TCW-3 vs. other 2-stroke oil - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: Whaler Performance
  TCW-3 vs. other 2-stroke oil

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   TCW-3 vs. other 2-stroke oil

Buckda posted 05-18-2009 03:58 PM ET (US)
Is premium air-cooled 2-stroke oil formula "good enough" for outboard use? The reason I ask is that I was working on a classic Mercury 50 HP motor at a friend's house the other day and he burns Golden Eagle (?) - a premium 2-cycle oil in his motocross bikes and his lawn tools (weed wackers, etc) and also burns it in his older 2-stroke Evinrude outboard. I had suggested to him that perhaps it was the cause of some of the problems he'd been having with the motor.
I must admit that I didn't want to argue with this guy because he helps me with a lot of stuff around the house and is a friend .... is he crazy - or am I?
What are the ramifications/differences in the two? It seems that the air-cooled motors would need a "better" oil that resisted charring due to higher operating temperatures....That was his point. I was thinking that perhaps in a marine environment it wouldn't burn as cleanly...
Thoughts?
rowmer1 posted 05-18-2009 05:34 PM ET (US)
Are you sure you don't mean "Golden Spectro" oil? If you did their website lists the motor cross oil for use in a pwc. I know it's good oil, I've used it in my bikes. However, I would stick with what the manufacturer recommends in an outboard. It doesn't have the TC-W3 rating.
Peter posted 05-18-2009 05:55 PM ET (US)
You don't want to use a non TCW oil in outboard motor. 2-stroke outboard motors run cooler than air cooled 2-strokes and the TCW formulation takes that into account.
Buckda posted 05-19-2009 12:23 PM ET (US)
Rowmer - yes, I believe you are right - "Golden Spectra" oil.

Tohsgib posted 05-19-2009 12:29 PM ET (US)
On the flip side I ran Johnson TCW3 in my YZ80 for years with no ill effects.
TransAm posted 05-19-2009 12:34 PM ET (US)
Some marine 2-stroke oil apparently differs in formulation, depending on the craft. Yamaha, for instance, blends different formulations for use in outboards and PWC, and specifically notes that they should not be interchanged.
I would file this under the "why risk it" tab.
Buckda posted 05-19-2009 01:00 PM ET (US)
I agree. I live under the same motto: Why Risk It? With a new engine, it is a no brainer, but for a guy with an old beat up Evinrude, I guess it doesn't matter one way or another. I just didn't have any hard reasons/rationale as to why it wouldn't be okay - other than the differences in how the engines are cooled having something to do with it. Not a very convincing argument, so I kept my yap shut.
I'd imagine that with the cooler running temperatures of the outboard, the oil burns more readily in a TCW-3 formulation?
TransAm posted 05-19-2009 07:02 PM ET (US)
Yeah, my 12 year old Ryobi 32 CC weed-wacker can choke just about anything down. I think I could put 10W30 in the mix and it wouldn't hurt it. Probably the same for an old beat up Evinrude. Those older engines seem less sensitive to those types of things.

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: TCW-3 vs. other 2-stroke oil
Buckda	posted 05-18-2009 03:58 PM ET (US) Is premium air-cooled 2-stroke oil formula "good enough" for outboard use? The reason I ask is that I was working on a classic Mercury 50 HP motor at a friend's house the other day and he burns Golden Eagle (?) - a premium 2-cycle oil in his motocross bikes and his lawn tools (weed wackers, etc) and also burns it in his older 2-stroke Evinrude outboard. I had suggested to him that perhaps it was the cause of some of the problems he'd been having with the motor. I must admit that I didn't want to argue with this guy because he helps me with a lot of stuff around the house and is a friend .... is he crazy - or am I? What are the ramifications/differences in the two? It seems that the air-cooled motors would need a "better" oil that resisted charring due to higher operating temperatures....That was his point. I was thinking that perhaps in a marine environment it wouldn't burn as cleanly... Thoughts?
rowmer1	posted 05-18-2009 05:34 PM ET (US) Are you sure you don't mean "Golden Spectro" oil? If you did their website lists the motor cross oil for use in a pwc. I know it's good oil, I've used it in my bikes. However, I would stick with what the manufacturer recommends in an outboard. It doesn't have the TC-W3 rating.
Peter	posted 05-18-2009 05:55 PM ET (US) You don't want to use a non TCW oil in outboard motor. 2-stroke outboard motors run cooler than air cooled 2-strokes and the TCW formulation takes that into account.
Buckda	posted 05-19-2009 12:23 PM ET (US) Rowmer - yes, I believe you are right - "Golden Spectra" oil.
Tohsgib	posted 05-19-2009 12:29 PM ET (US) On the flip side I ran Johnson TCW3 in my YZ80 for years with no ill effects.
TransAm	posted 05-19-2009 12:34 PM ET (US) Some marine 2-stroke oil apparently differs in formulation, depending on the craft. Yamaha, for instance, blends different formulations for use in outboards and PWC, and specifically notes that they should not be interchanged. I would file this under the "why risk it" tab.
Buckda	posted 05-19-2009 01:00 PM ET (US) I agree. I live under the same motto: Why Risk It? With a new engine, it is a no brainer, but for a guy with an old beat up Evinrude, I guess it doesn't matter one way or another. I just didn't have any hard reasons/rationale as to why it wouldn't be okay - other than the differences in how the engines are cooled having something to do with it. Not a very convincing argument, so I kept my yap shut. I'd imagine that with the cooler running temperatures of the outboard, the oil burns more readily in a TCW-3 formulation?
TransAm	posted 05-19-2009 07:02 PM ET (US) Yeah, my 12 year old Ryobi 32 CC weed-wacker can choke just about anything down. I think I could put 10W30 in the mix and it wouldn't hurt it. Probably the same for an old beat up Evinrude. Those older engines seem less sensitive to those types of things.