Synthetic oil worth it? 18k hour yamaha generator says no.

[LittleBill]

I know this is going to start a war, figured I post it anyway

link is below for a EF2000iS using Pennzoil Conventional 10W40 Motor Oil that has run 18,000 hours. Actually he has multiples over 10k in hours.

Clicky

I never thought a genny would hit 18k, synth or not

[Chris_Bryant]

Of course, the longevity of the Yammy is all due to the Slick 50- heck, you don't even NEED oil after treatment with that stuff.....


Or so they say 😛

[doughere]

LittleBill wrote:
I know this is going to start a war, figured I post it anyway

link is below for a EF2000iS using Pennzoil Conventional 10W40 Motor Oil that has run 18,000 hours. Actually he has multiples over 10k in hours.

Clicky

I never thought a genny would hit 18k, synth or not

Proves yamaha generator is pretty reliable. "Proves" nothing about oil. Would it run perfectly now instead of a little smokey if it had been fed synthetic ??

Doug

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I can only wonder why 454 engines in boats commonly suffer de-lobed camshafts while their brethren on land do not. This is curiosity not criticism 🙂

[CJW8]

I had a pair of mercruiser 454 marine engines in a commercial fishing boat new in 1989. Other fishermen running 454's were having to replace their cams after 2 years. I set mine up from the git-go with pre/post lube oil pumps and Amzoil after the rings were seated. From '89 to '98 when I sold it, I never replaced the cams or had any sign of cam wear. I am a believer.

[wa8yxm]

Well I read the article. and it confirmed what I already believed, Yahama Generators are well made.

As to oil. It appears he does regular oil changes. Using the proper grade of oil. Regular or highly refined "Syntehtic" or true Synthetic makes little difference if you change it often enough.

[Huntindog]

smkettner wrote:
I thought synthetic was superior at extended change intervals.

They are, but..... These little motors do not have oil filters. The only way the dirt in the oil can get out is with an oil change. Whether dino or synthetic, it makes no difference. Dirt is dirt.
Not sure on the Yamahas, but my EU2000s only take 12 oz on a change. So I do it VERY often.
I use dino oil as it won't be worn out/broke down... Just dirty.

[mlts22]

I use full synthetic in my Yamaha... for one simple reason:

It is a splash lubed generator. Other generators might use pumps where oil is fairly evenly used, but mine, as well as newer Onans have a spur on the piston's rod which goes into the oil pan, picks up a small amount of oil, and throws it.

This means a very little amount of oil has to do a lot of lubrication when flung around, so one really needs a synthetic oil because it can better handle this, as a little bit is exposed to a lot of high temperatures and friction.

[westend]

I've noticed Ultra Low Sulfur GASOLINE resists turning black as easily as non top-tier fuel. I've gotten my son-in-law to use Premium in his Yamaha 2 cycle 60 HP outboard. Now if I can find "the" better quality 2-cycle oil I will be a happy camper

There are premium 2 cycle oils available. The Mfg's suggested product may be the better solution and may not.
FWIW, I used a premium 2 cycle oil for a fleet of different engines (no outboards, though). It was mixed in a 50 gallon drum and hand pumped into the different small engines or gas cans for use. I didn't have a single engine failure in 6 yrs of use. Some of these small engines saw terrible duty cycles.

For outboard engines I try to use the Mfg.'s suggested oil except on my old Johnson 15 HP. That thing will run on just about any mix and will just smoke up the plug if the mix is wrong. It's easier for me to clean a plug than buy premium 2 cycle in that situation. My chainsaws run on Stihl oil even if they are a different brand of saw. It will also work with other different brand and sized engines with no plug fouling.

This website, Bob is the oil guy has more information about oil and lubricants than the average consumer needs to know. Beyond that, technical data sheets from the Mfg and the knowledge to decipher them are the next step.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

My Yamaha 5500 had an oil filter and still Yamaha insisted the oil and filter be changed every hundred hours. I fixed that wagon with a screw-on oil filter adapter and a base and oil filter for a Baldwin B-88. A Cummins 400 horsepower engine. But it was that little 2 cylinder Kubota engine that influenced me to buy a 6 cyl. Kubota for the KATO.

I've noticed Ultra Low Sulfur GASOLINE resists turning black as easily as non top-tier fuel. I've gotten my son-in-law to use Premium in his Yamaha 2 cycle 60 HP outboard. Now if I can find "the" better quality 2-cycle oil I will be a happy camper.

[time2roll]

I thought synthetic was superior at extended change intervals.
That Yamaha might still be running if oil was changed every 50 or 100 hours or if he had run synthetic.

[pianotuna]

There is no oil filter in my Yamaha generator. So I change as needed every 50 hours of use.

SkiSmuggs wrote:
With continuous use like that, does oil really need to be changed every 10 days? You can drive a car across the country and back and still not need an oil change. I towed a 10K fifth wheel across country and back with my Powerstroke and got notifed by the oil life monitor to change at about 8000 miles.
I can understand if the generator sits a lot like most do, but continuous running should be more like highway instead of city driving.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I'm with Beemerphile on this one. Cold oil start-ups can really take the toll. One genset I prepped for 11,000+ feet altitude (summer) use incorporated a 12 volt centrifugal oil pump. The pump was started and pressure was allowed to build up on that ancient Witte engine before it was cranked. Wotta hoot! It had a motor generator off an old Dodge for starting and charging. I remember replacing the regulator cut-out with a 70-amp rectifier. Synthetics seem to be designed for super-cold or super warm operation. I haven't seen authentic fuel mileage comparisons between synthetic and petroleum which would tell another part of the story. But it's fraudulent to compare 0W-20 synthetic to SAE 30 motor oil. Gotta watch these guys...

[SkiSmuggs]

With continuous use like that, does oil really need to be changed every 10 days? You can drive a car across the country and back and still not need an oil change. I towed a 10K fifth wheel across country and back with my Powerstroke and got notifed by the oil life monitor to change at about 8000 miles.
I can understand if the generator sits a lot like most do, but continuous running should be more like highway instead of city driving.

[72cougarxr7]

I am a little biased since I am an Amsoil dealer. I run synthetic in everything I own.
Amsoil makes an oil called "Formula 4 Stroke" that is designed for small engine use. It is an SAE 30 that meets the 10w spec due to its full synthetic base stock which doesn't thicken in cold weather as much as conventional.
I have run it for going on 10 years in my small engines with great results.
I like a synthetic for small engines since they run so hot.