Again this oil is not for the space program guys. Take used oil from your car. Dump it in your mower. Will be just fine. Farmers have been doing this for decades.
Engine oil for Honda HRN 216 VKA Push Mower
- Thread starter sp80
- Start date
bertsmobile1
Lawn Royalty
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2014
- Threads
- 65
- Messages
- 24,995
Put the same ol in your mower as they use for formula 1 GP racers that cost well over $ 100/gallon and you will be lucky if it lasts a single season
All oil sites need to be moderated because the requirements of oils in different engines is different
Engines with turbos need really high temp resistance
oils for mores , makes no difference.
Even the best engines only have 3 pressure fed journals, upper & lower crankshaft + big end
The rest is splash .
A lt of engine makers now specify fully synthetic but have made no changes to their engines that used to run happily on strait SAE 30 or SAE 40
But if they specify expensive oils then the engine MUST be better, right ? WRONG
All oil sites need to be moderated because the requirements of oils in different engines is different
Engines with turbos need really high temp resistance
oils for mores , makes no difference.
Even the best engines only have 3 pressure fed journals, upper & lower crankshaft + big end
The rest is splash .
A lt of engine makers now specify fully synthetic but have made no changes to their engines that used to run happily on strait SAE 30 or SAE 40
But if they specify expensive oils then the engine MUST be better, right ? WRONG
Look at Briggs newest lawn mowers sold at various self improvement outlets. It says maintenance free, no need to change oil. Just add oil as required 
. Obvious this is laughable and shows why Briggs and Stratton is just a name these days.
These smaller engines don’t have oil filters so in my opinion is makes no sense to get carried away with brand and type of oil, just change it often. As long as it is the correct weight (or close) and is API. I have a 3.5 Briggs that takes 20 oz and a Honda 160 that takes 13.5 oz so it certainly isn’t going to break the bank compared to my Cummings which takes 3 gallons of oil.
. Obvious this is laughable and shows why Briggs and Stratton is just a name these days.These smaller engines don’t have oil filters so in my opinion is makes no sense to get carried away with brand and type of oil, just change it often. As long as it is the correct weight (or close) and is API. I have a 3.5 Briggs that takes 20 oz and a Honda 160 that takes 13.5 oz so it certainly isn’t going to break the bank compared to my Cummings which takes 3 gallons of oil.
Long ago I had one of the last Homelite 21" SP mowers with cast aluminum deck and about 4.5 HP B&S engine. 1988 I believe. Purchased from Monkey Wards just as the business was collapsing. The oil fill/check was a long tube and dipstick. With fresh oil and oil splashed up the tube (especially after adding oil) I found it impossible to read the oil level when oil in the tube wetted the dipstick. Overfilled, grossly. That was quite something when suddenly it ingested the excess oil. Buried 4 houses (over an acre) in blue smoke in seconds. Neighbors were reaching for 911. Always wondered if I could repeat that smoke screen? Never tried.
Drained oil to reasonable levels, engine recovered.
From then on I only put used Mobil-1 15W-50 from my VW Golf in that engine. Something that was dark enough I could read the dipstick.
About 10 years later the aluminum deck cracked. Must have been from my inferior oil.
A friend happily put my engine on another deck for his own use. Engine was still running great, not using oil.
I got a free 80’s vintage lawn mower at a yard sale a few years ago. Decided it would be fun to restore. It was full of water and oil that looked like anti-seize compound. I installed new valves and springs because the originals had no more room for adjustment. This thing probably never saw an oil change during it’s lifetime, until I got it. It burns no oil and runs as good as my Honda HRR-GX160 mower.
Last edited:
Only flaw I've seen on that engine was lack of de-carbonizing the cylinder. That is the only way it will smoke and later fail. Chunks of carbon fall into the cylinder and lodge next to the rings scoring the bore.