can i substitute 5w-30 oil with 10w-40 in snow blower?…. snowblower oil?
April 12, 2011 by chec
Filed under Snowblower engine
just ran out of snow blower oil … can i substitute 5w-30 oil with 10w-40. i only have 10w-40 at home and it is snowing … will it hurt my engine for the new snowblower ????
NNNNOOOOO! don’t do it, there’s a reason it calls for a certain oil type—much too heavy for the engine…showel your driveway the ole fashioned way to get your car out (to go get the right type oil!!!)
5w-30 is what you HAVE TO USE no choice …
hurt your engine well if the engine oil is not lubricating the engine then yes of course engine.will be ruined.
10w-40 oil is too heavy for your snow blower. It will blow up your engine.
Never use any other oil weight than what the manufacturer recommends.
probably not
be to think
should get to the store and get the correct weight
The correct answer is: it depends. The manufacturer of your machine listed 5W-30 as the motor oil to use because it covers all bases. 5w30 acts like a 5w oil when cold and a 30w oil when hot. The w in 5w30 actually stands for winter, not weight like many people believe. Therefore it will flow at low temperatures like a 5w oil and coat your engine internals quickly but as you engine heats up it will maintain the lubrication properties of a heavier 30 weight oil. A 10w40 oil is more viscous both at low temps (10 vs 5) and at operating temps (40 vs 30). So the question really is, how cold is it when you start up your snowblower. If it’s below 0-10F, I’d be wary of using the 10W40. However, if it’s 20F outside when you start her up, a 10W40 oil will still have ample flow to protect your engine. The manufacturer recommends 5W30 because it lubricates at a lower starting temperature and they need to cover all their bases. So whether or not you can substitute 10w40 for 5w30 depends on the conditions under which you’re running the engine. If you do decide to substitute, I’d change it back to 5w30 when you’re able.