16 hp engine oil

[StanC160 5]

Was wondering what the correct engine oil is for 16 hp kohler own c161 and c160  for over a year only ran about ten minutes apiece now need to use I own and use some old farm tractors run 15w 40 detergent but they all have filters have heard non detergent straight 30w is best dont need to ruin a good engine whats your experiences

[953 nut 57,979]

A good quality 30 W motor oil is best, non detergent is hard to come by and not as good in my opinion, brand is up to you.

[JAinVA 4,629]

Kohler recommends a straight 30w for temperatuures above 30 degrees.They don't recommend a multi weight oil.The most important thing for long life is to change the oil at 20 to 25 hours.There is no filter on the single 16 so when drained all the crud comes out.In my mind oil is cheap compared to a rebuild.

Edited May 26, 2018 by JAinVA

[StanC160 5]

Thanks I'll use straight 30w then the c160 engine turns over easier seems ok but more worn out than c161 turns over harder looks like it has more compression

Edited May 26, 2018 by StanC160

[squonk 42,573]

I use Rotella straight 30W all year long for about 20 years now.

[clueless 3,113]

1 hour ago, squonk said:

I use Rotella straight 30W all year long for about 20 years now.

[oldlineman 1,495]

Yeah that and that Welcome to the square.

[bds1984 1,466]

I have been using 15W40 Rotella or Wolf's head for years now and not a single issue.  The whole only 30wt above certain temps is as outdated as the API classification for when the manual was written.  Oil technology has improved exponentially since then and I wouldn't lose any sleep about using multi-viscosity oils in my air cooled engines.  What is critical is keeping the oil level full and changing the oil every 25 hours.

[Fordiesel69 267]

1.)  If unsure of its past oil type, don;t guess, remove the pan and wash out the pan until it is spotless.  If you want do the same with the crankcase.  Kerosene and a parts wash brush.  New oil will pick up and hold in suspension the metal particles left over from the non-detergent oils.  

2.)  Non detergent oils are not advancing.  Its not an option anymore as the additives in it are near zero.  Unless you can find some old stash from the 1990;s when Kendall made the heavy duty SAE30 non detergent.

3.) Shell Rotella or other heavy duty diesel oil that is 5w-40, 15w-40, or SAE 30 is preferred as the diesels have very steep cam lobes, and very heavy valve trains, when they started removing the zinc, they are booting other synthetic antiwear additives to replace it.  I personally use 15w-40 as it is a nice middle road oil, and helps for cold starts and holds up well under hard loads.