BILLANDLISA HORTON
Member
What brand of 2 cycle oil would you recommend for my (new to me) 1995 120hp mercury force motor. Mercury oil? I've heard from several novices that the mercury oil isn't the best. comments?
OT-boat question for Rich stern and others
- Thread starter BILLANDLISA HORTON
- Start date
Help Support Ford SportTrac Forum:
BILL N LISA,
My brother and I have a 1984 Force 85 Outboard motor.
My father is an AMSOIL dealer, but honestly, I have no prefrence. When we first got the boat, my brother and I made up two tanks of fuel. Each filled up with 6 gallons of 93 octane fuel and the proper amount of oil in the gas. Ran one tank dry. So, we ended up going to the same sation and filled the empty tank with 6 gallons 93 octane, but this time we had some "Quicksilver" outboard 2 stroke oil. It was in the boat when we got it and my brother wanted to use it up.
Was there a difference between the two? I can honestly say there was a big difference. As I said, just because my Dad is an AMSOIL dealer does not mean I think AMSOIL is the best oil. If it were up to me, I would use any crap I could.
What we noticed. The engine idled smoother with the AMSOIL fuel. The engine in a no wake zone does not smoke as much with the AMSOIL compared to the Quicksilver oil. The boat planed out quicker and had a higher top speed, even with an extra person with the AMSOIL then the Quicksilver.
Use whatever you want, personally I am impressed with the AMSOIL 2 stroke oil. What did my brother do with the Quicksilver tank of gas? He put it in his Explorer and filled the boat tank with fresh gas and AMSOIL 2 stroke oil.
Tom
My brother and I have a 1984 Force 85 Outboard motor.
My father is an AMSOIL dealer, but honestly, I have no prefrence. When we first got the boat, my brother and I made up two tanks of fuel. Each filled up with 6 gallons of 93 octane fuel and the proper amount of oil in the gas. Ran one tank dry. So, we ended up going to the same sation and filled the empty tank with 6 gallons 93 octane, but this time we had some "Quicksilver" outboard 2 stroke oil. It was in the boat when we got it and my brother wanted to use it up.
Was there a difference between the two? I can honestly say there was a big difference. As I said, just because my Dad is an AMSOIL dealer does not mean I think AMSOIL is the best oil. If it were up to me, I would use any crap I could.
What we noticed. The engine idled smoother with the AMSOIL fuel. The engine in a no wake zone does not smoke as much with the AMSOIL compared to the Quicksilver oil. The boat planed out quicker and had a higher top speed, even with an extra person with the AMSOIL then the Quicksilver.
Use whatever you want, personally I am impressed with the AMSOIL 2 stroke oil. What did my brother do with the Quicksilver tank of gas? He put it in his Explorer and filled the boat tank with fresh gas and AMSOIL 2 stroke oil.
Tom
Rich Stern
Well-Known Member
Bill (and Lisa)...first of all, congrats on the new boat!
This is one of those questions which inevitably starts arguments among outboard owners/boat enthusiasts.
It is possible to find TCW3 rated two stroke oil for less than $6/gallon at sale prices. Mercury (and Bombardier and Yamaha and Polaris and once upon a time OMC, among others) has various flavors of TCW3 that cost anywhhere from $15 to $25/gallon.
There's the "You get what you pay for" opinion. There's also the "It's all marketing/there is no difference" opinion.
The truth is somewhere in between.
The newer, high tech motors like Mercury Optimax and Bombardier ETec live on the bleeding edge of lubrication. They inject the very minimum amount of lube oil (for pollution control), and the engine's computer carefully keeps track of the engine temps and running conditions. There is little margin for error, so risking an oil that the engine's manufacturer has not tested probably isn't worth it.
For your older-technology premix motor, as long as you properly mix the correct amount of oil into the gas, the motor is never going to be starved for lubrication. There is actually more risk of carbon buildup from excessive oil, which can cause long term failure.
Regardless of what oil you run, the key to the longevity of your powerhead is to occassionally run some decarbonizing fluid through it. Seafoam is a good brand (available at WalMart and auto parts stores). Just add a bottle to the tank at the beginning of the season, and again at the end of the season if you are winterizing (Seaform is also a fuel preservative). You can also do a spray-decarbonizing procedure if you want more assurance. It's a decarbonizing fluid in an aerosol can, sprayed directly into the carbs while the motor is running...available at marine stores.
For your motor, my opinion is that any TCW3 rated oil is acceptable, inluding the Wal-Mart store brand, Citgo, Lubrimatic, among other low priced brands. If your motor is having a tough time idling smoothly and no other explanation is available, the more expensive oils may idle better, and the synethetic oils produce less smoke.
Also, make sure you change the lower unit oil. That's the gear oil that keeps the shaft and prop gears from burning up. Any marine mechanic can do this, and if you want to do it yourself, let me know and I will point you to a tutorial. It's simple.
This is one of those questions which inevitably starts arguments among outboard owners/boat enthusiasts.
It is possible to find TCW3 rated two stroke oil for less than $6/gallon at sale prices. Mercury (and Bombardier and Yamaha and Polaris and once upon a time OMC, among others) has various flavors of TCW3 that cost anywhhere from $15 to $25/gallon.
There's the "You get what you pay for" opinion. There's also the "It's all marketing/there is no difference" opinion.
The truth is somewhere in between.
The newer, high tech motors like Mercury Optimax and Bombardier ETec live on the bleeding edge of lubrication. They inject the very minimum amount of lube oil (for pollution control), and the engine's computer carefully keeps track of the engine temps and running conditions. There is little margin for error, so risking an oil that the engine's manufacturer has not tested probably isn't worth it.
For your older-technology premix motor, as long as you properly mix the correct amount of oil into the gas, the motor is never going to be starved for lubrication. There is actually more risk of carbon buildup from excessive oil, which can cause long term failure.
Regardless of what oil you run, the key to the longevity of your powerhead is to occassionally run some decarbonizing fluid through it. Seafoam is a good brand (available at WalMart and auto parts stores). Just add a bottle to the tank at the beginning of the season, and again at the end of the season if you are winterizing (Seaform is also a fuel preservative). You can also do a spray-decarbonizing procedure if you want more assurance. It's a decarbonizing fluid in an aerosol can, sprayed directly into the carbs while the motor is running...available at marine stores.
For your motor, my opinion is that any TCW3 rated oil is acceptable, inluding the Wal-Mart store brand, Citgo, Lubrimatic, among other low priced brands. If your motor is having a tough time idling smoothly and no other explanation is available, the more expensive oils may idle better, and the synethetic oils produce less smoke.
Also, make sure you change the lower unit oil. That's the gear oil that keeps the shaft and prop gears from burning up. Any marine mechanic can do this, and if you want to do it yourself, let me know and I will point you to a tutorial. It's simple.
Last edited by a moderator:
VikesfanakaMatt Lackore
Member
I second the Amsoil recommendation. I used the Seadoo stuff on my Seadoo XP (two stroke) for a year before switching to Amsoil. I didn't feel any difference at first, or at least I didn't notice, but the rave valves were much cleaner than with the other oil that I used. I have used Amsoil for 3 years now and my ski smokes less, leaves cleaner valves, and seems to run much smoother than when I used the Seadoo oil. It tends to be a little less expensive that the brand specific stuff and works much better. I would recommend becoming a prefered customer of Amsoil ($10) and buying in bulk. You will save a lot of money that way in the long run.
