XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Optimizing the performance of Boston Whaler boats
Maverick
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XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby Maverick » Mon Dec 17, 2018 2:25 pm

Hi all. In regard to the oil for a 1968 Evinrude 18-HP tiller-steering engine, the newer XD100 Evinrude oil seems to burn very clean compared to old-fashioned TCW3 oil. I wonder:

--will using XD100 instead of TCW3-rated oil in [a 1968 Evinrude 18-HP outboard engine] cause damage?

--if [Evinrude XD100 oil is] suitable for use, what is the correct ratio of gasoline to oil?

Thanks--Mav
Last edited by Maverick on Tue Dec 18, 2018 3:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

jimh
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby jimh » Mon Dec 17, 2018 3:10 pm

Since there was no oil like XD100 in 1968 when your Evinrude engine was manufactured, there won't be an official approval of XD100 for the engine.

I presume the 1968 18-HP engine uses pre-mixed oil-gasoline as its fuel. I suggest you check with Evinrude to see if XD100 is approved for being pre-mixed with gasoline. That is the first obstacle to overcome.

If XD100 is okay for pre-mixing with gasoline, I would still use the gasoline:oil ratio specified for the 1968 engine, just as a hedge against causing any damage.

Maverick
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby Maverick » Mon Dec 17, 2018 3:35 pm

Good suggestion to bounce it off Evinrude. Funny thing: I tried [XD100] in a $25 gas blower and burned a whole tank of XD100 mixed heavy with fuel, and it did great. That was three months ago and no problems. But if the blower would have locked up I would’ve simply walked back to the garage, calmly set it down, and gotten a cold one out of the fridge--hah. Rowing is an entirely different story. Thanks--Mav

dtmackey
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby dtmackey » Tue Dec 18, 2018 8:19 am

I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that works at Evinrude that is familiar with 1968 motors or that Evinrude would even test an oil from 2004+ on a motor nearly 4 decades old.

I will say that oils back in 1968 were not high tech and some motors ran 50:1 or even morel oil than that. As time progressed, oils got better, TCW2 was introduced, then TCW3 and now full synthetics (such as XD100). Each step in oil provided better mixing properties with gas, better lubricicity and lower wear to name several. XD100 is a very good oil and judging by how little the newer motors use in their injection systems indicates that less oil is needed to lubricate the motor because the oil performs to a much higher level.

I’ve been running XD100 in four pre-mix fuel engine now for years and find that the plugs stay clean with almost no carbon build up. Smoke is also greatly reduced as well. I’ve also run this in my Stihl chainsaw, weed-wacker, and blower, as wel,l since they call for a high quality synthetic oil.

I see no conflict running XD100 in your 1968 engine at the gas:oil ratio called for by the motor.

The oil has a very distinct odor to it, similar to an ammonia smell. This is interesting because the SkiDoo E-TEC oil--XPS full synthetic--does not have this odor, yet has all the top properties of the XD100 oil.

D-

jimh
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby jimh » Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:02 am

The odor of XD100 is distinctive. It reminds me of rotting fish. Perhaps that is an artifact of the intended use in a marine environment.

Seahorse
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby Seahorse » Tue Dec 18, 2018 9:18 am

Johnson and Evinrude started recommending the 50:1 fuel-oil mixture in there 1964 and later engines. Several oil companies made a special outboard oils since the mid '50s that had less carbon formation than the 30 grade non-detergent automotive oils. Remember back then most service manuals recommended annual cylinderhead removal and the scraping out of carbon deposits, especially the buildup in the exhaust ports. Those were the days of 16:1, 20:1, and 24:1 ratios.

In 1966 OMC started testing and developing outboard oils with the then Boating Industry of America (BIA) and along with Mercury set the standards for anti-wear tests, low ash, mixability, carbon formation and ring-sticking tests. Later the BIA became the National Marine Manufacturer's Association (NMMA) and they improved the oil requirements over time until we now have TC-W3 ratings since 1993.

The XD-100 oil is a synthetic developed for the FICHT and E-TEC engines and works great in older motors mixed at the original ratios. Many antique outboard enthusiasts use the XD-100 in their old motors to cut down on carbon formation and to minimize smoke output. Some of the older motors used mixtures as rich as 8:1.

The original Evinrude 1909 motor used 20:1 and in the 1920's they marketed their own branded oil.

The year 1968 was mentioned. That was a turning point for OMC under Charlie Strang's direction. The first 3-cylinder loop-scavenged hydraulically-shifted thru-hub exhaust outboard was introduced that year along with a 65 hp, 85hp, and a little single cylinder 1.5 hp.

Maverick
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby Maverick » Wed Dec 19, 2018 7:16 pm

Thanks for the great feedback. I sent an email to Evinrude as suggested; I haven't heard back yet. I will post any update. I may try XD100 at 50:1 since my weed-eater-blower did okay with XD100.

Appreciate the input.

Maverick
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby Maverick » Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:25 am

No response yet from Evinrude.

jimh
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby jimh » Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:57 pm

For me, whatever Seahorse says is gospel.

dtmackey
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby dtmackey » Fri Dec 21, 2018 5:37 pm

jimh wrote:For me, whatever Seahorse says is gospel.


I’ll second that. Sometime I think that he knows more than the people working at Evinrude.

D-

biggiefl
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Re: XD100 instead of TCW3 Oil in Older Engine

Postby biggiefl » Fri Jul 12, 2019 11:31 am

Any update Mav? From what I remember you could not pre-mix Optimax oil as I received a few jugs at Whaler events and gave it to my HPDI buddies since they said not to pre-mix it. I never looked at XD100. What about the XD50? Do they still make it?
On my 24th Whaler. Currently in the stable: 86 18' Outrage, 81 13' Sport(original owner), 87 11' Sport, 69 Squall(for sale cheap).