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Old 08-02-2022, 05:39 PM   #1
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Best Oil for Generator oil change?

I have an Onan 4,000w generator in an Entegra Esteem. The dealer wanted $225 to do an oil change!!! I looked up the steps in the manual. There is no oil filter. I used to change oil in my cars all the time and this seems pretty simple.

My only question is about the oil to put in. According to the manual.

temperature range
32F and higher = 30
10F - 100F = 15W-40
0F - 80F = 10W-30 or 10W-40

Single-grade SAE 30 oil is preferable when temperatures are consistently above freezing. Multigrade oils are better when wide temperature variations are expected.

So - I'm in Texas and the temps are 90-114 right now. I figure I'll use 30 weight.

The manual doesn't say anything about Synthetic oil - but, it seems that is what all the stuff at the store is...

Somewhere I read that if you don't use "ONAN OIL" you are voiding the warranty. I don't see anything about that in the book and that stuff costs $45!

So - what oil do you use? Synthetic? Synthetic Blend? Conventional?

Any brand you prefer?
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Old 08-02-2022, 06:16 PM   #2
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It's crazy what dealers want to change less than 1.5 quarts of oil with no filter.

The ranges from the book were confusing to me. If a straight 30 is good for everything above 32, there's no logical reason a 10w30 wouldn't be fine. Once the oil is hot, they're both 30s. And why 15w40 only to 100 when a straight 30 is fine above that. Then a 10w40 is ok only to 80. None of that makes any sense.

Me? I used synthetic 10w30 in mine because I'm partial to synthetic, and they don't cost that much anyway. With your heat, I'd go up to a 10w40 or 15w40.

And I don't think they can void your warranty if you don't use their oil. I'd use a good synthetic myself, but it probably doesn't matter that much.
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Old 08-02-2022, 06:19 PM   #3
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I am in Louisiana and usually use SAE 30 in mine, though I have been known to use 15W40 as I always have it on hand for various diesel engines. I am not brand loyal on it, but do stick with brand name oils, and prefer synthetics for their higher heat range.
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Old 08-02-2022, 06:28 PM   #4
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I use 15W40 in my 7,000KW Onan generator. I usually use the Motorcraft "Ford" brand since I usually get it when I get oil for my Ford F53 engine. IMO the brand is not that important and have used other Brand Name oils.
It did seem like a toss up between 15W40 and 30 in my manual, but sometimes I will run the gen below freezing, although it is usually closer to 100 degrees rather than freezing.
Thanks,
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Old 08-02-2022, 08:51 PM   #5
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I use 30w 0r 10w-30. If they don't have straight 30w HD oil, I use 10w-30 synthetic blend.
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Old 08-02-2022, 09:14 PM   #6
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SAE-30 dinosaur in my Onan and Yamahas.
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Old 08-03-2022, 12:48 AM   #7
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I'm in Texas going on 20 years with our Onan 4000 and have always used straight 30w.
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Old 08-06-2022, 10:25 AM   #8
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Somewhere I read that if you don't use "ONAN OIL" you are voiding the warranty. I don't see anything about that in the book and that stuff costs $45!
Not true, and it would be illegal if Onan ever said that. What Onan can (and does) do is specify the type of oil (viscosity, API service grade, etc) and state that their own brand meets that spec while others may not. Pure scare tactics. Ditto for using Onan brand oil & fuel filters too, if your generator uses those.
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Old 08-06-2022, 10:35 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by EdInArk View Post
The ranges from the book were confusing to me. If a straight 30 is good for everything above 32, there's no logical reason a 10w30 wouldn't be fine. Once the oil is hot, they're both 30s. And why 15w40 only to 100 when a straight 30 is fine above that. Then a 10w40 is ok only to 80. None of that makes any sense.

A multi grade oil is made up of a “base” oil plus “viscosity improvers” . A 10W-30 is made up of SAE 10 base oil plus the VI chemicals which make the oil achieve the same viscosity as a SAE 30 oil at 210F

The trouble is the VI chemistry wears out over time and then you start to lose viscosity back down to the base oil, and it’s only thru testing would you find that out.

When you know you won’t encounter low temperatures, a single weight oil will give added protection against loss of viscosity.

Now synthetic oil is a different animal, but the concept is the same.
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Old 08-06-2022, 11:19 AM   #10
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If you are not going to be using the generator in sub-freezing weather, just use a good grade of 30 Wt, that meets the API or Mil specification required by Onan. I used 15W-40 in my Onan when we had a motorhome.

Ken
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Old 08-06-2022, 11:27 AM   #11
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I believe that Onan specifies oil that meets the SN standard which has zinc added which was removed from automotive oil when catalytic converters came along. Oil made for air-cooled engines generally meet this standard.
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Old 08-07-2022, 10:41 AM   #12
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SHELL ROTELLA 15w40 Full Synthetic, but it’s because I have it in bulk. I’m sure it does the best out of the others from what I’ve experienced using Rotella Full Synthetic in other engines.

With the generators needing oil changes every 100-250 hours (depending on the model), I would be using the DELO 15w40 Synthetic or if you are wanting to spend a little less then the DELO 400 10w30 is about the highest quality/inexpensive diesel oil and it awesome.

Either brand has many selections for the temperature zone you either live in or visit often.
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Old 08-07-2022, 11:30 AM   #13
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$225 just to change the oil in a generator, to me, is pretty unreasonable and there's no reason you can't do it yourself for a LOT less, even if you include other maintenance itemsl.

We have an Onan 5500 generator in our Itasca that I service annually and I've always purchased an Onan brand tune up kit which includes two quarts of 10W30 Onamax oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and spark plugs. Total cost is typically between $80 and $90 for the kit but went up to a little over $100 this year. I've been burned in the past with "knock off" filters and refuse to go down that path again.
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Old 08-07-2022, 03:16 PM   #14
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Quote:
It's crazy what dealers want to change less than 1.5 quarts of oil with no filter.
Expensive but not "crazy". You seem to forget that it's about an hour labor (at $125-$150 per hour for shop time) to change oil & filter and dispose of the old, plus moving the coach in/out of service bay, writing up request, billing, etc. You end up paying a high labor rate for things many (but not all) RV owners could do themselves. If a stranger came to me and wanted me to change the generator oil, I'd ask for $100 plus parts. More if I had to identify a filter and go buy it.
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