i have a mountfield mower that needs an oil change,am i able to use car oil in it?

chris, April 2009

Some won't agree but you can really. Use a quality 10/30 or 15/40 and all will be well. The recommended grade is a straight 30 which indeed is probably better as air cooled engines run somewhat hotter than liquid cooled but I never use it - and I haven't had any engine problems!

John, April 2009

Not recommended.

Use the right stuff (SAE30 assuming a 4 stroke engine). It's cheap insurance.

Multigrade oils are designed to work within the temperature range of a liquid-cooled engine (90-120 degrees C). Your air-cooled mower engine runs much hotter than that, and the multigrade will be too thin.

EXCEPTION - if you're using a snow-blower at below-freezing temperatures, 0W30 is OK.

phil_saunders(a)bigfoot.com

Phil Saunders, April 2009