What grade oil should I use

[Mace Canute]

Air cooled engines also run much colder in really cold temperature such as the OP is going to be in.

Years ago I did about a half hour snow blowing with a 5 hp B&S engine on my "Snow Hound" (after being stored in a heated garage) and then I decided to do an old change immediately after since the oil was "hot". When I pulled the plug, the oil wasn't even lukewarm! It wasn't even cold out that day either.

A friend of mine was blowing snow with his unit one day and after about a half hour running, he shut it down for 5 to 10 minutes then fired it back up. The engine just up and threw a rod with out giving any indication that there was a problem. Best we could figure was the cold oil (10W-30) just couldn't get into the rod bearing enough to provide adequate lubrication. It was fairly cold that day too.

More damage is done to engines from too heavy an oil than too light an oil.

I used to run a 0W-30 TRC oil in my 1994 Ford work van (350 Windsor engine) and it would have higher oil pressure in the hot afternoon than it would have in the morning when I fired it up cold. It was actually vapour locking from the extreme underhood heat too and the Used Oil Analysis would all come back showing the oil was good when we did an oil change. Gawd, I would bag drive that old beast!

 

[kiotiken]

Air cooled engines also run much colder in really cold temperature such as the OP is going to be in.

Years ago I did about a half hour snow blowing with a 5 hp B&S engine on my "Snow Hound" (after being stored in a heated garage) and then I decided to do an old change immediately after since the oil was "hot". When I pulled the plug, the oil wasn't even lukewarm! It wasn't even cold out that day either.

A friend of mine was blowing snow with his unit one day and after about a half hour running, he shut it down for 5 to 10 minutes then fired it back up. The engine just up and threw a rod with out giving any indication that there was a problem. Best we could figure was the cold oil (10W-30) just couldn't get into the rod bearing enough to provide adequate lubrication. It was fairly cold that day too.

More damage is done to engines from too heavy an oil than too light an oil.

I used to run a 0W-30 TRC oil in my 1994 Ford work van (350 Windsor engine) and it would have higher oil pressure in the hot afternoon than it would have in the morning when I fired it up cold. It was actually vapour locking from the extreme underhood heat too and the Used Oil Analysis would all come back showing the oil was good when we did an oil change. Gawd, I would bag drive that old beast!

Thanks Mace, you've just described why I was concerned about using a heavier oil. Not many people get to "enjoy" stuff colder than -30 F or C, it really is an incredible feeling, although, it's pretty rare for me too. I was hoping that once the engine was running, it would generate enough heat to keep the oil warm enough, now you're casting doubt on that. When I'm flooding the rink, the engine is started and once the prime is established, run wide open for about 20 minutes. That's not what really concerns me. I'm more worried about when I start using my little zamboni attachment and fill up the two tanks on it. After they're full, I idle the pump, returning the water to the creek while I use the water, then come back and crank up the pump for another round.



I filled it with 10W30 earlier today, maybe I'll give it a second thought.

 

[Z71]

Thinner oils, such as SAE 0W-30, will flow faster than heavier motor oils during start-up and initial engine operation and will help protect the engine from excessive wear. At cold temperatures and at start up, lower viscosity oil will reduce internal engine friction. About 10% of the engine's horsepower is lost to internal engine friction, the thicker/heavier the oil, the more friction and heat, all detrimental to engine longevity.