Champion 2K generator oil

Just a champion 10w30 nothing special when I changed it I used castrol 10w30

There are options that are more robust for small engine use than standard passenger car oil.
Heavy duty engine oil like Rotella or Delo, these are usually available in 10w30, 5w40 or 15w40.
Small engine oils like Honda, Briggs or Kohler oils are actually formulated very similar to the Heavy Duty engine oil but much more expensive. You can get a gallon jug of Rotella 10w30 at Walmart for about $12. The small engine oils can bee $7 or $8 per quart.
What I run in my Champ is Amsoil 10w30 small engine formula, full synthetic and takes the heat very well. I think I ran Rotella 10w30 during break in.

newman fulltimer wrote:
My champy came with its first pint of break in oil:h

Hey newman, what kind/brand of oil was it?

No oil supplied with mine, but Champ tech said all are run at factory and oil drained, prior to shipping. I looked inside crankcase with a LED piston light, and yes there was residual oil. It had a card around the dip stick "fill oil before start up".

FWIW...I looked at Honda EU2200 owners manual PDF, and guess what?? It says to use 4-stroke automotive oil 10W30 with a rating of SJ or later. Any video they have, shows them using Honda power equipment oil, and you can purchase a service kit that contains spark plug, filter, and yes, Honda power eqip oil.

Jerry

My champy came with its first pint of break in oil:h

MFL wrote:
Thanks to all for the replies, thoughts, recommendations! I had emailed Champion tech a couple days ago, asking which would be best, small engine oil, such as B&S, or any reg automotive, both being 10W30, and just heard back. I got a very friendly reply, that did say either would be just fine. He mentioned, stating automotive oil in manual, lessens the chance someone will use 2-stroke, or wrong oil by mistake.

I am thinking I'll use the Honda power equipment oil, at least for break-in, due to having it on hand for my Honda mower. It is 10W30 with a SN rating, and any car/truck oil I have is not 10W30.

Jerry

At over 80F,"the use of 10W30 may cause increased oil consumption. Check oil level more frequently"

I had to look up what SJ etc meant. Goes with the year, but note warning about much older engines.

https://www.rymax-lubricants.com/news/api-specification-this-is-how-it-works/

ktmrfs wrote:
the small engine oil may have additives that are no longer in or in much lower concentrations in vehicle engine oils. SN oils have reduced levels of zinc, something that is important in engines with pushrod flat tappet camshafts to reduce tappet wear. Most engines now are either overhead cam or roller cam and don't have the pressure on the cam that older pushrod flat tappet engines did.

don't know what cam the generator has, nor if it would even have enough pressure on a flat tappet cam to be an issue with todays low zinc oils.

If it was me, for the first 5 hours I'd use what the mfg recomends.

Champs are all OHV engines. Never wore out a camshaft in any push rod engine so long as it had sufficient oil.

Thanks to all for the replies, thoughts, recommendations! I had emailed Champion tech a couple days ago, asking which would be best, small engine oil, such as B&S, or any reg automotive, both being 10W30, and just heard back. I got a very friendly reply, that did say either would be just fine. He mentioned, stating automotive oil in manual, lessens the chance someone will use 2-stroke, or wrong oil by mistake.

I am thinking I'll use the Honda power equipment oil, at least for break-in, due to having it on hand for my Honda mower. It is 10W30 with a SN rating, and any car/truck oil I have is not 10W30.

Jerry

the small engine oil may have additives that are no longer in or in much lower concentrations in vehicle engine oils. SN oils have reduced levels of zinc, something that is important in engines with pushrod flat tappet camshafts to reduce tappet wear. Most engines now are either overhead cam or roller cam and don't have the pressure on the cam that older pushrod flat tappet engines did.

don't know what cam the generator has, nor if it would even have enough pressure on a flat tappet cam to be an issue with todays low zinc oils.

If it was me, for the first 5 hours I'd use what the mfg recomends.

I use 5-40 Rotella T6 in everything gas and diesel powered from lawnmowers to diesel farm tractors to my champ. I but it in 55 gallon drums. Cheaper that way and I use alot. Waste oil goes in my waste oil furnace in the shop.

The only oil I have ever encountered that indeed was special was for Onan air-cooled engines. Oil sold under the Onan name.

It was (is?) low ash aircraft engine oil. Like Aeroshell 50 or 60.