What flavor oil in generator

[Ledo]

Whoa... I was told to change generator oil every 100 hours. I know it is a low rpm motor but am I over maintaining the oil changes in it?

[Mark3101]

Whoa... I was told to change generator oil every 100 hours. I know it is a low rpm motor but am I over maintaining the oil changes in it?

I don't think so. I do mine at that interval as well. I also change the fuel filter at the same time. I feel that it is very cheap insurance, and have no issue spending a few bucks to keep everything maintained.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Ditto to the time interval. One of the best justifications I have for what may be premature oil and filter changes is it gives me an opportunity to really look things over. Since my generator is in a box within the bay, unless I open the bay, then the box, then roll out the generator I really am unaware if I have any issues that need attention.

When I was at Oshkosh a few years back (and the POG guys bailed my butt out by changing a belt on the generator) the generator ran about 150 to 160 hours that week so I went beyond my normal interval, but other than that like Mark says frequent service is really very cheap insurance.

[joelselman]

It can't hurt to change oil frequently, but you're wasting money IMO. I do an oil analysis on my S60 engine oil with each change @ 10K.

After that oil analysis on the gen, I stretched my interval from 1 to 2 years, but remember I use a high quality synthetic. I probably average 400 hours in 2 years. With each service I do belt, fuel filters, air filter as well as oil and filter. Found a seeping water pump this time @2300 hours so I replaced and flushed coolant.

Remember, the use of the gen is probably the easiest use of any engine; few cold starts, no short trips, oil has time to warm and steady rpm's.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The way we use our generator I may be wasting money, but it is not ideal use. On a trip when we pull into a rest area for a sandwich the generator is on as soon as I am on the ramp to the rest area and the AC units are turned on. It goes off 1/2 hour later when I pull out of the rest area with the OTR on.

I amy use the generator like that once or twice a day. If we overnight without shore power it goes on and stays on until we go to bed or all night depending on if we want AC.

We rarely dry camp so our generator use is limited to several short run intervals and several longer run intervals. Shore power is our primary energy source.

So my greatest concern is not the cost of the oil and filters, which is about $35 or $40 total every 75 to 100 hours, but if I am loading the generator motor enough to keep it from getting loaded with carbon. It is actually very hard to put adequate loads on our generators, so I am not shy about trying to get 40 amps per leg when I do run the generator, something a lot easier said than done.

[BoaterAl]

On the recent trip to Lake Texoma we had all the electric we needed at the post. So we were told. After looking at the electric service and wires going every which way I wasn't feeling warm and fuzzy about the hook up. Plan "B" ...run the generator for 3 days, about 70 hours. With prior time the gen got the "full meal deal" today. Thanks all for the in- put on the oil flavor, went with Rotella T 15w40 same as S-60.

[joelselman]

Jon: I see your point. If I pull in to a rest area for 30 minutes or less, I leave the S60 running. Most of my gen use is either high battery charging load or a/c's and seldom for a short interval.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

In another life when I used our first coach we were doing seminars at branch sales offices (parked next to warehouses) or doing trade shows. Having shore power wasn't common for us so I used the generator for long hours. The way we use the coach now going from shore power to shore power the generator would get little use so I opt to run it as often as I get a chance. Based on houw we currently use our coach compared to how we used the first we could easily get along without a generator if we had to, but since we have it, I intend to use it.