Which 2 stroke oil do you use?

[Blind Bobber]

I have a 2 stroke Mercury 25 and have always run Mercury oil figuring Mercury has to warrant the motors so they have the most to lose if the oil is not up to par. However, the price of this stuff is causing my wallet concern. I once had to buy a generic oil at a marina and it worked fine. So how many of you use oil not sold by your motor manufacturer and do you have any complaints?
BLIND BOBBER :cool:

[stevo]

I use the stuff they sell at Joes, goes on sale a gallon for ~$15 quite frequnetly. The name escapes me now, silver something or other. Quicksilver, I tink that's it. Anyhoo, it seems to be fine in my '98 Johnson 115.

[Moldy45]

I run pennzoil blended oil in my Johnson. I put a lot of hours on it last season and the carbon buildup was minimal.
it is cheaper than merc oil also.
It works well for me.I have heard that the wally world oil is quick silver but I cannot verify that

[trap50]

I ran mostly Texaco.

[s20055]

quicksilver is merc oil, I think.

[ICHTHYDEMON]

Run the cheapest stuff you can find as long as it meets the TC-W3 requirements.

If the oil you use meets the requirements the engine manufacturer has specified,you're good to go.

If you look at the NMMA website,you can see the list of oils that meet the TC-WM specs. You'll also see the company that blended the oil for each manufacturer.

Personally,I ran synthetic when I had 2 strokes. The synthetic smoked far less than conventional s stroke oil. I ran Amsoil when I bought it at Joes and Pennzoil Synthetic when I couldn't get to a Joes.

[Lou]

Run the cheapest stuff you can find as long as it meets the TC-W3 requirements.
I run Lubrimatic (SP) from BiMart. Looks and smells just like
Quick Silver and is the exact same color.
Never a problem.:)

[MattPark]

I use the Super Tech "marine" from Wal-Mart in the big boat. $7 a gallon or something like that, and TCW-3 rated. I forget who bottles it, but it's one of the big companies.

I used the expensive ($35/gal) good smelling non smoking synthetic in my old 15 horse Johnson. For the tiny amount it used, and the fact that I was always sitting right next to it, I'll pay a little more.

[DirectDrive]

Yamalube for my 100:1 Yamaha.
With a 100:1 mix, I'm too chicken to trust anything else.

[Blind Bobber]

Very interesting replies. I am not seeing much manufacturer loyalty so far. I am also thinking quicksilver may be a Merc product. . As pointed out if an oil's classification is what manufacturer requires one should be good to go.
The other thing I wonder is if fish are so tuned to smell how come the scent of the oil and motor does not seem to be a factor in keepin fish away?
BLIND BOBBER :cool:

[ICHTHYDEMON]

Very interesting replies. I am not seeing much manufacturer loyalty so far. I am also thinking quicksilver may be a Merc product. . As pointed out if an oil's classification is what manufacturer requires one should be good to go.
The other thing I wonder is if fish are so tuned to smell how come the scent of the oil and motor does not seem to be a factor in keepin fish away?
BLIND BOBBER :cool:


Quicksilver is a Mercury Marine product. Like most of the other oils,its made by someone else and they slap their label on it. Its not bad stuff,but its by no means the best either.

Why pay more for something thats not any better? If you can get SuperTech for $7,why buy Quicksilver for $20?

TC-W3 is all the same,until you go synthetic.

Honestly though,how often do you hear of an oil related failure?

[Highmark]

At one time in my life, I worked for an oil company. We sold mobil oil products. Any way I was doing some checking on the Sled oil I was buying
from my boss, At that time. I had Some yamalube, Johnson and polaris
oil sent in for an testing to see what they are made up of. If the oil
says tcw-3. they are all the same oil. come to find out. there is only
three oil comany's that produce this type of oil. But there is about
20 differant names that go on them. So what I am saying. You can
Buy the the expensive stuff, or the cheep stuff. it's the same. Just
A different color put in the mix. It's all made from wax in the blend.
Any way.that is what the report said that came back with the 3
oils I sent in for testing. If it's not a (senthitic) spelling. It's all about
the same.

:twocents:

HM

[KingFisher85]

Who makes synthetic 2 stroke oil?

[Highmark]

ams oil for sure. Mobil 1. polaris gold. that I am not sure of. At the time
I was just interrested in what was the make up the 3 oils that I was using
at the time. And that was back in 93 time frame. They as in the three oils
that I had all acted the same way in a clear cup. smelled the same just had a different color. So that was the reasoning why I sent them in to see
Just what was the difference in them. this was done a a gas spectanalisis
thru mobil. Any it's when they burn the oil and look at thru the a
glass spectrum. as things burn. they give off different colors of light.
And as i was told. the three oils gave off the same basic colors. So as the report they were all about the same oil. so I buy my oil at ByMart. 1.59 qt.
and sometimes a little cheeper on sale. :wink:

HM

[Patman]

I like Amsoil synthetic two-stroke oil. I have used their Saber outboard 100:1 for my pre-mix motors and their HP Injector in my oil injected Yamaha. I noticed immediately the lack of excess blue smoke and odor. All of these oils are TCW-3 approved. I don't use a lot of oil and most of my outboards are older so the extra cost doesn't bother me. My father used to use cheaper oils like Pennzoil and Havoiline. He had engine failures caused by jelling which clogged the VRO injection system. I buy Amsoil for $19/gal when Joe's has a sale.

[Patman]

I like Amsoil synthetic two-stroke oil. I have used their Saber outboard 100:1 for my pre-mix motors and their HP Injector in my oil injected Yamaha. I noticed immediately the lack of excess blue smoke and odor. All of these oils are TCW-3 approved. I don't use a lot of oil and most of my outboards are older so the extra cost doesn't bother me. My father used to use cheaper oils like Pennzoil and Havoiline. He had engine failures caused by jelling which clogged the VRO injection system. I buy Amsoil for $19/gal when Joe's has a sale.

[glowball]

Amsoil all the way. My boat runs better with it than it did with quicksilver.

[namu mac]

I used to get damaged bottles of Lubrimatic TCW3 oil at work for free so guess what type of oil I used. Yep Lubrimatic. I had no problems.Maybe smoked a little more but the price was right.

[BalouSC]

Amsoil. Enough said!!! :cheers:

[BARCHASER]

Merc oil. My kicker is a 1991 Merc 8hp that I bought new. It has thousands of hours and still runs like a champ. Always used Merc. Why mess with success? I buy it in gallon bulk containers. I have 7-8 old qt bottles that I just keep refilling. Keeps the price down.

[SPRINGERMAN]

Any good synthetic oil, I use amsoil and have for years in the boat and all my gear, never had a moments problem with it. Like I said any good syn will have the same results, less smoke, less fowling, smother running overall.

[Beginners luck]

Pennzoil Premium Synthetic blend. I buy it at BiMart for about 14-15 Bucks a gallon. Used it in my last 3 2-strokes.

[fishhog54]

Pennzoil Premium Synthetic blend. I buy it at BiMart for about 14-15 Bucks a gallon. Used it in my last 3 2-strokes.

[fishhog54]

Pennzoil Premium Synthetic blend. I buy it at BiMart for about 14-15 Bucks a gallon. Used it in my last 3 2-strokes.

Pennzoil Premium Synthetic. Have used Pennzoil Outboard oils for over 35 years and have never had a problem................

[fishhog54]

Run the cheapest stuff you can find as long as it meets the TC-W3 requirements.

If the oil you use meets the requirements the engine manufacturer has specified,you're good to go.

If you look at the NMMA website,you can see the list of oils that meet the TC-WM specs. You'll also see the company that blended the oil for each manufacturer.

Personally,I ran synthetic when I had 2 strokes. The synthetic smoked far less than conventional s stroke oil. I ran Amsoil when I bought it at Joes and Pennzoil Synthetic when I couldn't get to a Joes.

[BassinFever]

All of these oils are TCW-3 approved.

They are "Formulated to be used where a TC-W3 oil is recomended". They are not certified! TC-W3 rating seems to be an old rating anymore, most of the new oils from the manufactures are not TC-W3 certified anymore.

I use Amsoil also, I have for nearly thirty years, Lower unit oil also.

It used to be that when you mentioned Amsoil on any forum you got a bunch of flack! Seems that it is finally becoming more accepted. It's about time.

[playin hookie]

I use the same oil in my 50:1 chain saw, weed eater, etc, (quicksilver)

[MattPark]

It used to be that when you mentioned Amsoil on any forum you got a bunch of flack! Seems that it is finally becoming more accepted. It's about time.

I think the problem was the marketing scheme they used. That was why I gave all the vendors crap:D

It was like Avon for men:wink:

[HOGTIDE]

I guess I have always just played the sheep and ponied up the extra cash for the factory brand recommended oil. I know it is over-priced, but I also figure that having $14k of 2 stroke hanging on my transom I am not willing to take a chance on cheaper oils. For a while, Costco would come in with pallets of Merc-oil for a really decent price. I have not seen it lately. I have yet to see a sale on Yama-lube...but if I do, I will buy a few cases quickly.

I have never really looked at good oil as a huge expense in operating my boat.

[BigL50]

My wife doesn't like to fish with me because my 175 sportjet is "to smelly". Tell me more about the synthetic oils that don't smoke as much and smell better. Maybe I will get to keep my boat....

[KingFisher85]

I needed to get some gas for my small 30jet the other day. This time I used some synthetic oil...At low end, way smoother idle. Time to pick up a gallon or two of the stuff.

[ET]

I used synthetic in my old 2-stroke 6hp Johnson just because it would never foul plugs. If I put the dinojuice in , the plugs would foul after about 8 hours of trolling. Of course it would always foul up at just the wrong time.... That made the synthetic worth it for me.

In my Yamaha 70hp I use several different brands. It's all good in that motor.

Now in my 4-stroke Yamaha kicker I use synthetic oil (in sump of course) just because I figure if the water pump goes out and I don't notice it, the synthetic oil will give me a slight advantage when it overheats. Plus, the kicker uses what...a quart? Not a big investment.

[Lured In]

Any issues with switching to synthetic on the fly? I am about to dump another gallon in the bucket as it is getting low. I am running a 175SJ, so do I need to also empty and refill the reserve tank if I switch to synthetic?

[SPRINGERMAN]

This shouldn't present a problem, I did my susuki the same way, just added oil in the tank and you'll see the diference as the the sump empties of the old and on to the new stuff. Clean burn no more fowling of plugs.

[Fishtail]

I would have some concerns about mixing oil as some lubricants are not compatible with one and another. I would think it best to drain the oil from the tank before mixing, just to be safe. I have a 98 Yamaha Pro 40 and have thought I might switch over to see if there are any differences

[BassinFever]

I am an Amsoil freak, but if you want a really good TC-W3 oil that smells really good buy Klotz TC-W3, MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Good!!!!! Has that Castor smell!!!

[MattPark]

I am an Amsoil freak, but if you want a really good TC-W3 oil that smells really good buy Klotz TC-W3, MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Good!!!!! Has that Castor smell!!!

That's what I use. The cheapest way to buy it is a gallon of their "Snowmobile" oil online. Almost zero smoke (only a little when you choke it on cold startup), and it smells good. It's spendy, but on a small motor you use so little that it's worth it.

[Smj]

I use the same oil in my 50:1 chain saw, weed eater, etc, (quicksilver)

I'd be careful running marine 2-stroke oil in an air cooled engine.

It's been Quick Silver for me since feb. '01 in my Merc 75. I just don't use the boat as much as I used to, I might wanna' switch to synthetic. Should the "****" ( Can't say D I N O ??) oil be totaly removed from the on-board tank before adding synthetic?

Boat Doc?

Smj

[BassinFever]

Many years ago it was very important to remove all regular oil before changing to synthetic as many synthetics were not compatable with anything! Now days it's not necesary at all unless you are using something totally exotic like castor oil which isn't recommended in anything but pure all out racing applications.
However I would at least try to run out as much as posable so that you get the results sooner.

[BARCHASER]

All you guys do seem to be sold on the synthetics. Maybe I'll try it on my kicker. The Merc oil does foul plugs pretty good, I've just got in the habit of cleaning the plugs a lot.

Should I stick with a 50:1 mix on my old Merc kicker?

[BassinFever]

Should I stick with a 50:1 mix on my old Merc kicker?

It is very general concensus that about any 2 stroke outboard will have no problems running at 100:1 at low operating RPM's. Amsoil has a Saber 100:1 oil that would be a very good oil for you to use in your Kicker motor. It will also work well if you want to wind it out too. I have been using the Amsoil products for nearly thirty years. I ran the 100:1 oil in an early 85 HP Evenrude back in the early eighties on a 15" Ranger Bass Boat at 80:1 and it was the fastest 85 on the water. I ran it at 6,000 RPM almost everywhere I went and it ran effortlessly with no problems. The engine had a bizzillion hours on it when I got it.
100:1 with any TC-W3 will be fine while trolling. Some people have two tanks, one mixed 100:1 for trolling, and one mixed 50:1 for the trip out and back in.

That early 85 Evenrude and Ranger was John Sevec's First Bass Boat. The Guy's in the Club (Umpqua Valley Bassmasters) Jokingly said that the livewells were ashamed to be opened after he sold it to me! There was some truth to that!

Anyone remember John out there, whatever happened to him? I've never seen anyone that cood catch a Bass out of a glass of water. I think he won almost every tournament I ever fished against him!

[ET]

Should I stick with a 50:1 mix on my old Merc kicker?



That is safest. But on my old 6hp Johnson I experimented and found the sweet spot was about 75:1. At 100:1 the plugs looked real dry, but at 75:1 it ran great and the plugs looked good after trolling for many hours.

Again, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone that cares about their motor! Stick with 50:1 to be safe. I was playing around because I really didn't mind if the old thing burned up. I eventually gave the motor away and a friend is still using it. Runs like a champ. That thing is a 1976 model and I can't imagine how many hours it has on it now.

[deadstick]

Amsoil in my 210 Sportjet. Years of racing and working on 2-stroke motorcycles taught me the benifits of synthetic.

[MattPark]

This thread just reminded me, a few guys I know run 100:1 synthetic in their highly modified 12,000 rpm 2 stroke engines, and never have lubrication related failures.

Your results may vary.