Best oil for G 9

[Scott from NH]

This is an easy one for you guys. What is the best oil to run in a G 9? I know it takes EXACTLY 1 quart but what weight, brand, etc?

And is it normal to smell gas when driving? It's not leaking anywhere that I can see and the air box is tight.

Thanks
Scott

[G1-G9]

10W30 and what ever brand you prefer. The gas smell could be a number of things.

[CP241]

You'll definitely want to use synthetic since it is a splash system. The kawasaki and robins engines are more forgiving since they have oil pumps, but the G9 does not.

I have always used the walmart supertech full synthetic in everything I own, and never had any issues. It's cheap (5 qt jug for around $15) and works great, but that's just my personal preference. Everybody you ask will have their own.

[slonomo]

Make sure you use a zinc/phosphorus additive. All modern oils, except for a few straight weight oils, are zinc free to save the catalytic converters in cars/trucks. A good oil is Rotella 10w30, it's used by diesel trucks and has lots of anti wear additives including zinc and phosphorus.

[DannyAbear]

Originally Posted by slonomo

Make sure you use a zinc/phosphorus additive. All modern oils, except for a few straight weight oils, are zinc free to save the catalytic converters in cars/trucks. A good oil is Rotella 10w30, it's used by diesel trucks and has lots of anti wear additives including zinc and phosphorus.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS, use it in all of my small engines, learned that riding motorcycles

[cgtech]

The Rotella formula has changed, it isn't the same oil it was "forever". Not saying its bad, but it too has changed to meet the emissions requirements of today.

I say this, use whichever good quality 10w30 name brand conventional oil you like (I like Valvoline, and wouldn't want to put Pennzoil in my lawnmower).

For synthetic, I use only Amsoil in all my vehicles that are worth more than gas station swill oil. I don't run synthetic in my old leaker '77 Monte Carlo, the oil losses just don't make sense for a super worn out leaker. (Original 350, way over 200k miles, on it's last legs)

I ran Amsoil Z-rod in my yamaha for a little bit, with mixed results. All the white "scuzzy stuff" from the bottom of the oil cap was instantly gone, and stayed away while I ran it. But my oil consumption went up. Consider that my $400 cart isn't a "spring chicken", but isn't a "fog machine" either.

I once read a description of "synthetic vs conventional oil" that I think makes sense. Conventional oil has oil molecules of various sizes, let's use basketball to golf ball sizes as a reference. Synthetic is all golf balls. So all the places where the conventional "basketballs" couldn't fit, the synthetic "golf balls" fit through easily. So leaks, and all other sources of oil consumption will allow more to pass through when it's all "golf balls".

[spriddle]

I like a good oil discussion!

Most synthetics contain cleaning agents and have smaller molecules which (if added to an older engine) will clean away the sludge buildup or soften older seals causing leaks.

My suggestion is to continue with conventional oil in an engine that is older, worn, and used to running conventional. If it's newer, no signs of leaks, then use synthetic.

The number one, most important thing with any oil is: KEEP IT CHANGED ON A REGULAR BASIS.

[slonomo]

There are also additives in most modern oils that swell rubber gaskets and seals. If the gasket is cork, no bueno.

Rotella still has zinc and phosphorus in it.

"The 15W-40 Rotella T with Triple Protection oil has approximately 1200 ppm of zinc and 1100 ppm phosphorus at the time of manufacture."

According to
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Rotella_T