2 Stroke Oil.....

[Tony Payne]

ok... I've heard it both ways...



whats the consensus on Outboard oil... Is the Walmart/Penzoil/Citgo brands the same as mercury label?



Or is it just safest to stay with Mercury brand? (warranty reasons, etc...).

 

[mike chip]

As some one who has sent dozens of oils out to be tested, it is mostly the same with the exception of the amout of additives. I use mercury prem plus. I have never had a problem with it. Synthetic is best but what does that mean. It may not be the best oil for you.

 

[Brian Bell2]

There is an artical in this months Bassmaster or BASS and Walleye, cant remember which, but they do state that OIL is not OIL, and that just because they all may say TCW30 they are not all the same. For my money I spend the extra few dollars on Mercury QuickSilver, that 2 stroke oil is the blood of those engines, you may save a few dollars now, but in the long run it may cost thousands in repair.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Oil is NOT oil. Been there and done it If your runnin' a Merc...run Merc oil only. Just about any oil is gonna' be TCW30 but, the additives and ash content are designed to match THEIR motors and give you optimum preformance.

I'm kinda' on the line with synthetics but, I'm not sold yet..for cars or boats

 

[Lamar Gilbert]

Has anyone ever heard of a motor problem that was proven to be the oil? There might be differences in additives, but I don't think one would go wrong with any brand of oil. Personally, I use Pennzoil full synthetic.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I guess it's more what you trust. I ran Pennzoil in my 94'(non-synthetic) and there was a big difference in how much smoke and idle.

No offense Lamar but, I wouldn't run Pennzoil in my lawnmower. Then again I don't like Firestones?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I don't risk it, it's not worth the few $$ to use knock off oil. Merc Priemum Plus for my 225 efi.



TOXIC

 

[Gilbert Scales2]

Oil is not oil, If you can see a difference with smoking motors with different oils, and motors with black deposits running down the exhast housing ( oil not being burnt) it causes ring problems . Bubby

 

[Steve Rizza]

I have been running the Walmart TC3 oil in my boat ever since I got it.Starts right up every morning,doesn't smoke and have never fouled a four year old plug even after trolling around for a few hours.

I did buy a bottle af Penzoil once and will never buy it again.(too smokey).

 

[Tony Payne]

This is exactly what I expected to hear....



For the record, I'm not trying to "save a buck or 2"... but I do hate spending unneccesary money for a "name" brand when the "generic" is equal or better.



Todd... Can you proveide more details on your information?

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Simmy...I don't know where he got his info but, can tell you this from personel experience that there is a diff. Go buy a bottle of merc+ oil and compare it on your finger. Also check the smell...you'll be surprised. I can't confirm one is better than the other but, all the Merc gurus say the same thing. Sold me and I've owned three Merc's

 

[Barry Loos]

I have read that the premium oils have additives that are good for reducing unwanted crud build-up on pistons and in the crankcase. I was told by a dealer that he does not recommend mixing oils of one manufacturer with another. I read (marketing hype) that Mercury tests with Mercury oil, Johnson tests... etc. Bottom line, a premium oil recommended for your engine is a cheap investment. I would rather spend a few extra dollars in a season of fishing and have confidence in that product than wonder if an off brand of oil is good enough for my engine. 5500 rpm creates a lot of heat and I want an oil that will do the job. By the way I think it was Bass & Walleye that had the article on not all oils are created equal. My 2 cents.



Da Bear

 

[Craig Roberts]

We have seen some terminal failures that were oil related. Use Merc oil. It's worth the few extra bux...



Craig

 

[Jim B]

Thanks Pat, i was just about to type the same thing.



I have a question on the amsoil is it actually tcw3 certified or do they just say it exceeds the spec like redline does?

 

[Gilbert Scales2]

Hey Pat, one thing you forgot to mention, seafoam and powertune are not free. In my opinion just buy the Merc,Evinrude, YamaLube, the additives for cleaning are added. As for the same oil goes into different label containers, I do not buy. The member who says he does this at work , should report this to consumer products agency. This is like saying Sam's Cola and Coke a cola are made the same and put in different bottles.

 

[Casey Campbell]

I run nothing but Merc's Opti/DFI oil and add Quickleen to about every second tank of gas. I've started doing this due to my conversations with an engineer and a mechanic at the Mercury factory. Granted, they may just be towing the company's line, but I'd like to think, that in the end, they simply do not want the motors that they have designed, built, and shipped showing back up on their doorstep dead-in-the-water a few years later.



In a round-a-bout way, back to Sim's original question. In light of what I paid for the little black box on the back of my boat (which one could probably swap even for a nice used car), if Pat say's dump a quart of cherry Kool-Aid in with every tank of gas and add a dash of Red Bull into the oil resevoir, I'm at the grocery store yelling at the stock boy because he's telling me, "All we have is grape."



For what it's worth,

--Casey

 

[Jim B]

bubby54

Merc recomends to run a decarb procedure with power tune every year or every 100 hours even if you run thier oil. You are not immune to carbon buildup with merc/rude yamaha oil.



I personally dont think it matters one bit what brand is on the bottle if you maintain your motor and the oil is tcw3 rated. If you deacrb it yearly or at 100 hours, change the plugs yarly and run fresh good quality gas in your outboard you minimize your chances for failure.



I put over 500 hours on my last motor running nothing but lubrimatic in it from day 1. People say lubrimatic is junk but my 115 rude intruder had no problems with it and i ran that motor aboiut as hard as you can. I dont think too many trips went by where i wasnt running that thing right at the 6500 rpm rev limiter.



In my current merc i ran pennzoil 100% synthetic until walmart stopped carrying it and everything else in gallons in my area. I really like the pennzoil its just hard to find. I went back to merc oil because its easy to get and i cant believe the amount of carbon buildup i can see in my motor vs. the synthetic oil. Thats why im thinking of swithing to amsoil if its tcw3 certified. I want to go baco to synthetic for less smoke, better idle quality and less carbon buildup.

 

[Tony Payne]

Todd...



Just some more clarification/details of the labels you saw get "pumped from the same barrel". Can you be more specific?



Bubby54... Private labeling/ re-branding is very common.

 

[Tony Payne]

What Pat just said is at the heart of my question...



Is it just marketing or are there real/quantifiable differences between the 2-stroke oils on the market?



If there are differences, which one is the "best".



marketing aside, I'll probably stick with the Mercury oil becuase I "know" it's what I need.



Compare this with tylenol/advil... do you buy "Tylenol" or the generic "acetiminphen"... do you buy "Advil" or "ibuprofin" ? Tylenol (the brand) is 5$ bottle, the generic is $2 for the same quantity and potency.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Pat,



What de-carboning fuel additives do you recommend? Anytime better (or worse) for adding it?



Like first thing in the year, as we put them to bed for the winter, when it's . . . .



Tex

 

[Tony Payne]

Pat...



Just to be clear, you are reffering to:



http://www.pennzoil.com/products/marine/100pcSynth2cycle.html



Do I need to be completely empty in the resovoir to switch?

 

[Tony Payne]

this one for amsoil..



http://www.amsoil.com/products/hpi.htm ??



(as you can tell, it's not about $$, but about what is the best product/value for the money spent)

 

[Gilbert Scales2]

This topic is very interesting. I though I knew a little about oil, and my motor. I am now totally confused. I did not know I should run De-carbon products thru my motor . I also did not know synthetics were better for the two stroke. The motor I have now is new, 3 months old, but I have had several in my 50 yrs. I have always ran the brand of oil that was the same as my motor. I have never had a problem with my powerheads, never had one rebuilt,and have never ran de-carbon products thru any of them. My last motor was 14 yrs. old when it was sold, still running. Anyway, I thank you all for the comments, and I will be in touch with my dealer tommorrow. Bubby

 

[Donnie Matney]

Sim Tylenol makes the powder for CVS/Equate ect.. so they can stamp their own pill. LOL



Now I did know a mechanic who said Car Quest oil was the same as Valvoline. Same barrel different finished consumer bottle.



Donnie