2-stroke oil quality

LC boating · Jul 8, 2008

i have a 1987 yamaha, f115 (2 stroke) and was wondering if there is a problem with using regular lawn mower quality oil, the yama-lube or what ever it is called was ~$40 at a marina i visited.

if the regular stuff is not acceptable what would you recommend, i just don't want to spend this much on oil.

thanks.

tashasdaddy · Jul 8, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

it has to be rated TC-W3 outboard motor oil. super tech at walmart is as good as any.

Kev144 · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

There are very cheap oils as mentioned by TD. Though you dont buy a boat hoping to save money!

tashasdaddy · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

the requirement for the oil is to meet TC-W3 rating, sure there are oils out there that have this and that additive. just to raise the price. now synthetics do burn cleaner, and smoke less. but they must have the TC-W3 rating also.

rrayhill · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

I have several(5) bottles of universal 2-stroke engine oil. It is used for all air cooled 2-stroke motors under 25HP. What is the difference between that oil and TC-W3 outboard oil? Could an additive be added to make my 5 bottles usable in my outboard?

gcboat · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

Nope, can't do it - feasibly. The TWC3 rating stands for Two Stroke, Watercooled. The number ( 3 ) is the latest version of the rating. From what I understand there will be TCW 4 on the market soon.
The folks who make the engines know a lot more than either of us do so I would strongly recommend you stay with what they know works.
A marine 2 stroke oil is formulated to withstand the higher heat produced from something like a lawnmower engine, etc.
I guess if you want to save a couple of bucks on the proper oil then by all means be prepared to spend a LOT more on a new motor.

tashasdaddy · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

for more info search oil, there are pages and pages of discussions, on the subject.

matt2002 · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

gcboat said:
Nope, can't do it - feasibly. The TWC3 rating stands for Two Stroke, Watercooled. The number ( 3 ) is the latest version of the rating. From what I understand there will be TCW 4 on the market soon.
The folks who make the engines know a lot more than either of us do so I would strongly recommend you stay with what they know works.
A marine 2 stroke oil is formulated to withstand the higher heat produced from something like a lawnmower engine, etc.
I guess if you want to save a couple of bucks on the proper oil then by all means be prepared to spend a LOT more on a new motor.

wouldn't an air cooled engine run hotter than an outboard and therefore 2 stroke oil for air cooled motors would have to perform better under hotter 5onditions ?

gcboat · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

Maybe my wording of hot might not of been on the mark. In a lawn mower engine they are pretty much put together so they will just run. An outboard motor has closer tolerances in their moving parts so therefore need a better type of lubrication. ( formula? )
I'm certainly not going to get into a shooting match over the whole issue but I do stand by my thoughts of using the correct oil for the correct motor.
So I'm thinking that with closer tolerances, yes - there will be added heat. The oil that lubricates it needs to be the correct stuff. My $.02

LubeDude · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

Interesting debate!

The TC-W3 oil is not a "Heat" or a "Clearence" Issue, The air cooled oil is a heat issue! If you use an air cooled oil in an outboard, you will have large amounts of unburned oil accumilate in the exhaust and will make a huge mess in your driveway, smoke badly, Also polute the water you boat in. Not to mention fouling plugs. It probably will not hurt the internals of the engine though! But running a TC-W3 oil in an aircooled engine may cause catistofic engine damage in the longrun!

matt2002 · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

I had somebody tell me once to use outboard fuel with 2 stroke oil in it for a chainsaw.I guess it wouldn't hurt for one time.I use old premix in the 4 stroke lawn mower now.

gcboat · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

Thank You LD - . Matt - I certainly hope you really aren't adding oil to the gas in a 4 stroke engine.

matt2002 · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

gcboat said:
Thank You LD - . Matt - I certainly hope you really aren't adding oil to the gas in a 4 stroke engine.

I'm not adding any more than was put in for my outboards 50:1 mix.The most harm this will do to a 4 stroke lawnmower is maybe fouling the plugs quicker.
as a matter of fact I took two small 4 stroke carbs apart that weren't winterized and had fuel left in the carb bowl for months.The carb bowl that had raw fuel was rusted like anything.The carb bowl that had 50:1 in it was fine.No rust or even varnish !

ksubigbuck · Jul 9, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

I would have figured that an outboard would run much hotter, even though it is water cooled. A lawn mower only runs at what, 2,000 or 2,500 RPM? Most outboards run around 6,000 RPM or so. That is a HUGE difference!

Hunter

dajohnson53 · Jul 10, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

LC boating said:
i have a 1987 yamaha, f115 (2 stroke) and was wondering if there is a problem with using regular lawn mower quality oil, the yama-lube or what ever it is called was ~$40 at a marina i visited.

if the regular stuff is not acceptable what would you recommend, i just don't want to spend this much on oil.thanks.

Buy the correct oil - rated TCW3. I just bought a couple gallons of Castrol Super Outboard at Walmart for about $12 a gallon. They also had their house brand (can't remember name) for around $8- same TCW3 rating.

So you don't need to spend a lot of money for the correct oil. Your '87 is not of the new high tech design, so you don't need the special oils developed for the new direct injection engines. Also, the OEM brands like YamaLube, Johnson/Evinrude/BRP, Quicksilver, etc. are really expensive. I dont' believe they're any better, and have not used them very much, but I'm not an oil engineer.

LubeDude · Jul 11, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

ksubigbuck said:
I would have figured that an outboard would run much hotter, even though it is water cooled. A lawn mower only runs at what, 2,000 or 2,500 RPM? Most outboards run around 6,000 RPM or so. That is a HUGE difference!

Hunter

Outboards as well as inboard engines are normally set to run at or about 160*. This is because of the chance that they will be used in saltwater! Temps above that in saltwater cause the salt to separate and deposit itself on the inturnals of the engine! Air cooled engines reguardless of the RPM wil reach much hotter temps.

gss036 · Jul 11, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

Make sure you use the correect oil as LubeDude says. I somehow (dumb me) got my chain saw gas mixed with TCW3 oil and Conquentcely burned up a power head on my chain saw. I was using it hard, but still?? Lost compression and would not start. $200 later and a new power head, it ran/runs great, so now I buy STIHL synthetic chain saw oil for the saw. Now I don't have to worry and 2 stroke oil except for a 40-1 blower. All my outboards a 4 stroke.
Definately not as expensive of a lessson as blowing an outboard. But lesson learned.

rndn · Jul 11, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

With the price of outboards, why would anyone try to save a few bucks buying/using non-TWC3 oil?

DRIFTER_016 · Jul 11, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

Just buy OPTI2 synthetic 2 stroke oil you run the same mix (follow the instructions on the packaging) in all 2 stroke engines (air or liquid) (chain saw, weed wacker or boat). It burns much cleaner, much less fouling and provides better protection.

http://www.opti2-4.com/

CATransplant · Jul 11, 2008

Re: 2-stroke oil quality

DRIFTER_016 said:
Just buy OPTI2 synthetic 2 stroke oil you run the same mix (follow the instructions on the packaging) in all 2 stroke engines (air or liquid) (chain saw, weed wacker or boat). It burns much cleaner, much less fouling and provides better protection.

http://www.opti2-4.com/

That's really bad advice you're putting out, there. Run that stuff in an older engine at the ratio they recommend and you'll burn the plain bearings out in short order.

Advice given on this forum should be conservative in nature. Outboard motors have their own recommendations, and the use of oil touted on some website for use at the same ratio with all 2-stroke engines, whether air or watercooled, is just flat not a good idea.

TC W3 oil is available everywhere, in several different price ranges. It is designed specifically for water-cooled 2-stroke outboard motors. Recommending something else is tantamount to advising people that destroying their engine is a good idea.

Maybe that oil you're touting is just fine, but who's to say? Use it in your own outboard, if you wish. But please don't recommend it to others. You have nothing to lose if their outboards are ruined.

I am certain of one thing. Using the oils recommended by the outboard manufacturers will not damage their outboards. Using other oils is a crapshoot.

Please don't make such recommendations.

2-stroke oil quality

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