[man00]

Briggs & Stratton doesn't seem to be pushing 20w-50w

 

[Ready to Mow]

I believe they make a briggs and Stratton vanguard 20w50

 

[JTLarson]

The 35 hp Kawi on my mower recommends Rotella 15w-40, just like in my diesel truck. I thought that seemed strange at first, but seems to work fine.

 

[weeze]

i now use 15w50 all year long here in both my kawi and kohler engines.

 

[Turf Tracer]

Been running 5W30 Mobil1 in everything including over 10 Kaws for almost 5 years. Dealer recommended it and apparently Briggs endorses.

Would likely get oil to parts quicker on start up for guys who don't warm up engines.

So far so good.
http://blog.briggsandstratton.com/s...ton.com/synthetic-vs-conventional-oil-what-do-i-use-in-my-small-4-cycle-engine/

 

[man00]

I thought kawi made the change to slow down oil usage

 

[Ferris 3200]

Where are you guys getting that Kawasaki changed their oil recommendation and what motors do you have?
The manual for my 2016 FX1000V still (kind of) recommends straight 30 weight. Doesn't come out and say it but says multi weights WILL burn oil. Not maybe but WILL. I do use Rotella T5 semi 10w30 though.
My owners manual for my IS3200 doesn't even say what weight to use. Just a generic "fill it with oil"...unless I'm missing it somewhere.
This pic is from the Kawasaki manual.

 

[weeze]

my kawi uses oil no matter what. 10w30 or 30wt it uses it the same. 10w40 or 15w50 still uses oil just the same.

 

[ddavis7426]

Bumping this thread .
Did we ever find out if 20w 50 either conventional, blend, or full synthetic is OK to use?
I have a 27 hp Kawasaki liquid cooled engine on an older Bad Boy.

 

[Hawkshot99]

Bumping this thread .
Did we ever find out if 20w 50 either conventional, blend, or full synthetic is OK to use?
I have a 27 hp Kawasaki liquid cooled engine on an older Bad Boy.

3 yrs on my kawi with it, and no burning.1st yr I ran 10w40 and burned some.
I only use kawasaki 20w50. Its the cheapest "name brand " oil i can find and works great. Dont believe its a full synthetic, but not sure.

 

[Brucey]

Bumping this thread .
Did we ever find out if 20w 50 either conventional, blend, or full synthetic is OK to use?
I have a 27 hp Kawasaki liquid cooled engine on an older Bad Boy.

A liquid cooled engine should run a fair bit cooler and with less hotspots than an air cooled so prob not as critical on oil choice. Personally I run Mobil 1 V twin 20w50 full synth in my air cooled Kawasaki.

 

[lawnspecialties]

I used to run Mobil 1 in my Kawasakis but the engines burn it up too much. I had heard this is a common thing which seems odd. But I have switched back to Kawasaki K Tech and couldn't be happier. 100 hour oil changes and no issues at all. The Mobil 1 would use up a full quart in 100 hours but it's not nearly like that with the semi-synthetic K Tech.

Just FYI. I'm 10W-40 in the winter and 20W-50 in the summer. I use my mowers from time to time in the winter months and I don't even want to worry about starting a mower to load it on the trailer when it's 20 degrees outside. That rarely happens but it does happen. So why risk it.

 

[Rick1111]

I'm 20w50 full syn on my second kawi engine and it's still burning it like a fine marlboro. Smokes all the time. Have to top it off all the time. First one burned out on me at 350hrs. Dealer said I ran it dry of oil. But here was plenty oil in it when I dropped it off. I topped off the kawi every single morning without fail. I'm at about 500 hours on the second engine and it's starting to do the same damn thing. Currently burning 1/3 qrt a day.

 

[sjessen]

I'm 20w50 full syn on my second kawi engine and it's still burning it like a fine marlboro. Smokes all the time. Have to top it off all the time. First one burned out on me at 350hrs. Dealer said I ran it dry of oil. But here was plenty oil in it when I dropped it off. I topped off the kawi every single morning without fail. I'm at about 500 hours on the second engine and it's starting to do the same damn thing. Currently burning 1/3 qrt a day.

Which engine?

 

[Rick1111]

I paid a lot extra to get the larger fr691v put in. My current engine. Was told this one was close to 23hp than the original I forget something around 18hp.

 

[Brucey]

I'm 20w50 full syn on my second kawi engine and it's still burning it like a fine marlboro. Smokes all the time. Have to top it off all the time. First one burned out on me at 350hrs. Dealer said I ran it dry of oil. But here was plenty oil in it when I dropped it off. I topped off the kawi every single morning without fail. I'm at about 500 hours on the second engine and it's starting to do the same damn thing. Currently burning 1/3 qrt a day.

Damn that's a lot of oil. Fingers crossed for my baby fs600, no signs of excessive consumption yet.

 

[sjessen]

I paid a lot extra to get the larger fr691v put in. My current engine. Was told this one was close to 23hp than the original I forget something around 18hp.

For future reference, Kawasaki uses a plastic dipstick for a reason. If it is dark it means the engine got hot. Guessing the stick on your old engine was fine but the dealer didn't check.

 

[Valk]

I'm 20w50 full syn on my second kawi engine and it's still burning it like a fine marlboro. Smokes all the time. Have to top it off all the time. First one burned out on me at 350hrs. Dealer said I ran it dry of oil. But here was plenty oil in it when I dropped it off. I topped off the kawi every single morning without fail. I'm at about 500 hours on the second engine and it's starting to do the same damn thing. Currently burning 1/3 qrt a day.

How do the two spark plugs look in comparison? Is one side worse than the other?

 

[Rick1111]

I'll check this weekend when I do the maintenance.and report back some pics.

 

[SS Lawn Care]

Kawi's are bad about oil consumption. Check daily for sure. There doesn't seem to be anything you can do to stop or prevent it. My favorite engine, the one that hardly ever used a drop, was the Kohler Command 25. I think Kawasaki's inability to fix this issue over the years gave rise to Kohler and Briggs increasingly being the dominant engine choices in commercial mowers now. The Kawasaki problem is really unacceptable when you think about it. I have heard of and experienced it myself with a Kawasaki FX series engine burning up within the first 350 hrs of use. I sold a 2.5 year old V-ride with 550 hrs last year, and the dealer (who still services it) told me the new owner brought it in. It threw a rod. Same issue, too much oil consumption. I mean, you really should check it before every mow to be safe. Go figure, I have a 2015 FX600 with over 1300 hrs still going strong. It uses oil too though. Got to stay on it.