Another oil question

[woodchopper]

My Merc dealer says to stick with their two brands of oil. Is it that much better when you are running a Merc two stroke 60hp. The price of their two oils is triple that of other wc3s.I have heard that some oils produce a lot of deposits that narrow the ports thus affecting performance. Anyone else wondering about oils?

 

[Laddies]

Re: Another oil question

No doubt that Mercury and OMC have good oils, but there are many good manufactures out there, If I recommend one the oil wars will start again and you will surly be confused--Bob

 

[JB]

Re: Another oil question

They are good oils, maybe better than some other TC-W3 oils but not as good as some others, too. They are not twice as good. <br /><br />The extra cost is for advertising and marketing, not for greater quality.<br /><br />Most mass marketed oils, like the WalMart Supertech for example, are guaranteed to meet or exceed all NMMA and manufacturer's requirements and to not damage your engine.

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Another oil question

Woodchopper - just to echo the good advice you've received from these guys. The Merc/Quicksilver oils are excellent, I'm sure, but my opinion is that the guy you talked to gave you self-serving advice. Not BAD advice, just not objective. <br /><br />It's like your car- the most important thing is not the brand, but to use the right type of oil and to use it properly. For your car, this means choosing the weight depending on the weather and other factors and change at proper intervals. For your outboard it means choose a TCW3 certified oil and always mixing it properly. <br /><br />Other than that, the actual brand of oil you use is an extremely minor factor in comparison (imho, of course). You should follow your own inclination as you do with your car. That may be buying whatever is on hand, buying the cheapest, buying a certain name brand, or using synthetic. All are good choices, just as they would be for your car. <br /><br />I've settled into using "not the cheapest" oil - just as I do with my car. Other than that, I buy a decent brand name of TCW3 oil depending on what's convenient when I need it and/or what's on sale. Last couple of years I'd buy either Johhnyrude or Quicksilver oil in bulk (a couple gallons at a time at about $15 per gallon) depending on which boat shop had the best price or which I happened to be near. I tried a gallon of Pennzoil pure synthetic and didn't notice a lot of difference for the $20. Lately, I've bought a couple of cases of Castrol Super Outboard quarts because a very convenient store had it on sale - and to me Castrol has always been a "good" name in oil. Comes out to be about $10 per gallon. Engine's running great on it. My next 'experiment' will be to buy do one of my built in tanks with the cheapest Wallmart TCW3 oil, do the other tank with a "premium" oil and do side by side comparisons. Just for fun. I did that with the synthetic vs. standard grade Quicksliver as well as the Castrol, and couldn't tell any difference in performance or smoke.<br /><br />There ya go.

 

[LubeDude]

Re: Another oil question

Yep, "There ya go".

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: Another oil question

Originally posted by hooksetter62:<br /> .... the fish are getting very expensive per pound for what it cost to go. and at 2 plus for gas im sure you all understand what im talking about. good fishing!!!!!

Have you seen the Jeff Foxworthy thing where he's trying to explain that he provides his family with the finest, most expensive cuts of meat when he goes hunting?

 

[hooksetter62]

Re: Another oil question

yep, at 6.00 a qt quicksilver is just to expensive altho it is a good oil, i finally went with valvoline outboard 2 stroke with tcw3. its only 3.00 a qt. have had good luck with valvoline in my autos for years and it is a very good product.as are all the others. but for what it cost to go fishing for a day have to save somewhere. the fish are getting very expensive per pound for what it cost to go. and at 2 plus for gas im sure you all understand what im talking about. good fishing!!!!!

 

[Scali]

Re: Another oil question

I just today picked up 4 gallons of Castrol super outboard @ local Pepboys auto parts joint for under 10 bucks a gallon..<br />I bought my boat/Merc last year, 11 year old engine so who knows what was used in it over the years but this stuff seems to mix well with the non synthetic Merc oil I was paying 20 bucks a gallon for { I've bought the castrol in the past, seems compatable }..<br />But I got to tell you, companys like castrol, Penzoil, even Valvolene arent going to sell garbage 2 stroke oils & @ half the price...why not..<br />I think the trick is to stick with one brand though as I've heard of rare instances of gelling & oil screens being blocked but I believe thats if synthetic & non synthetic stuff is mixed...