Skip to main content
Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Suffolk Colt Questions

Enter a word or two to search the forum section and click the Search Forum button.

Hi everyone, I bought an old Super Colt a few weeks ago which had been stood for a very long time. I've cleaned it up, replaced some gaskets etc. and its looking nice now.

I'm just wondering exactly what type of oil I should put in it. Is a 5w30 OK, and should it be semi or fully synthetic? Another query is about the fuel, I have a bit of lead additive left from an old car and was going to put that in - I've read that it doesn't really make any difference but is there any harm in using it?

Many thanks,

Simon

Forums

hillsider Sun, 09/07/2017

Although you don't tell us which engine is fitted to your mower I am fairly safe in saying that 5W-30 oil will be too light for it, it probably wouldn't kill the engine but may have a higher rate of oil consumption. The grade of oil that you need is a monograde SAE 30 oil with an HD (High detergent) additive included, there is no need for the oil to be part or fully synthetic. Many DIY stores and Garden Centers now stock suitable oils so you should have no problems locating some. 

Regarding the use of lead replacement additive I cannot see any harm in using up the product that you have in stock but it is also safe to use regular unleaded fuel as the running times, loading and the operating temperatures are unlikely to be high enough to cause any harm. I would advise that you do consider adding a fuel stabiliser to your fuel to prevent it from degrading while stored.