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Hi y’all this may sound dumb but I’m new to this working on my own stuff so cut me a break. I have a b&s generator model 030424 took off the cover that says ohv and found the oil clumpy and sludg like. What causes this thanks in advance.

Non-Detergent oil.

Other way round Mark,
non detergent oil
All that detergents do is to surround every single particle to prevent them turning into big blobs .

Tommy, your oil is just old and weather or to be more accurate water affected.
With things like generators they should be started & run for at least 1 hour a month to drive the water that has condensed out of the oil,
Mower oild are designed to hold water to prevent the engine rusting while stitting for months unused

Not changing the oil often enough. Use Castrol GTX SAE 30 HD or Shell Rotella T1 SAE 30 and change more often.

Not changing the oil often enough and running non detergent oil. Use Kohler, Briggs, Kawasaki and Lucas oils that have a high zinc content. If you always buy an oil branded by the engine manufacture you will get the high zinc oil that is good for the cam valve train. It can add life to the valve train.

Condensation in the oil. It will get in your gas tank too.

Last major ice storm my generator saw me through for 48. Took a few pulls - subfreezing at 100% humidity. My boss couldn't start his at all.

Difference? I run the motor every eight weeks enough to dry it out, and I Stabil my gas. No draining the tank/carburetor, NO ETHANOL GAS. Tanks should be FULL for storage.

A combustion engine is a living thing. Sometimes it is a screaming animal; sometimes it is a subtle plant. Either way, it will die without attention.

mechanic mark said:

Detergent oil.

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?

Tommyb2401 said:

Hi y’all this may sound dumb but I’m new to this working on my own stuff so cut me a break. I have a b&s generator model 030424 took off the cover that says ohv and found the oil clumpy and sludg like. What causes this thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

is that why it’s not starting. I cleaned the carburetor several times and the only way I can get it to even attempt to start is by putting a little gas in the carburetor. I have replaced fuel lines new gas new coil and plug

Oil comes in 2 varities
Detergent for use with a spin on filter & non detergent for use with a settleing tank
AFAIK SAE 30 mower oil is non detergent
All multi grade mower oils are detergent.

As for not starting two things come to mind
Carb is still not clean
Choke dose not fully close.
As for cleaning the carb, there is cleaning and there is CLEANING.
To clean properly you have to pull the entire carb apart , remove all jets and clean them then blow out all of the sir passages.
To give any more specific detail we need to know which engine is fitted to the generator.

@bertsmobile1
SAE 30 comes in both detergent and non-detergent. That’s where people need to be careful.The Briggs and Stratton SAE 30 has detergents and dispersants in it. SAE 30 and SAE 40 diesel oils have detergents and dispersants. They are sometimes considered as fleet oils and farmers are big users of those oils. Castrol, Valvoline, Pennzoil, and Quaker State have SAE 30 oils that have detergents and dispersants. Those oils are labeled SAE 30 HD. The HD means that they are High Detergent.

bertsmobile1 said:

Other way round Mark,
non detergent oil
All that detergents do is to surround every single particle to prevent them turning into big blobs .

Tommy, your oil is just old and weather or to be more accurate water affected.
With things like generators they should be started & run for at least 1 hour a month to drive the water that has condensed out of the oil,
Mower oild are designed to hold water to prevent the engine rusting while stitting for months unused

Click to expand...

Thanks for correcting me bertsmobile1,Mark

In the US most any automotive/truck/diesel oil will be detergent oil. If you want non-detergent oil look for oil marked as racing oil. Racers change oil so often detergent packages in the oil are useless. Many folks have wanted to use the "best" oil and figured racing oil was it only to find after 3000 miles the engine sludged up. Back in the 60's it was common to pull a valve cover and have so much sludge the rocker arms left impressions in the sludge.

bertsmobile1 said:

Oil comes in 2 varities
Detergent for use with a spin on filter & non detergent for use with a settleing tank
AFAIK SAE 30 mower oil is non detergent
All multi grade mower oils are detergent.

As for not starting two things come to mind
Carb is still not clean
Choke dose not fully close.
As for cleaning the carb, there is cleaning and there is CLEANING.
To clean properly you have to pull the entire carb apart , remove all jets and clean them then blow out all of the sir passages.
To give any more specific detail we need to know which engine is fitted to the generator.

Click to expand...

B&s

bertsmobile1 said:

Oil comes in 2 varities
Detergent for use with a spin on filter & non detergent for use with a settleing tank
AFAIK SAE 30 mower oil is non detergent
All multi grade mower oils are detergent.

As for not starting two things come to mind
Carb is still not clean
Choke dose not fully close.
As for cleaning the carb, there is cleaning and there is CLEANING.
To clean properly you have to pull the entire carb apart , remove all jets and clean them then blow out all of the sir passages.
To give any more specific detail we need to know which engine is fitted to the generator.

Click to expand...

B&s model number 204412

Briggs recommends detergent oils.