All the oils & grease - beginner questions

[whodunit68]

I wasn't implying you can't read, thought maybe an oversight. Now I see it, & think it's hard to believe it.

Have you looked in the (separate) Kawasak®i Engine manual ? You should have gotten with your manuals etc..If that says same thing, I will rest my case.

I build Harley engines, so I have a bit of a clue. Oil is cheap, engines are not.

Thanks for taking the time with me here. Those screenshots I sent are from the Kawasaki manual. I can attach that when I get home. It is possible that I missed something though I did go through it a few times. But it’s entirely possible. And I did ask the dealer when they delivered - they said 100 hours. That’s how this whole oil/grease thing got started. I have an obsession with using the right stuff so I’ve been researching the heck out of this. Unfortunately either there are not a lot of newbies like me (or people just know this stuff) or they won’t admit it online.

thanks again.

 

[7394]

No worries, just trying to help, if it's not there, Kawasaki musta changed something. Reason I find it Extremely odd is I have Brand New 2021 Scag w/Kawasaki built & bought May 20th, 2021. & both the operators manual, & the Kaw manual list Early oil change by 8 hours.

For the cost of 2 qts of oil & filter, I would Not pinch pennies here. Oil is the lifeblood of any engine. I change my oil (after the 8 hour early change), at end of each mow season, or @ 50 hours, never longer than 1 year.

You are just starting to break in this engine, & that is when it will have the most wear particles etc, in there. I'd be changing the oil & filter, but that's me.

Changing the oil is very simple..

 

[bertsmobile1]

Thanks for taking the time with me here. Those screenshots I sent are from the Kawasaki manual. I can attach that when I get home. It is possible that I missed something though I did go through it a few times. But it’s entirely possible. And I did ask the dealer when they delivered - they said 100 hours. That’s how this whole oil/grease thing got started. I have an obsession with using the right stuff so I’ve been researching the heck out of this. Unfortunately either there are not a lot of newbies like me (or people just know this stuff) or they won’t admit it online.

thanks again.

About twice a year some one comes in with a seized engine that has very clean oil in it which obviously has never been run because they forgot to put the oil in then siezed the engine then tried to get a warranty claim for a new engine
Probably 10 times more people catch the engine just before it locks up solid .
Had a few customers who bought a current season mower with almost no hours that was burning a little oil when they bought it from some one who was "moving house" "Found the mower unsuitable for their yard" or any other lie to explain why they were selling the mower .
So you sire are an exception, and one dear to most techs hearts because having a stand up arguement with a customer trying pull a fast one is some thing we can all do without.
The last Kawakasi engine I bought from my distributor had a service notice from the distributor mandating an early oil change at 5 hours followed by checking all fasteners .
When I can, I mow for a couple of hours ( there is 1000 acres behind the workshop to choose from + another 5 acres of street verge ) then do the full service & oil change .

 

[whodunit68]

I appreciate the perspective you guys have nor am I trying to stand my ground. I've dealt with the public in various capacities myself so understand that what comes from people is definitely not necessarily how it is. In this case, I very much recognize my limitations. I hesitated to ask in the beginning because these are very, very basic questions but I asked because I didn't know the answers. I didn't find much conclusive on the net.

I'm far from a penny-pincher but I also prefer not to throw $ out if I don't have to. If the mfr recommends 100 hours then worst case 100 hours it is - I'm pretty particular about these things. However, if the pros are seeing in real life that it's risky to wait until 100 and I should do it at 50 (or 30, etc), well, 50 it is. We're talking a few dollars on an almost $10k investment.

For anyone who wants to see, https://www.ferrismowers.com/na/en_...ications.downloadmanual.5109508_C_LO.pdf.html is where I found the manual (Ferris product page link to manual) and https://www.kawasakienginesusa.com/sites/default/files/manuals/FT730V-EFI-English-Spanish.pdf for the Kawasaki manual. I'm not sticking to this - if you guys recommend "real life" to do it more often, I'm definitely going to do it. I don't want to cause myself hundreds or thousands of $'s in damage for not doing a $30 oil change or something stupid like that.

Back to the dry lithium grease spray (Blaster? Lucas Oil? Red-n-Tacky? Doesn't matter?) ....it's probably like everything else but since you encouraged the asking, I will dry lithium spray grease...assume that's for the stuff here (control handle pivots, seat plate pivots, etc)?



assume this is like bicycle chain lube?



amazing this small machine requires so many different types of grease.

The hydraulic oil and the standard engine oil are pretty well called out in the manual - hydraulic is 20w50 (Ferris manual) and the engine oil is 10w40 (Kawa manual).

thanks again for taking all the time you've taken. If any of you run businesses anywhere near north central Florida, I would gladly take my Ferris to you for service if nothing else but to say thanks.

 

[bertsmobile1]

In some states grease is considered an EPA violation
Some of the Cal spec mowers I see have no grease fittings so you have to dissasemble to grease them.
The logic behind this is you will clean all excess grease off if you have to pull the gear apart.
They leave my shop with grease nipples fitted where ever I think they are needed .
I don't need to take 1 hour to do a 5 minute job but the mower companies have to comply with EPA regualtions.
The use of calcium sulfonate is again to get past the EPA as it is a food grade grease thus is not considered to be a pollutant ,,,,, yet .
For the front suspension it is a problem area for any grease so they went for a very high tac grease.
GO to a pushbike shop & get a spray can of dry chain grease .
It is a big problem because they work in very dusty conditions & you don't want dust to stick and become a grinding paste but on the other hand you need the grease to stick and prevent metal to metal contact .
The same dry chain lube can be used with a straw to lube the throttle & choke cables .
I use Tri-Flow and have been using it for decades on motorcycle cables

 

[7394]

If the mfr recommends 100 hours then worst case 100 hours it is

Long ago back in 2014 (after my early oil change) I called Kawasaki about the 100 hour oil change intervals. For my then Toro Z.

The Kaw Tech said that is for those that cut 100 or more hours PER YEAR. He stated otherwise, best to do it @ 50 or yearly. He said the book should be changed. But that never happened..

So to be on the safe side I just do my Oil & filter / service after last cut every year.

Look in your Kaw engine manual, should be a ph #, ya might still be able to get thru to verify..

 

[whodunit68]

very grateful for the tips, comments, and recommendations. And more important to me, your patience while I sort through these things. I have a thing in me that makes me research the heck out of some simple to some topics.
I do want to do it right - it was a big investment.
thinking about some of the dust attraction problem, it isn't so much different than lubrication related to all the dive equipment I maintain. The technical dive world is filled with things that can not rust up or attract too much dust as to block their functions - could be deadly.
It's definitely not the same thing but some similar concepts apply.
Many many thanks guys.

 

[Fish]

One thing to think about grease guns, is that people get carried away.
Many pump grease until they hear the seals pop and grease oozes out, in my mind, that is not a good thing.

 

[whodunit68]

One thing to think about grease guns, is that people get carried away.
Many pump grease until they hear the seals pop and grease oozes out, in my mind, that is not a good thing.

I keep reading “just enough.” I’ll research some guns, research some grease, and change my oil. By the first this should be over .

thanks Fish.

 

[bertsmobile1]

One thing to think about grease guns, is that people get carried away.
Many pump grease until they hear the seals pop and grease oozes out, in my mind, that is not a good thing.

Funny you should say this.
Just had a bloke around because the brakes on his S 30 keep on filling up with grease
The riders hand book ( from 1930) says to apply one stroke of the grease gun the the hub every 200 miles which he was doing
What he failed to realize that it was one stroke from the Tecament grease gun supplied in the motorcycle tool roll , not one stroke from a modern lever action grease gun which pumps around 20 times as much grease per stroke.