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I'm wondering if any of you folks use different 2 stroke oil other than manufacturers recommendations? Personally I've only used the recommended Johnson/Evinrude oil for my 1996 Evinrude 90hp, I don't want to take a chance of wrecking my motor using the wrong oil. The reason why I'm wondering is because I have a 1987 Mercury 8hp that I use for a kicker motor, besides my main tanks under my RPS I have a seperate 6 gallon gas tank sitting in the stern mixed with Mercury Quicksilver oil for the kicker motor. Right now I keep the extra gas tank where the VRO oil tank should be, and will be next year. So space with the extra gas tank will be an issue next year. In a perfect world I would love to have a matching 1996 Evinrude 9.9hp for a kicker motor. But that isn't going to happen for a few years.

I also use my 8hp Mercury on my 10' SIB(soft bottom inflatable boat). With rising gas prices and low water I'm using my SIB just as much, if not more than my 16' Boston Whaler. My SIB is getting old and I'm starting to worry about seam failure, I'm replacing it with a new Saturn SIB. Replacing my SIB will take the funds that would be going to a matching kicker motor for my Boston Whaler. Right now I'm running with a 12 gallon Moeller gas tank and matching metal OMC gas tanks, I'm worried about grabbing the wrong gas tank and running the wrong oil in my 90hp. I do lable the gas tanks with what type of oil the gas is mixed with, but there might be a time I forget to. I would rather have all my gas tanks mixed with Johnson/Evinrude oil.

Is it safe to use Johnson/Evinrude TC-W3 in my 1987 Mercury 8hp?

Don

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Its should be safe to use any brand TCW-3 oil in any engine that specifies TCW, TCW-2, or TCW-3 oil. That is the point of the TCW standard.

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I slim and never use the OEM oil in these relatively old outboards. I run bia certified TCW-3 oil sold at walmart or academy. I have used this in several different brand outboards. ex 1999 150 mercury, 1996 88hp Johnson.

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I never, never use any other oil than the oil made by the manufactor, If there was ever a problem with the engine they can not say I used the wrong oil.

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I might be wrong, but it is my understanding that OEM engine manufacturers don't make the oil that they recommend be run in their engines. They packaged oil made by various lubricant manufacturers made to industry standards that match specs for their engine requirements. It is that way in other industries as far as I know, auto, agriculture etc.

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I use Mercury oil for my Mercury motors but I have also used Evinrude and Yamaha oil too it and doesn't make a lick of difference in the short term.

So long as you are using a TCW-3 oil, no manufacturer can ever say you used the wrong oil.

Some oils work better than others. You should find what works well for you and your motor and stick with it. When changing over, try not to blend oils too much; drain your oil tank/reservoir down low and then top it up with the new oil.

Now in the case of a little Mercury 8 HP motor where the oil and gas are premixed, it matters even less. That motor will run just fine on any oil you care to feed it including the BRP oil.

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Not only did OMC not make Johnson/Evinrude oil for his outboard, but BRP hasn't been covering the warranty on OMC engines for a while now. :)

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The only time oil brand makes a true difference, that I know of, is in the Etecs when they are set to the XD100 setting. This is due to the computer actually using less oil in the mixture, thus requiring a full synthetic oil. I bet any full synthetic would work, but wouldn't bet my engines on it.

I agree with Tom, as long as it is TWC-3 it should be fine.

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I use Pennzoil Synthetic Blend or Mercury Synthetic Blend on my 1997 Yamaha 90

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Interesting you mentioned Mercury 8hp. I had problems with mine a while back. Talked to a mechanic about the issue and first question was what type of oil I used. I said what ever 2 stroke oil was available. His reply, oils have different flash points. Use Quick Silver/ Mercury oil as recommended. He also recommended spraying engine cleaner to de-carb the internal engine. You wouldn’t believe the carbon deposits that came out of the engine…

Lesson learned.

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Here is a list of all certified tcw3 oils http://www.nmma.org/certification/cer...tc-w3.aspx
and here is the testing procedure for TCW3 oils http://www.nmma.org/assets/cabinets/C...l-4-08.pdf
They must all meet certain criteria including being mixable with other certified oils without gelling.

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It is possible you didn't learn the complete lesson though. The oil could have been the problem, but I've never experienced a problem using any random TCW3 oil in my old premix engines. There are also many other possible causes you may or may not have investigated as well...

Does the prop allow you to run the engine in the suggested max RPM range?

Do you run the engine for several minutes in its max suggested RPM range during every hour of use?

Do you decarbon the engine every 50 hours (or whatever the owners manual suggests) or only after you run into issues?

When was the last time you cleaned and tested the thermostat?

Do you clean/replace the spark plugs and check the gap after a short run in the spring ... assuming you use fogging oil in the fall?

etc

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Irak,
Don't have a tach installed for my 8hp engine. Not sure how many people do for that matter.

Switch to the manufactures suggested oil and my problem went away. Just saying.

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A very good marine mechanic told me a while ago to stick with the OEM oil, more so if the engine is run at lower RPM's the majority of the time. He said the cheaper aftermarket oils don't burn as cleanly, especially at low RPM's, and after a while carbon buildup can cause issues with sticky rings, etc. Not as big of an issue if the engine gets cranked up frequently. I think the average boater would be surprised at the amount of low RPM use, I know I was when I looked at our Etec's RPM histogram after 250 hours of run time.

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The manufacturer (Mercury) recommended oil is a TCW-3 oil. You can choose which one works for you. Evinrude oil will work very well in an old Mercury 8 HP outboard motor.

By the way, Mercury/Quicksilver Premium oil is not as good as Mercury/Quicksilver Premium Plus oil.

Likewise, Evinrude XD30 oil is not as good as Evinrude XD50 oil. Evinrude XD50 oil is not as good as Evinrude XD100 oil. Just saying.

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Thanks for all the input folks. Looks like I'm safe to run Johnson/Evinrude on the Mercury 8hp. If the 8hp starts acting up, then I'll switch back to Quicksilver oil. I figured it would be safe , but just wanted to know what others thoughts were on the subject were.

Don

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Do you know where the Evinrude/Johnson branded stuff they sell at Wal-Mart fits in here? I assume below XD30 based on price.

Link
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Evinrude-Jo...l/19418997

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There is a difference between the TCW3 oils and the difference is in the blend of synthetics and detergents that are used to make it. As the price goes up so does the protection level to your engine. The outboard shop says, that if you work your engine hard or at high RPM's You need the high end oil. The NAPA store guy on the other hand say that if it says TCW3 that it is all the same. That is not true. I tried the various oils in my chain saw which always runs hard and hot and it was very obvious that when using the cheap oil that the saw was running hot, and poorly with a nasty burned smell. When using the high end oil it ran like a champ. I use the XD-50 in my 115hp Ocean Runners. Swamp, I would never assume that anything bought at WalMart is the same as a product bought elsewhere. They lesson the quality for the price on other products, so why not on oil?

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Of course its not true, but if it says TCW3 it is certainly good enough to avoid any engine damage.



Because my local Walmart also sells XD30, which is the same as XD30 bought in every other store anywhere. The local Walmart also sell QuickSilver Premium Plus oil which is the same thing as Premium Plus from other stores as well.

I read lots of user reviews of their house brand "SuperTech" TCW3 before using it myself. Those who use it haven't reported any more problems than those using the engine brand TCW3. Most report starting is just as easy and there is less smoke and carbon buildup than using Johnson oil. I think they are right. It smells a lot less, but doesn't smell as nice. LoL.

I would not however use TCW(ater cooled) oil in a chain saw unless the oil also meets the ISO/JASO certfication level for air cooled engines. Check your saw/trimmer/cutter owner's manual for the required spec. Many TCW certifed oils will run poorly in an air cooled engine. I'll will dump old chainsaw gas in my boat gas tank, but not the other way around.

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Until recently I had no knowledge of the three tiers of XD### oil sold by BRP, just the Wal-Mart Evinrude/Johnson stuff. I look forward to running some higher end oil next season and seeing if I notice any better results.

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Evinrude TC-W3 in the Evinrude bottle is all the same no matter where you buy it.
I have seen the same exact bottles on the shelf at many places including Wal-Mart in the past.
I haven't seen the older TC-W3 Evinrude oil on BRP website.

They now sell:

XD30

XD50 is a blend of synthetic blend

XD100 is pure synthetic

I have been using Evinrude TC-W3 in all my OMC motors for 40 years.
I am down to my last drop of oil and will be changing to the XD50 blend next time I purchase oil for my older 1985 Evinrude 150.
http://shop.evinrude.com/products/343...4/2-stroke

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DOMO online sells the xd-100 cheaper than anywhere else I have found. I usually like to support my local shop to show my loyalty, but at $10 less per gallon delivered, I am leaning that way. I recently got "stuck" while on Nantucket, and they got it to me in 5 days.

As an aside, the XD100 seems to smoke much less, and smells better.... Kind of like frenchfries!

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Do you run the XD-100 in your Yamaha too? I always wondered how much less smoke there'd be if it was used in a carbed 2 stroke.

I use the XD-100 in the Etec on the XD-100 setting and get zero smoke.

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I haven't yet, because of the cost, but the Yamaha is a little rough at idle, and my first inkling is to try the XD100. I want to burn the rest of my tank down first though.

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Heres my experience..17 years running Castrol Outboard tcw 3 oil in my 60 hp evinrude without a knock...
now i am running the required mercury 20 - 40 in my new to me..merc 115hp 4 stroke...big bux oil...11 bux per liter....but i am a firm believer in u get what u pay for.. end of story

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I have to wonder about all of this. We had an almost exact same discussion on an ATV forum I frequent. Polaris claimed we had to use Polaris fluids in our machines. They sold a host of different oils for the various cases on each machine and all were super expensive when compared to the same rated lubricants from other vendors.

I do agree that some oils are in fact better than others of the same rated qualities. If it works for you and your machine then it must be OK.

One guy did do some research and he worked in a bottling plant where they filled the oil jugs and packed them in cases for distribution to the retailers. He claimed that one day they could be bottling Penzoil in bottles labeled for that brand and the next day they could be bottling Polaris oil in jugs labeled for them. The vat the oil came from was the same and only the label and bottle was different. If you think about it, Polaris, Evinrude/OMC, Mercury and Yamaha all make motors but none are oil refiners. They all have particular specifications they demand in their oils but they all also farm these fluids out to the refiners who blend the oils and bottle them with their labels. Are we to believe that Polaris oil comes from the same vat as Penzoil but at the end they squirt a bit of this or that in each battle to make them all that much different?

I don't honestly believe my engine knows the difference between Polaris synthetic and Mobil 1 of the exact same rating but my wallet sure does. Just like with gasoline, I do seem to get a little better mileage from BP than I do if I use brand X of the same octane rating but that could all be in my head because I like the guys at the BP station and the price is almost always the same as the others.

I don't go cheap on my lubrication's but as long as it has the specified ratings the engine requires I seriously doubt the name brand makes much difference at all. I like Amsoil and they claim they have a lubricant for any and every application that will meet or exceed the manufacturers stated requirements. I am very fond of my well water but the water at your house might be just as good even if it tastes a little different.