made from cast iron. Keep in mind that older type engines such as the Kohler K Series are DESIGNED to consume small amounts of oil while they are in operation and so it is imperative that you keep a close eye on the dipstick. Making sure that the oil level as at the FULL mark on the dipstick all the time is critical to the life of the engine.
 
Feed it straight 30Wt change it every 25 hours as they recommend and monitor the carbon build up in the cylinder, clean it out when it needs to be and a 301 will run 3000 hours or more
 
My thought would be that for a small engine the oil will get dirty and need to be changed long before it breaks down since there is no filter in the system. Synthetic oil is more resistant to break-down but if it needs changed anyway at 20-25 hours because it is dirty there isn't any benefit. You'll just be throwing away perfectly good (and expensive) oil just because it is dirty. Just my opinion - I'm certainly open to correction.
 
I have been running Kohler K series engines in Case garden tractors for at least 25 years. The Kohler K series engines manuals that I have state to use straight 30 weight oil above 32 degrees if I remember correctly. A few times I have changed oil using Rotella 15-40 diesel oil, because that is what I had on hand. Oil consumption went way up. The manual States that oil consumption will increase if multi weight oil is used. Best to stick with a good 30W detergent oil, as the others have said. Be cautious about running these engines on inclines or side hills, because engine failure can result if the splash oiling system can't lube the engine due to all of the oil running to one end of the pan.
 

Im looking in my Kohler Service Manual and it recommends 10-30 or 10-40 for temps below freezing down to 0 F, and 5-20 or 5-30 for temps below freezing down to -20 F, but "Only" straight 30 is recommended for all temps above freezing.
 
I have 2 Kohler powered garden tractors that are 20 years old and have run them on nothing but 15-40 Rotella and they don't use a drop of oil. I also have 2 Briggs & Stratton powered garden tractors and use the same oil in them. The tractors don't get used in the winter.
 
With all due respect, posts such as yours are something I find troubling because they contradict what the manufacturer advises. Kohler is a huge company with many engineers working there. They designed, developed and produced the Kohler K Series of engines and submitted them to rigorous testing. In the manual for the K-Series... this is what it says.


Using the proper type and weight of oil in the crankcase is extremely important. So is checking oil daily and changing oil regularly. Failure to use the correct oil, or using dirty oil, causes premature engine wear and failure.

Straight 30-weight oil is preferred. SAE IOW-30 oil is not recommended above 32 degrees F. Using this oil substantially increases oil consumption and
combustion chamber deposits.

Using other than service class SG or SH oil or extending oil change intervals longer than recommended can cause engine damage.


Over the years, Kohler has made many engine series. This conversation about oil choice is SPECIFIC to the Kohler K and M Series engines. Something tells me that your 20 year old tractors do not have Kohler K or M Series engines under the hood. Something tells me that your engines are modern OHV engines with aluminum blocks. If I am right, then your post above is misleading.
 
The Kohler engines in my tractors are Kohler Pro series Vs 22 & 24 HP. My Briggs are cast iron block in one and the other is cast iron sleeved. 15-40 Shell Rotella will do the anything a straight 30 weight oil do. I had this conversation with Briggs & Stratton years ago and they said 15-40 Rotella was ok. My oldest garden tractor 29 years old Briggs powered with over 1,600 hours and never wrenched and run on nothing but 15-40 ( changed 20 hours no filter).The other tractors with filters get changed at 50 hours and use only NAPA gold filters.
 
For me... the issue is simple. While I agree that Rosella 15W40 is an excellent motor oil, it brings nothing to the table that Rotella 30W does not have. The OP was asking about the correct oil to use in Kohler K engines. YOU do not own a Kohler K engine. YOUR Kohler's are all modern engines with totally different machining specifications. While I greatly respect your recounting of your own PERSONAL experiences with the 15W40, IMO... none of that overrides the advice from the factory that designed built and tested those engines in conjunction with the very people who change crude oil into engine lubricants. Those people all have iron rings on their little finger.

Since 15W40 and SAE 30W sell for the same amount of money per quart or litre, what is the point to substitute the factory recommendation for something that factory has never recommended?

As I said in my initial post, oil discussions are always a hot topic and this thread bears that out.
 
Sorry Tom but to many people are hung up on what manufacture says and there are other products out there that will work and do just as a good. We have been using Shell Rotella 15-40 since the early 60s in every thing from farm tractors down to push lawn with engines from a number of different manufactures and never had an engine fail.
 
I agree with what a person on here posted a while back - you can use pretty much any quality oil product in a splash lube engine as long as you keep it changed often enough. A 5W30 synthetic will not "hurt" an Kohler K301 - but I definitely wouldn't try to extend the time between oil changes. At operating temp they are both 30 weight.
 

I would suggest you find a copy of the K series manual online and make your own judgement call. You have to consider all these people that suggest using anything other than what Kohler recommends are not going to pay for your engine should it fail. They are entitled to their opinions and can use whatever they choose... and so can you.

..and if you think its tuff to get help about what oil to use... try finding help with a blown engine after using a non-spec oil!!!
 
You'll get the benefit of synthetic oil cleaning the internals of your engine. Given the fact that we are only talking about 2 quarts of oil or about $3-$4 total its not like you are looking at a lot of money.
 
Do you have access to articles written by oil engineers that prove synthetic oils keep the working parts of a cast iron, air-cooled engine with splash lubrication, cleaner than any non-synthetic oil does? Let me answer that question for you. YOU DON"T.

But you feel perfectly comfortable coming into this conversation and suggesting what you did....because it is just your opinion. I will go further since we are now in guessing mode. I guess that YOU are not a chemical engineer. I will guess that you have no connection with companies that formulate motor oils or with companies that design and build engines for outdoor power equipment.

YOU and people just like YOU are the very reason I never allowed discussions about oils to take place on my first forum known as ColtCaseIngersolldotcom or on my current forum Hydriv dot ca. So many people think they are smarter than the very people who made these engines but.... they are not. I have seen numerous threads just like this one that go nowhere and end up leaving the OP more confused than he was before he asked the question.

What possible value do unfounded opinions have.....compared to what the engine manufacturer tells you? Posting that ....My sister has a cousin, who's uncle's brother in law has a pig farm and for the past 20 years, he has run a mixture of pig fat and olive oil in all of his tractors and never had a failure. Yeah right...... now there's advice you can take to the bank and get a mortgage with.

The simplest thing to do.....IS..... read the bloody manual that comes with your tractor or engine and then follow what it says. End of story.
 
So you claim the detergent additive package in quality synthetic oils is not superior to that of conventional oils? You might want to get in touch with those engineers - because that common knowledge among them.
 
You might want to inform yourself a bit.


http://www.globalspec.com/learnmore/materials_chemicals_adhesives/industrial_oils_fluids/synthetic_oils_greases_lubricants
 

Interesting read but I didnt see anything that suggests using a modern synthetic oil in a 40 year old engine. Im sure the people that make and sell synthetic oils would like you to use their products in everything you own.... they do mention it has limitations however...

[b:b2c181f2ac]Limitations[/b:b2c181f2ac]

Synthetic fluids have superior performance characteristics compared to mineral oils, but come at a higher cost. Synthetic fluids also have material compatibility issues and can decompose in certain industrial environments, crack or deteriorate plastic components, and can come out of suspension in the presence of leaded fuels used in aviation applications. Switching from conventional oil to synthetic oil can cause problems stemming from miscibility between the two fluids. Degradation to seal material can also pose a problem due to the high solvency nature of synthetic fluids. Care should be taken to ensure synthetic fluids are suitable for a given application.
 
I have used Mobil 1 in ALL my OPE engines for YEARS with great success.

It is especially wonderful in Briggs Vanguards that like to stick valves and shred pushrods. In my experience it ENDS the problem.

I doubt Kohler has done ANY revising of the instruction manuals for their "legacy" engines since they came out 60+ years ago, even as available oils have changed.

I have 9 or so Kohler K-series engines in regular use and if Mobil 1 is doing something bad to them I haven't seen it (yet?)!

I have had NO unusual leaks or oil consumption issues.

Oh, gosh, don't tell anyone I use it in my Onan twins, as well. About 5 years ago I bought a DEERE 318 with what seemed to be a tired Onan in it, it smoked and used oil. I changed the filthy oil and filter and threw synthetic in it anyway, and changed again after a couple of mowing jobs. The darned thing settled down and runs well and uses very little oil, didn't need to be OH'd or replaced as I figured.

I'm NOT in any way saying the synthetic did anything special for the engine, just getting clean oil in it I'm sure helped.

On the other hand, I sure didn't see the increased oil consumption or leaks the naysayers or always talking about.
 
NOT SURPRISINGLY, this thread has come down to a battle between the "old school" members who have an unshakeable belief in what the engine manufacturers have steadfastly recommended for the past 60 years when it comes to the BEST oil for their engines and those who have readily accepted the new technology oils as being the panacea of lubrication.

Briggs & Stratton has been around since 1908 and is the largest small engine manufacturer in the world. They are well aware of the changes in oil technology. On their website, this is what they have to say.

Small Engine Oil Type Recommendations:

Use SAE 30 in warmer temperatures of 40? F and higher (5? C and higher)

Use SAE 10W-30 for a varying temperature range of 0 to 100? F (-18 to 38? C), this grade of oil improves cold weather starting, but may increase oil consumption at 80? F(27? C) or higher

A synthetic oil SAE 5W-30 is the best for very cold temperatures of -20 to as high as 120? F (-30 to 40? C) providing the best protection at all temperatures as well as improved starting with less oil consumption

Use SAE 5W-30 for very cold temperatures of 40? F and below (5? C and below)

Things to keep in mind when choosing lawn mower oil:

Use a high quality detergent oil classified "For Service SF, SG, SH, SJ" or higher.

Do not use special additives.

Synthetic oils are an acceptable oil at all temperatures. Use of synthetic oil does not alter required oil change intervals.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************


Do you notice that the #1 recommended oil is still 30W straight grade detergent based DINO oil?

Multi-grade DINO oils are not their #1 choice but they permit their use IF conditions warrant it. However they speak about increased oil consumption, just as Kohler does. The issue here is whether or not you have a problem getting your engine started due to cold weather. So if the weather is NOT an issue, then Briggs is telling you to stick with 30W.

5W30 SYNTHETIC is suggested for use only when the weather conditions are so cold that the properties of a synthetic shine. If you live in the UP of Michigan and store your tractor outside in minus freeze point temps, then that is where 5W30 is superior to DINO based oils.

The FACT remains that Briggs & Stratton has not changed their position when it comes to the oil they continue to recommend day in and day out in 2016 for their engines. So all of you wannabe oil experts can drag out all of the links leading to synthetic oil producers to your heart's content but until Kohler and B&S tell me to stop using DINO based 30W detergent motor oil in their engines, that will remain my oil of choice and that includes all other brands of engines I own.

I mean..... really folks......do you think that these engine manufacturers are blind to the advances made in lubricants? Do you think that they do not conduct massive amounts of testing on lubricants all the time? Do you think that they would not change their oil recommendation if a truly superior lubricant became available? Do you think that they want their engines to fail prematurely?

Do you actually THINK when deciding on the best oil to use or do you prefer to rely upon the unproven statements found on forums like this one.

Your engine, your money, your choice.
 
That is quite true. And I stressed that fact previously. I just wanted to show that Kohler is not the only engine manufacturer who insists on straight grade 30W detergent motor oil for certain engines.

And yes..... I realize that you are yanking my chain but .... it isn't really working.
 

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