Carscw
Lawn Pro
Same thing my Kawasaki engine did.
Mine kept getting worse.
I will never use a Kawasaki again. Had two that used oil.
Hustler Raptor SD Puff of Smoke at Startup
- Thread starter Freerider
- Start date
Mine kept getting worse.
I will never use a Kawasaki again. Had two that used oil.
try a thicker oil.
by the book, kawasaki recommends 30 to 40 weight oil, but they also recently released a bulletin to use a 50 weight oil to help with oil consumption. and generally you use a thicker oil the hotter it is outside.
i use valvoline vr1 20w-50 racing oil which has a lot of zinc additive, which provides a lot of wear protection, that has been stripped out of most oils now due to emissions.
cpurvis
Lawn Addict
People make oil consumption a bigger deal than it actually is. Burning 1/3rd of a quart in 18 hours sounds like a lot until you consider that the average residential mower will accumulate 50 or so hours per season, meaning...you'd have to add one quart per season.
Also, engines can be finicky not only about weight, but also brand of oil. I bought a used C-50 Chevrolet truck from a guy who told me to run Conoco 30w in it. I didn't have any of that and was running Quaker State in everything else, so I switched to QS. It guzzled the QS. Switched back to Conoco and the oil consumption went WAY down. Also had a Ford Ranger with a 4-banger engine. The book recommendation was 10w-40, which it consumed at the rate of about a quart every 700-800 miles. Switched to 5w-30 and it would then use a quart in about 3,000 miles.
Sometimes it pays to experiment.
Also, engines can be finicky not only about weight, but also brand of oil. I bought a used C-50 Chevrolet truck from a guy who told me to run Conoco 30w in it. I didn't have any of that and was running Quaker State in everything else, so I switched to QS. It guzzled the QS. Switched back to Conoco and the oil consumption went WAY down. Also had a Ford Ranger with a 4-banger engine. The book recommendation was 10w-40, which it consumed at the rate of about a quart every 700-800 miles. Switched to 5w-30 and it would then use a quart in about 3,000 miles.
Sometimes it pays to experiment.
Carscw
Lawn Pro
A 1/3 quart of oil every 18 hours is unacceptable.
That would mean every 2 days I need to add oil.
That's a quart a week.
So 2 quarts every 2 weeks plus the 2 1/2 quart oil change plus the over priced filter.
I would be out a extra $15 every 2 weeks.
That's equivalent to 2 1/2 sub way subs.
That would mean every 2 days I need to add oil.
That's a quart a week.
So 2 quarts every 2 weeks plus the 2 1/2 quart oil change plus the over priced filter.
I would be out a extra $15 every 2 weeks.
That's equivalent to 2 1/2 sub way subs.
One thing I've noticed is my puff of smoke at startup has vanished since I'm almost at the halfway mark on the dipstick. I'm not going to top off the oil but wait and see if maybe the oil consumption may reduce if the case isn't full. The mowing season is almost over now, but my new mower is going to be a leaf mulcher here in a couple of weeks. I'll probably put another 10 hours on her before winter sets in.
the oil i stated above is under $5 quart. if you want cheap oil, it dont cost you anything to get a thicker weight. you're in georgia where its hot. use a thicker oil.
The Opti 4 oil I'm using is about $15 a quart. I know, they saw me coming. It increases the engine warranty if you use it.
azazel_18_2
Forum Newbie
I am a Kawasaki service center and I'll tell you they think up to 1/2 an oz of oil an hour is ok. They have changed their oil weight for hot climates to 20W50. We sell Hustler mowers with the Kawasaki engines. I personally have 700 hours on my FS691v and love it. I am also a Kohler tech and I dislike them very much. My kohler CV26 blew both head gaskets at 65 hours. I then wound up with another Kohler on another mower and sure enough 150 hours in and a blown head gasket. They have since fixed the problem. If I have to chose an engine for MY mower it will be a Kawasaki as I see way to much issues with the Kohler engine and especially the Briggs engine minus the Vanguard engines.