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What’s the Best Oil for My Snowblower?

Written by Charleen

What’s the Best Oil for My Snowblower?

Using a high-quality, purpose-built oil can provide extra protection for your snowblower’s engine.

_by Brad Nelson|November 10, 2023

When a snowstorm hits, you need your snowblower to fire up and help you get the job done. But snowblower engines face unique challenges that can reduce their dependability, horsepower and longevity. Fortunately, there are maintenance practices that can vastly improve reliability, including using a specially engineered small-engine oil.

Using a high-quality, purpose-built small-engine oil can help improve the reliability and performance of your snowblower.

Tough on Oil

Although snowblower engines are used less frequently than other engines, they’re tougher on oil than most people realize.

Compared to liquid-cooled automotive engines, small engines usually lack oil filters, run hotter, operate under constant heavy load, generate more oil-damaging contaminants and are exposed to snow, water and extreme temperatures.

Snowblower engines are often stored in unheated garages or sheds where cold temperatures cause the oil to flow slower at startup, a key driver of engine wear.

Using a high-quality, purpose-built oil can provide extra protection for your snowblower’s engine, reducing the risk of component damage and prolonging its life.

However, most small-engine oils we’ve tested are nothing more than re-labeled automotive oils, which are formulated in large part to enhance fuel economy, not to survive the brutal operating conditions of a snowblower engine.

Although small engines are often used infrequently, they’re tougher on oil than most people realize.

Purpose-Built Protection

AMSOIL 100% Synthetic Small-Engine Oil isn’t a re-packaged automotive oil. We specially engineered it from the ground up for small-engine dependability. It’s built to solve the problems that plague small engines, including wear, power loss, oil consumption, harmful carbon deposits and stuck rings and valves.

Excellent Wear Protection

AMSOIL Synthetic Small-Engine Oil is a shear-stable, high-film-strength formulation fortified with a heavy dose of anti-wear additives. It does not thin out due to mechanical shear, ensuring a thick lubricating film. It forms a durable barrier that protects against metal-to-metal contact.

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Formulated for Power

Engine wear, carbon deposits, valve sticking and piston-ring sticking reduce engine power. AMSOIL Synthetic Small-Engine Oil prevents ring and valve sticking while helping eliminate carbon deposits from forming. As a result, engines produce maximum power throughout their service lives, helping you move more snow faster.

Extreme-Temperature Performance

AMSOIL 100% Synthetic Small-Engine Oil is formulated with a saturated molecular structure that offers outstanding extreme-heat resistance.

In addition, we’ve fortified the oil with potent antioxidant additives that provide further resistance to damaging heat.

Its powerful detergent additives fight carbon, varnish and sludge to maximize engine life.

In extreme cold, the oil’s naturally high viscosity index and lack of paraffins (waxes) ensure it remains fluid and flows quickly, providing easier cold-weather starts and fast startup lubrication for reduced wear.

Reduces Oil Consumption

In lab testing, AMSOIL 10W-30 Synthetic Small-Engine Oil reduced oil consumption 61% compared to three leading 10W-30/SAE 30 motor oils.¹

Its heat-resistant synthetic base oils provide low volatility, excellent viscosity stability and strong oxidation resistance.

Engines run longer between top-offs, providing peace of mind your engine won’t fail due to oil starvation and will run dependably.

Let it Snow

Prepare your snowblower engine for the next big storm with a specially engineered small-engine oil. AMSOIL 100% Synthetic Small-Engine Oil provides extra protection for your snowblower engine so you can throw snow like its no big deal all winter long.

¹Based on 125-hour lab tests of small engines using AMSOIL 10W-30 Synthetic Small-Engine Oil and three leading 10W-30/SAE 30 motor oils.

 

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5W-30 Viscosity Joins Synthetic Small-Engine Oil Group

Written by Charleen

For your Winter Tools – Snowblowers – New 5W30 Small Engine Oil.

Just ask for the White Cap Snowblower Oil!! 

Available Oct. 1, new Commercial Grade 5W-30 Synthetic Small-Engine Oil (AES) rounds out the synthetic small-engine oil family. It’s recommended primarily for snowblowers and generators, bringing the excellent benefits of AMSOIL Synthetic 5W-30 Small Engine Oil to applications that call for a 5W-30 viscosity oil.

Outstanding cold-flow

Cold ambient conditions and increased stress characterize snowblower operating conditions. Generators used on job sites can also run in cold weather. A 5W-30 motor oil provides improved cold-flow compared to 10W-XX motor oils. Its lower “W” viscosity means it flows more readily at startup for reliable wear protection. AMSOIL Synthetic Small-Engine Oil doesn’t contain waxes inherent to conventional oils, so it doesn’t thicken when the temperature drops, delivering superior protection and easier starts.

Commercial-grade formulation in a 5W-30

Most small-engine oils we’ve tested are nothing more than re-labeled automotive oils, which are formulated with fuel economy in mind, not durability. That won’t cut it. Compared to liquid-cooled automotive engines, small engines run hotter; operate under constant load; generate more oil-damaging contaminants; suffer from neglected maintenance; and are exposed to dirt, rain, snow and other extremes. Simply put, they’re far tougher on oil that most people think.

AMSOIL Synthetic Small Engine Oil isn’t merely a rebadged automotive oil. Instead, we designed it from the ground up specifically for small-engine dependability. You can rest assured your engines are protected even during periods of extended use when there’s no time for scheduled maintenance. It’s built to solve the problems that plague small engines, including wear, power loss, oil consumption, stuck rings and valves and harmful carbon deposits. It helps landscapers, contractors and other professionals get more work done and save money.

Reserve protection

AMSOIL 5W-30 Synthetic Small-Engine Oil is a long-life formulation that has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to safely exceed OEM drain intervals in the toughest conditions. Extensive severe-service testing proves its ability to provide service life of up to 200 hours/one year, whichever comes first. It provides an extra measure of protection when equipment goes longer between oil changes than is recommended by the OEM.

You can use any 5W-30 in any engine requiring 10W-30 and SAE-30. They are all three 30 weight oils.

Available in the Omaha AMSOIL Store on 84th St.

• Long service life
• Helps extend engine life
• Inhibits rust
• New 5W-30 primarily for
snowblowers & generator

 

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How to Store a Snowblower

Written by Charleen

How to Store your Snowblower properly. Prevent damage during summer season.

John Baker|

Storing a snowblower properly is vital to ensuring it fires up when the snow eventually returns. When the first storm of the season dumps eight inches of snow on your driveway, you don’t want to be messing around in the garage when your snowblower won’t start.

fuel stabilizer is key for storing the damn snowblower

Time needed: 30 minutes.

Step-by-step: How to store a snowblower

  1. Stabilize the gas

    This is the most critical step to ensuring the snowblower starts right away in the winter.

    Gasoline begins to break down in as few as 30 days. Varnish and gums begin to form, which clog the tiny fuel passages in the carburetor. I can tell you from experience that it doesn’t take much to clog a snowblower carburetor and prevent it from starting.

    AMSOIL Gasoline Stabilizer keeps fuel fresh up to 12 months. As the image shows, it also does a great job fighting corrosion to keep metal fuel tanks and other components clean and working properly. After adding stabilizer, run the engine for a minute or two to distribute treated gas throughout the fuel system.

    Seafoam sucks

  2. Change the oil

    Running the engine to distribute gas stabilizer has the added benefit of warming the oil so it flows more easily.

    Changing oil before you store your snowblower removes acids and other combustion by-products so they’re not sitting in the engine throughout the summer. Plus, the engine will be ready with fresh oil come winter.

    Don’t cheap out on oil – you likely spent upward of $1,000 on your snowblower, so you want it to last. Plus, small engines are tougher on oil than most people think. They’re air-cooled, meaning they run hotter than automotive engines, typically don’t include an oil filter, further stressing the oil, and are often neglected.

    AMSOIL Synthetic Small-Engine Oil is a commercial-grade formulation that fights wear and deposits in the toughest conditions. It also flows readily in the cold for maximum start-up protection.

  3. Fog the engine

    Simply remove the spark plug and apply fogging oil. It coats the cylinder wall and piston with oil to help prevent corrosion from forming during the summer. If corrosion forms, it flakes off into the oil and scours the bearings and other components, causing wear.

  4. Check the gear lube

    Remove the gearbox fill bolt and ensure the housing contains sufficient oil. Check your owner’s manual for the proper lubricant.

  5. Inspect the belts

    Now’s the time to check drive belts for cracks or abrasions. Replace them if needed.

    Otherwise, I promise you they’ll break at the worst time, like at 5:30 a.m. on a cold November morning after a wet, heavy snowfall. Be proactive and save yourself a ton of grief down the road.

  6. Check the linkages, auger housing and other areas

    Before you store a snowblower, look it over from top to bottom. Check for damaged parts and linkages. Lubricate pivot points with a spray protectant, like AMSOIL MP. Spray the auger housing to guard against rust formation over the summer.

    Don’t overlook this step. While examining my snowblower last year, I realized three of the four bolts that hold the auger housing and chute (sometimes called the “bucket”) to the chassis had sheared. One bolt was literally holding the snowblower together.

    The following Thanksgiving weekend, two feet of snow blanketed Duluth, Minn. I spent eight hours moving snow. Imagine if I hadn’t repaired the snowblower the prior spring and that last bolt had given out halfway down my driveway?

    Again, be proactive now to avoid a ton of problems later.

  7. Store the snowblower inside

    Finally, park your snowblower in the back of the garage or in a shed for the summer to protect it against rain. If you have no choice but to store it outside, cover it securely. I bought a nice cover at Kmart a few years ago and it still does the job.

    Following these steps will help ensure your snowblower is ready to go the next winter.

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Steps To Maintain Your Snowblower – Things to Know

Written by Charleen
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Never Overlook This When Maintaining Your Snowblower

John Baker|

Thanksgiving day, 2016. While my family was gathered in my dining room, imbibing spirits and making merry, I was in the shed disassembling the carburetor on my snowblower, reeking of petroleum as rivers of gasoline flowed under my jacket cuffs and saturated me to the elbows.

Here’s what happened, and here’s how to avoid it.

Snowblower maintenance can be distilled to this Golden Rule: Maintain your fuel system.

I’ll say it again: Maintain your fuel system.

A snowblower that won’t start is almost always due to a fuel problem. And nothing raises your blood pressure like a dead snowblower following the season’s first snowstorm. You know it! We always wait to the last minute on that first snow.

Preventing fuel-system problems starts in the spring prior to storage.

Leave the carburetor full of gas

This is where everything unraveled for me. One theory says that shutting off the fuel line and running the engine until the carburetor empties helps prevent varnish that plugs the jets and prevents starting.

Wrong, at least in my case. As I discovered, leaving the carburetor empty and exposed to air hastens oxidation and varnish. Fluctuating temperatures and humidity throughout the summer invite varnish, and it doesn’t take much to plug the tiny orifices in a carburetor. Then, it’s just a matter of time before you’re stinking of gasoline on Thanksgiving day while blasting carb cleaner on everything within reach.

Instead, add fuel stabilizer at the end of the season, run the engine for a few minutes to distribute the treated gas throughout the system, then shut down the engine. Now you can shut off the fuel line for the summer. The treated fuel in the carburetor bowl provides protection and helps keep components clean.

Some people claim you should run the carburetor empty since the gas will evaporate anyway. That may be true, but evaporation takes time, and the carburetor will at least be protected in the interim.

Stabilize the gas

As mentioned, treat gas with stabilizer prior to storage. Stabilized fuel protects against oxidation and varnish throughout the summer.

Use ethanol-free gas

When water infiltrates your gas tank in the form of melted snow, it can cause phase separation, a phenomenon that occurs when the bond between ethanol (present in most gasoline sold today) and gasoline breaks. When this ethanol/water mixture enters the combustion chamber, it creates a lean-burn situation that can damage your engine.

For best performance, use 91-octane, non-oxygenated (ethanol-free) gas. Many gas stations offer non-oxygenated gas and advertise it for powersports and off-road use. It’s a little more expensive, but spending a few extra dollars a winter to help your $1,000 dollar machine run strong isn’t a factor, in my opinion. At the very least, use ethanol-free gas during storage to help ward off phase separation.

Perhaps test your gas to see if it is really and truly ethanol free. I know many who say “I never use ethanol” and after testing the source gasoline it turned out to be laced with ethanol! Put your gas in a glass jar and see if you see it separate over time. Sometime you need to shake it up.

(Find out how to fight ethanol problems in small engines.)

If you use ethanol-blended gas, consider continuous use of a fuel additive, such as AMSOIL Quickshot, formulated to address ethanol-related performance issues.

Change The Oil in the Spring

Used oil contains acids that can slowly corrode metal components. Prior to storage, change the oil to remove acidic byproducts and ensure maximum protection throughout the summer. After changing oil, I like to run the engine for a couple minutes to distribute oil throughout the lower end of the engine.

Fog the engine

Use fogging oil to protect the upper end (cylinder, piston, valves) from corrosion during storage. Remove the spark plug, which provides the perfect time to inspect its condition, and spray a little oil into the cylinder. Slowly pull the starter cord a few times to distribute the oil, then replace the plug.

Check the gear housing – It can fail!

Clean any debris from around the filler port on the auger gear housing, remove the plug and ensure the gear lube level is up to the top. If not, add the correct lubricant (check your owner’s manual for viscosity).

Inspect belt condition and linkages

Stressing a worn belt after it’s sat idle for months is a recipe for a breakdown. When a belt does break, it’s often while clearing the first big snowfall of the year. Spring is the prime time to check the condition of drive belts and linkages. It’s much easier and far more comfortable to crawl around your snowblower on a mild, spring day than in the winter.

One final word of advice: Keep an eye on the weather at the start of winter. When the forecast calls for the first snowstorm of the season, start your snowblower a few days early to ensure it’s ready to go.

That gives you plenty of time if your snowblower won’t start – like about two hours on Thanksgiving day – to fix any problems.

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