Do you guys with Kawasaki engines use the Ktech oil they have? My dealer told me you have to use it because regular SAE30 oils don't keep cool enough during long hours of operation.
Kawasaki Engine Oil
lawnservicefreak22
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Why would the oil filter be plugged at 100 hours?
Say I were to only change the filter at 200 hours or once a year, whichever occurs first. Is there some consequence to doing that?
Have a 23 kawi with 4400+ hours. Oil filter changed every 200 hours. Oil is changed more often.
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As the pores in the filter fill up with contaminats they restrict the flow of oil thru the filter.
One of two things will happen. Blow out which allows the contaminats to flow thru the engine or complete restriction which reduces oil pressure. Neither is healthy.
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I know what happens. I need to know why it happens at such low hours? Why do virtually all of the factories recommend a 200 hour filter change interval?
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Where is the majority of the dirt inside the motor?
It should be in the filter.
Most engine mfg recomend the first oil and filter change at 5 to 10 hrs to get rid of contaminates.
A filter might last 200 hrs but that doesen't mean its doing anything. It can only hold so much dirt.
I can't believe you put a dirty filter back on when you change the oil.
It should be in the filter.
Most engine mfg recomend the first oil and filter change at 5 to 10 hrs to get rid of contaminates.
A filter might last 200 hrs but that doesen't mean its doing anything. It can only hold so much dirt.
I can't believe you put a dirty filter back on when you change the oil.
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I've never put a used oil filter on anything.
Would you agree that if a filter is non functioning or has gone into bypass mode that the dirt would stay in the oil instead of being filtered out? If your answer is yes then read this report.
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=360326
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my manual says change the oil and filter every 100hrs but i do it at every 50-75hrs. (initial oil and filter change at 8hrs using john deere oil, 2nd at 50hrs using mobil 1, 3rd at 125hrs using mobil 1) i always change the filter when i change the oil. i don't know why anyone wouldn't do that. they are cheap to buy and so is 2qts of oil. i use mobil 1 10w30 after the first 50hrs. the first 50hrs i used the john deere regular oil. the engine used oil until 75hrs. it took that long to seat the rings. after than it hasn't used a drop since.
as for cleaning the shroud i checked mine after a full season and there was hardly anything under there. i always use my blower to blow the dust and debris out of the engine after every yard i cut. it keeps it cleaned out fairly well. i think the main reason it would have buildup under there is if you cut in the rain. that makes the dust stick to the engine fins since it turns to mud basically. i never cut in the rain if i can help it although i did get rained on a couple of times in the year. as long as it's dry nothing is gonna stick to the engine under there. just keep it blown out with a blower and you are good to go. i would check it at maybe 250hrs just to double check. my manual says remove the shroud every 100hrs but i think that's overkill.
as for cleaning the shroud i checked mine after a full season and there was hardly anything under there. i always use my blower to blow the dust and debris out of the engine after every yard i cut. it keeps it cleaned out fairly well. i think the main reason it would have buildup under there is if you cut in the rain. that makes the dust stick to the engine fins since it turns to mud basically. i never cut in the rain if i can help it although i did get rained on a couple of times in the year. as long as it's dry nothing is gonna stick to the engine under there. just keep it blown out with a blower and you are good to go. i would check it at maybe 250hrs just to double check. my manual says remove the shroud every 100hrs but i think that's overkill.
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Wouldn't it depend on when the filter quit working? Contaminates produced after the filter quits would keep circulating thru the engine. Dirt trapped by the filter should stay in the filter.
I read the report. It looks good on paper.
Very few engine failures come from oil change intervals anyway. Most come from complete lack of maintence.
I just cant stand the mudd that comes out if I let go any longer.
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The Z Trac 700 series with horizontal kawi engines had the shroud problems. They changed them on the later models but they still had to be blown out often. My 930 A has the verticle shaft and does not seem to have this problem. I only used it a month at the end of the season but it stayed clean.
We use napa straight 30 HD, and OEM Kawi filters, never have had any issues with motors blowing , oil/ filter is changed at 50 hours. Like said engines, wheel motors, pumps overheat when they do not get enough air do to grass , dirt etc.buildup, aswell most air cooled engines get wipe out by dirt injestion through the intake
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I have heard that oil filters have little magnets on the bottom to trap and hold tiny pieces of engin metal... My question is.. Is it true they have magnets in them.. and if so.. Synphetic oil have little micro-scopic ball bearings in it.. do the ball bearings get cough in the filter.. and degrade the synphetic oil?
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The answer is NO to EVERYTHING you said here. Ball bearings in oil....:hammerhead:
It's pointless to put a magnet in the filter. Most dirt won't stick to a magnet. The bearing materials won't stick to a magnet and none of the aluminum will stick to a magnet. There are some parts of the valve train that are ferrous but after the first few hours (when the engine is brand new) very little to none should be found in the oil. Just keep your air filter in good shape and sealed up tight and don't worry about magnets.
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dont know yet, only one of two of those engines left, and they spent the first 700 hours with cheap syth oil. we changed air fitlers alot,and oil and filters. did not seem to help before. but so far, amsoil is doing well. al theother engines are of the newer class and always on amsoil. so far so great on those.
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yup, same here. we changed oil and filter at 50 hr intervals and the engine still went crap. air filtration really seemed to be the killer overall, but not to say the internal parts werent crap too, dunno. only engine wehave ever had issues with being a kawi.
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Mobil one 10-30 for all my overhead valve engines, no matter the brand. I especially reccomend it in Kohler Command engines with hydraulic lifters. Honestly, the absolute best practice is to change the oil at the first 8-10 hours to remove the factory breakin oil. The difference will be seen in an engine that fails at 1000 hours versus 2500 hours.
As far as overheating, clean the cooling fins by removing the shroud once every 100 hours, but almost noone does that.
As far as overheating, clean the cooling fins by removing the shroud once every 100 hours, but almost noone does that.
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I think the number one problem with the Kawi's is the engine shroud fits so tightly that people have no idea how much grass has built up on the engine. The grass insulates the engine and causes it to over heat. You end up with 1-2 blown gaskets but the grass absorbs the oil at first and you have no idea you even have an over heating problem.
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i agree :clapping:
Could you explain what that is?
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