Re: Your Thoughts On Oil
I recently purchased a boat with a 1992 200 HP Mercury outboard, carburated not EFI. The guy I bought it from said the only 2 stroke oil I could ever use is Amsoil Synthetic HP Injector Oil. Seems strange to me that once you start using an oil you can't change to a different brand??? Any how, is this a decent oil to be using? Should I and can I change to a different brand? Thanks for your input and Merry Christmas!!
JV
The biggest problem I have with AmZoil, apart from the fact that it is an overpriced pyramid marketing scheme, is that they make extreme claims that it will run well in extremely lean mixes.
The first thing you need to understand clearly, the oil needed is a function of engine design. Early 2 cycles with no recirculating systems needed 16:1. If you use TC100 oil, you still have to mix it at 16:1 for that engine. Same with every other engine made.
Uneducated folks listening to Amzoil advertizing hype and imagining that they understand it and their engine will mix it at 80:1 or 100:1 for a 50:1 engine. The engine rebuilders love it. It's job security.
So, contrary to the hype, it is not cheaper to run than regular 2 cycle oil. You either pay a lot more for the oil, or pay later in maintenance.
For most engines running moderately, WalMart TCW3 is as good as any. For high performance, any synth blend or synthetic is fine. For extreme performance, you mix one of the racing oils pretty rich and change plugs a lot. Most of those applications actually change pistons every few hours. Whatever you run, you run it at the mixture ratio the engine is designed or set up for. Believe it or not, too much oil can slow down and dilute the fuel flow enough to burn down the power head for lack of fuel.
hope it helps
John
