Engine oil for Honda HRN 216 VKA Push Mower

bertsmobile1 · Jun 27, 2022

sp80 said:
I am obviously not an oil expert, however I am interested in protecting my new Honda engine. I am interested in opinions from other Honda lawn mower owners who are operating in warmer climates.. Thanks for your input.

And there in lies the problem.
Very few of them will be knowledgable about oil in mowers either
SO it will be a case of the blind leading the short sighted in an echo chamber of miss information gleened from Face book or Your tube.
If the new oils have been in use for 10+ years then perhaps you could draw from practical experience but since it is a new change then there will be no practical experience to draw from .
Honda offer a long warranty on these engines which should be enough to verify they know what they are doing in your mind .

sp80 · Jun 27, 2022

slomo said:
I use plain old Supertech wallymart SAE 30w. It's full of zinc too being SG rated. Runs super clean and is cheap. That's the reason I use it because it's cheap. Mowers don't need NASCAR oil. $12.86 a gallon all day.

[URL unfurl= "true"]https://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Tech-Conventional-SAE-HD-30-Motor-Oil-1-Gallon-Bottle/859463519[/URL]
Thanks slomo.

slomo said:
View attachment 61234

Thanks slomo. I had considered Super Tech ATV 10w30 Synthetic which is SL. We have been running 95F to 99F already.

sp80 · Jun 30, 2022

To Clarify: I am enjoying my Honda Lawn Mower. I have registered my product, have obtained copies of shop manual, and have thoroughly read the owners manual. I am totally familiar the operation and maintenance of the Honda Mower and have followed the maintenance schedule and using Honda Power Equipment 10w30 engine oil. I have had zero issues with my Honda HRN 216 VKA self propelled RWD mower and recommend it highly. My question has to do with Honda 10w30 SN engine oil. I am interested in what engine oil, other Honda HRN 216, GCV 170 engine operators are using in hot climates, experienced in the deep southern US. Honda recommends 10w30 and SAE 30 SJ or higher.

slomo · Jun 30, 2022

sp80 said:
To Clarify: I am enjoying my Honda Lawn Mower. I have registered my product, have obtained copies of shop manual, and have thoroughly read the owners manual. I am totally familiar the operation and maintenance of the Honda Mower and have followed the maintenance schedule and using Honda Power Equipment 10w30 engine oil. I have had zero issues with my Honda HRN 216 VKA self propelled RWD mower and recommend it highly. My question has to do with Honda 10w30 SN engine oil. I am interested in what engine oil, other Honda HRN 216, GCV 170 engine operators are using in hot climates, experienced in the deep southern US. Honda recommends 10w30 and SAE 30 SJ or higher.

Normally you go by YOUR outdoor ambient air temp. Look in your engine manual and it will be like this for example.

bertsmobile1 · Jun 30, 2022

In Sydney Australia where the summer temperatures usually have 10 days of 40 C or higher, 60 days of 30 C or higher about 300 days of 20 C or higher and only 60 days in the 10 to 20 range .
I use 10W 40 in everything that requires multigrade or strait sae 30 in mono grade equipment .
Using an oil that is too heavy will not hurt the mower, just make it harder to start and if it is really heavy ( 20W60 for instance ) rob a small amount of power
Using an oil that is too thin can cause excessive wear but only if it is used a lot ( almost daily )

slomo · Jul 1, 2022

sp80 said:
Honda recommends 10w30 and SAE 30 SJ or higher.

Personally, if that is what it says in your engine manual, I would use SAE 30w and never look back. In the summer with 90 plus temps, SAE 30w is your friend.

Multi grades will shear down much faster than a mono grade. Plus this is only a mower engine with 4hp maybe. Not much load going on here.

Also a 10w-30 is a 10 grade oil. Let that sink in. Which has viscosity index improvers or thickeners to make it perform as a 30w at 212F. So a light 10 grade oil with magic juice to be X amount of viscosity at 212 Fahrenheit.

I live in Oklahoma. I run SAE 30w in everything 4 stroke. We are in the 100's around here now FWIW.

Now if you lived up north and this was a snow blower, different plan of attack.

sp80 · Jul 1, 2022

slomo said:
Personally, if that is what it says in your engine manual, I would use SAE 30w and never look back. In the summer with 90 plus temps, SAE 30w is your friend.

Multi grades will shear down much faster than a mono grade. Plus this is only a mower engine with 4hp maybe. Not much load going on here.

Also a 10w-30 is a 10 grade oil. Let that sink in. Which has viscosity index improvers or thickeners to make it perform as a 30w at 212F. So a light 10 grade oil with magic juice to be X amount of viscosity at 212 Fahrenheit.

I live in Oklahoma. I run SAE 30w in everything 4 stroke. We are in the 100's around here now FWIW.

Now if you lived up north and this was a snow blower, different plan of attack.

Thanks. I have run Sae 30 in all my Briggs mower engines for years with no problems and long engine life. This is my first Honda engine.

sp80 · Jul 1, 2022

sp80 said:
Thanks. I have run Sae 30 in all my Briggs mower engines for years with no problems and long engine life. This is my first Honda engine.

damonr · Aug 28, 2023

Hello, I purchased a new Honda HRX21K6VKA mower on 10-15-2022 via the local Honolulu Hawaii dealer. The dealer prepped it for delivery and filled the engine oil up just between the full and add line. When I received the mower the 12oz bottle of engine oil Honda includes with every new mower for the initial fill was still full. I have used this mower for about 10 hours total over the last 6 months before the engine quit running in April 2023. I took it back to the dealer and after a week they said "it looks like your mower ran low on oil" and would not repair it under warranty. This mower has never ran low on oil because I have used half the 12oz full bottle supplied when I purchase it to keep it topped off on 3 separate occasions. It has used a fair amount over 10 hours compared to previous mowers and my current model I purchased while my 6 month old model was being fixed. I complained to American Honda Motor Company who asked me to take it to a different local dealer which I did.

Honda just wrote back and said: "The skilled technicians at Pape' Machinery, Aloha Power Equipment, and Honda have evaluated your mower. Based on the photos and detailed information provided by the dealers upon removing the sparkplug and examining the cylinder walls, found excessive scoring and damage caused by possibly damaged or broken piston rings. Signs of excessive heat are present on the head of the piston. Removal of cylinder head and piston required to confirm piston ring damage.

With this considered, there comes a time when repairs are the responsibility of the owner and not the manufacturer. We realize that repairs are never welcome at any time; however, due information Aloha Power and Pape' Machinery has provided, American Honda must regretfully deny assistance with the repair of your mower."

My yard is 2150sq ft and flat, it takes me 45-50 minutes to mow it every other week. Now I am thinking the wrong motor oil might have been used by the dealer for the initial fill or I simply bought a defective engine. Any ideas?

Thanks

Damon

GrumpyCat · Aug 30, 2023

damonr said:
Hello, I purchased a new Honda HRX21K6VKA mower on 10-15-2022 via the local Honolulu Hawaii dealer. The dealer prepped it for delivery and filled the engine oil up just between the full and add line. When I received the mower the 12oz bottle of engine oil Honda includes with every new mower for the initial fill was still full.

12 oz bottle?

Scored cylinder says "bad air filter" to me more than lack of oil. Especially when one is certain the engine had oil.

Engine oil for Honda HRN 216 VKA Push Mower

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