What Oil Do You Run?

[Irish1]

At least the last 4 Lesabres that I have owned have recommended 5w30 oil. My previously owned 2003 and current 2001 Park Avenues with the same engine recommend 10w30. I have run Mobil 1 in everything except my VW diesels for years. Recently changed the Park Ave over to Quaker State synthetic after reading some pretty impressive numbers for wear resistance. Plus the Quaker state is less expensive. I expect switch the Lesabre and Suburban over to Quaker State as I use up the Mobil 1. The snowmobiles (4 strokes) will probably stay on Mobil 1 for the 0w40 and the garden tractor gets Mobil 1 15w50 because anything thinner than that comes out like water when I do an oil change.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

At least the last 4 Lesabres that I have owned have recommended 5w30 oil. My previously owned 2003 and current 2001 Park Avenues with the same engine recommend 10w30. I have run Mobil 1 in everything except my VW diesels for years. Recently changed the Park Ave over to Quaker State synthetic after reading some pretty impressive numbers for wear resistance. Plus the Quaker state is less expensive. I expect switch the Lesabre and Suburban over to Quaker State as I use up the Mobil 1. The snowmobiles (4 strokes) will probably stay on Mobil 1 for the 0w40 and the garden tractor gets Mobil 1 15w50 because anything thinner than that comes out like water when I do an oil change.

what kind of engine is on that garden tractor, and how old? 15w50 is a little heavy for an air cooled small engine
if you have issue with gas dilution, check the valve lash (if 2 cylinder, check both sets) and also if you have the universal fuel pump

which most small engines in the last 20 some years have used(That style, they can be metal, mounted differently, etc..) then you should replace it period and also replace the vacuum line that leads to the engine (the place the vacuum line goes depends on the engine, mine on my kawasaki goes to the crankcase in a special spot)

The pump diaphram may be allowing your crankcase/intake/engine to suck gas into the oil. Or valves could be out of tolerance for lash and then excess fuel finding its way washing down or pushing past seals etc....


Finally, Ive personally had good luck with a oil burner (small engine) simply from high hours and tender abuse (high loads lol) and using this stuff. According to their website, that 9 oz can(4 cylinder formula) about 4-5 oz in your small engine + oil and new filter(Dont overfill, you have to substitute a small bit of oil with that) is the best amount in a small engine. You can use it in a larger engine, car engine. I have personally used it although I have little to say about it since I was using it as preventative measure. The stuff is a sacrificial coating that lays down into the cylinder walls and then increases compression/sealing so you have more HP, less gas and blowby etc.....

Project farm used it on a diesel tractor and had fantastic results and the reduced oil use Ive seen has me convinced.
Do that, a valve job, and the fuel pump+vacuum pulse hose, I think you may see a reduction in your issues.

At the very least, you should extend its life a bit. Maybe run a bit better.

 

[Irish1]

what kind of engine is on that garden tractor, and how old? 15w50 is a little heavy for an air cooled small engine
if you have issue with gas dilution, check the valve lash (if 2 cylinder, check both sets) and also if you have the universal fuel pump
View attachment 38135
which most small engines in the last 20 some years have used(That style, they can be metal, mounted differently, etc..) then you should replace it period and also replace the vacuum line that leads to the engine (the place the vacuum line goes depends on the engine, mine on my kawasaki goes to the crankcase in a special spot)

The pump diaphram may be allowing your crankcase/intake/engine to suck gas into the oil. Or valves could be out of tolerance for lash and then excess fuel finding its way washing down or pushing past seals etc....

View attachment 38136
Finally, Ive personally had good luck with a oil burner (small engine) simply from high hours and tender abuse (high loads lol) and using this stuff. According to their website, that 9 oz can(4 cylinder formula) about 4-5 oz in your small engine + oil and new filter(Dont overfill, you have to substitute a small bit of oil with that) is the best amount in a small engine. You can use it in a larger engine, car engine. I have personally used it although I have little to say about it since I was using it as preventative measure. The stuff is a sacrificial coating that lays down into the cylinder walls and then increases compression/sealing so you have more HP, less gas and blowby etc.....

Project farm used it on a diesel tractor and had fantastic results and the reduced oil use Ive seen has me convinced.
Do that, a valve job, and the fuel pump+vacuum pulse hose, I think you may see a reduction in your issues.

At the very least, you should extend its life a bit. Maybe run a bit better.

The garden tractor is an Ingersoll 4016 with a 16 HP Briggs & Stratton Vanguard V-Twin Engine. Ingersoll tractors used to be made in Winneconne, WI. It was built in 1991. I bought it in 1996 with 9 hours on it. It rolled 900 hours this spring. I average 35 to 40 hours/year now and do an oil change every spring. I did replace the diaphragm in the fuel pump a few years ago. It doesn't use oil.
It still runs as good as ever so I plan to stick with the 15w50. If it weren't a synthetic I would go with something lower viscosity. I will save your recommendation for the future.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

The garden tractor is an Ingersoll 4016 with a 16 HP Briggs & Stratton Vanguard V-Twin Engine. Ingersoll tractors used to be made in Winneconne, WI. It was built in 1991. I bought it in 1996 with 9 hours on it. It rolled 900 hours this spring. I average 35 to 40 hours/year now and do an oil change every spring. I did replace the diaphragm in the fuel pump a few years ago. It doesn't use oil.
It still runs as good as ever so I plan to stick with the 15w50. If it weren't a synthetic I would go with something lower viscosity. I will save your recommendation for the future.

Nice, I have a 16hp opposed twin (takes a bit more space) but flathead and a stupid-er carburetor LOL. the fuel pump is a diaphram on the side of it. its a late 80s. that vanguard must be the early years, the first small engine repair I succeeded was on a late 90s vanguard v twin in a agco allis(Simplicity these days) lawn mower. I was so proud of myself(17 I think I was?)

it sounds like you may have the old style of carburetor with a side-mounted pump? Or did you have a fuel pump like I showed before but it was made of metal(and could be rebuilt) ?
does the fuel bowl have a dieseling solenoid on it? If it was stuck open maybe gas is finding its way when shut off(Those early solenoids were kinda annoying) But This would indicate a carb neeing to be adjusted or cleaned/rebuilt.

you may still look at a restore application and also a valve job. Also cleaning the fan/shrouds making sure those are okay, if its getting too hot maybe the oil is breaking down (heat can kill and make it thin like that)

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

The garden tractor is an Ingersoll 4016 with a 16 HP Briggs & Stratton Vanguard V-Twin Engine. Ingersoll tractors used to be made in Winneconne, WI. It was built in 1991. I bought it in 1996 with 9 hours on it. It rolled 900 hours this spring. I average 35 to 40 hours/year now and do an oil change every spring. I did replace the diaphragm in the fuel pump a few years ago. It doesn't use oil.
It still runs as good as ever so I plan to stick with the 15w50. If it weren't a synthetic I would go with something lower viscosity. I will save your recommendation for the future.

whats the original use for that 15w50? A diesel rated thing? Have you tried SAE 30 before? if you have used automotive multi grades this could be the problem too. If you can, an air cooled SAE 30 or 10w30, maybe evne 10w40 you may find it doesnt have the same problems. just ideas. if you can drain a small amount, try the restore. you can always have a oil control be working fine but the cylinder be carboned up and maybe slightly rich, never hurts to check the governor/linkage/cables for adjustments too.

 

[2000ltd]

Mobile 1 10w30 with a wix filter every 5k

 

[02LTD2.0]

Castrol Edge 10w30 with an AC Delco filter.