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Author Topic:   Synthetic Oil for Mercury 25 HP 2 stroke

wjriling posted 05-07-2004 01:18 PM ET (US)
Hello,
I have a 13 foot Sport powered by a 2002 Mercury 25HP 2 stroke engine.
It was recently sugested to me that I use the synthetic oil designed for PWC's instead of the Mercury oil I've been using.
Has anyone used the synthetic? Do I use the same oil to gas ratio?
I appreciate any feedback before I start the season.
Regards,
Wendy
JBCornwell posted 05-07-2004 01:29 PM ET (US)
You can gain a cleaner (less smoke) engine by using a fully synthetic OUTBOARD oil, though you will also gain a lighter wallet.
I have no personal experience to support or contradict claims of greater engine life, less carbon deposits and even improved performance.
If the oil is not approved by NMMA for water cooled, carbureted, 2 stroke outboard engines (TC-W3 rating) I would not use it. Period.
I use full synthetic oil in all of my 4 stroke engines and believe that I get greater engine life and better performance from it.
Red sky at night. . .
JB
Bigshot posted 05-07-2004 01:58 PM ET (US)
Jb speaks true BUT.......you can NOT run Optimax oil(synthetic) in conventional 2 strokes.
wjriling posted 05-07-2004 06:00 PM ET (US)
The oil being used by some friends is Spectro PWC oil. They said their engines run quieter, almost no smoke and there engines stay clean.
I have a hard time with change but I'd love to be a little quieter when I'm on the water.
Thanks again,
Wendy
JBCornwell posted 05-07-2004 06:37 PM ET (US)
Biggie is correct, of course, Wendy.
However. Optimax engines are not carbureted and Optimax oil is not TC-W3 rated, so Optimax oil is covered in my specification of what to avoid.
Red sky at night. . .
JB
wjriling posted 05-07-2004 11:44 PM ET (US)
JB,
The oil being recommended to me is Spectro PWC synthetic oil. The guys using it on their small outboards swear by it. I went to the NMMA site and it was not on TC-W3 rated list. I believe the fellows who are telling me it's great in a two stroke engine but my biggest fear is messing up the engine over time.
Excuse my ignorance but I am not familiar with the Optimax oil. Would it be the same as the Spectro?
Thanks again.
Wendy
jimh posted 05-08-2004 10:58 PM ET (US)
I would really enjoy hearing how the synthetic oil could make the engine noise level decrease.
JBCornwell posted 05-09-2004 10:16 AM ET (US)
Hmmmm.
"Quieter"?? I share JimH's reluctance to believe that.
Wendy, there are lots of boaters out there doing things that are contrary to manufacturers engineers' recommendations. In some cases they violate warranty requirements. Some are safe and reliable, many are not.
There are full synthetic oils that are TC-W3 rated. If you want to try synthetics, try them.
I would not use an oil that did not meet warranty requirements for that engine. On your engine, that means use only a TC-W3 rated oil.
Red sky at night. . .
JB
Sal DiMercurio posted 05-09-2004 08:00 PM ET (US)
The oil your refering to is for air cooled engines, not water cooled.
If it's not TCW-3, you might just be ruining your engine.
Why in the world would anyone even put an oil in their outboard that isn't rated for it ???......Guess outboards are so cheap that you would just toss it & buy another.
Also. Costco has a hell of a deal on olive oil, might want to try that through the engine to.
Sal
Bigshot posted 05-10-2004 11:32 AM ET (US)
If it was a diesel.....you could do just that Sal. Have a friend who runs his VW diesel on filtered fryer oil he gets USED from restaurants. His car smells like a french...I mean Freedom fry.
Wendy if you want to ru synthetic I would suggest buying the Penzoil brand at any auto store. TCW-3 and made for outboards. There is probably no harm in using PWC oil being they run 8000 rpms all day and I assume it would be adequate but I hate to test fate. Personally with a 25hp you will only burn about a gallon per season so no big deal what you buy.
bbrunner posted 05-10-2004 11:51 AM ET (US)
Is there any concern about mixing the oils in the same tank when changing over from regular to synthetic?
Bigshot posted 05-10-2004 02:31 PM ET (US)
They claim they are compatible....just like in cars.
keltonkrew posted 05-10-2004 05:53 PM ET (US)
I use the Amsoil synthetic in my 1986 Merc 35....No smoke whatsoever, no fouled plugs. The amsoil IS TCW-3 rated. I pre-mix 50:1. they also have 100:1 and injector oil.
rbruce posted 05-10-2004 11:16 PM ET (US)
Most conventional TCW-3 have a synthetic component to aid in the volatility of the oil and to curtail the formation of carbon.
For instance, Johnson's XD-25 is 25% synthetic as advertised. For its E-Tec motors Bombardier has chosen a 100% synthetic called XD-100. The motor's computer has to be reprogramed to gain full advantages of the oil and reduce consumption in 50% this comes as an added bonus and extensively uses the NASA designed space age components of the cylinder sleeves that require less lubrication than the iron sleeves found in other motors.
For your Mercury 2-stroke I would Use Mercury Premium Motor Oil specifically formulated for her, it is a TCW-3 certified and it is advertised for use in lower horsepower motors.
But most important is to have the motor correctly tuned and calibrated to contaminate less. This will put money in your pocket or at least keep it there longer!

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Author	Topic: Synthetic Oil for Mercury 25 HP 2 stroke
wjriling	posted 05-07-2004 01:18 PM ET (US) Hello, I have a 13 foot Sport powered by a 2002 Mercury 25HP 2 stroke engine. It was recently sugested to me that I use the synthetic oil designed for PWC's instead of the Mercury oil I've been using. Has anyone used the synthetic? Do I use the same oil to gas ratio? I appreciate any feedback before I start the season. Regards, Wendy
JBCornwell	posted 05-07-2004 01:29 PM ET (US) You can gain a cleaner (less smoke) engine by using a fully synthetic OUTBOARD oil, though you will also gain a lighter wallet. I have no personal experience to support or contradict claims of greater engine life, less carbon deposits and even improved performance. If the oil is not approved by NMMA for water cooled, carbureted, 2 stroke outboard engines (TC-W3 rating) I would not use it. Period. I use full synthetic oil in all of my 4 stroke engines and believe that I get greater engine life and better performance from it. Red sky at night. . . JB
Bigshot	posted 05-07-2004 01:58 PM ET (US) Jb speaks true BUT.......you can NOT run Optimax oil(synthetic) in conventional 2 strokes.
wjriling	posted 05-07-2004 06:00 PM ET (US) The oil being used by some friends is Spectro PWC oil. They said their engines run quieter, almost no smoke and there engines stay clean. I have a hard time with change but I'd love to be a little quieter when I'm on the water. Thanks again, Wendy
JBCornwell	posted 05-07-2004 06:37 PM ET (US) Biggie is correct, of course, Wendy. However. Optimax engines are not carbureted and Optimax oil is not TC-W3 rated, so Optimax oil is covered in my specification of what to avoid. Red sky at night. . . JB
wjriling	posted 05-07-2004 11:44 PM ET (US) JB, The oil being recommended to me is Spectro PWC synthetic oil. The guys using it on their small outboards swear by it. I went to the NMMA site and it was not on TC-W3 rated list. I believe the fellows who are telling me it's great in a two stroke engine but my biggest fear is messing up the engine over time. Excuse my ignorance but I am not familiar with the Optimax oil. Would it be the same as the Spectro? Thanks again. Wendy
jimh	posted 05-08-2004 10:58 PM ET (US) I would really enjoy hearing how the synthetic oil could make the engine noise level decrease.
JBCornwell	posted 05-09-2004 10:16 AM ET (US) Hmmmm. "Quieter"?? I share JimH's reluctance to believe that. Wendy, there are lots of boaters out there doing things that are contrary to manufacturers engineers' recommendations. In some cases they violate warranty requirements. Some are safe and reliable, many are not. There are full synthetic oils that are TC-W3 rated. If you want to try synthetics, try them. I would not use an oil that did not meet warranty requirements for that engine. On your engine, that means use only a TC-W3 rated oil. Red sky at night. . . JB
Sal DiMercurio	posted 05-09-2004 08:00 PM ET (US) The oil your refering to is for air cooled engines, not water cooled. If it's not TCW-3, you might just be ruining your engine. Why in the world would anyone even put an oil in their outboard that isn't rated for it ???......Guess outboards are so cheap that you would just toss it & buy another. Also. Costco has a hell of a deal on olive oil, might want to try that through the engine to. Sal
Bigshot	posted 05-10-2004 11:32 AM ET (US) If it was a diesel.....you could do just that Sal. Have a friend who runs his VW diesel on filtered fryer oil he gets USED from restaurants. His car smells like a french...I mean Freedom fry. Wendy if you want to ru synthetic I would suggest buying the Penzoil brand at any auto store. TCW-3 and made for outboards. There is probably no harm in using PWC oil being they run 8000 rpms all day and I assume it would be adequate but I hate to test fate. Personally with a 25hp you will only burn about a gallon per season so no big deal what you buy.
bbrunner	posted 05-10-2004 11:51 AM ET (US) Is there any concern about mixing the oils in the same tank when changing over from regular to synthetic?
Bigshot	posted 05-10-2004 02:31 PM ET (US) They claim they are compatible....just like in cars.
keltonkrew	posted 05-10-2004 05:53 PM ET (US) I use the Amsoil synthetic in my 1986 Merc 35....No smoke whatsoever, no fouled plugs. The amsoil IS TCW-3 rated. I pre-mix 50:1. they also have 100:1 and injector oil.
rbruce	posted 05-10-2004 11:16 PM ET (US) Most conventional TCW-3 have a synthetic component to aid in the volatility of the oil and to curtail the formation of carbon. For instance, Johnson's XD-25 is 25% synthetic as advertised. For its E-Tec motors Bombardier has chosen a 100% synthetic called XD-100. The motor's computer has to be reprogramed to gain full advantages of the oil and reduce consumption in 50% this comes as an added bonus and extensively uses the NASA designed space age components of the cylinder sleeves that require less lubrication than the iron sleeves found in other motors. For your Mercury 2-stroke I would Use Mercury Premium Motor Oil specifically formulated for her, it is a TCW-3 certified and it is advertised for use in lower horsepower motors. But most important is to have the motor correctly tuned and calibrated to contaminate less. This will put money in your pocket or at least keep it there longer!