Posts: 742
Location: Grand Rapids MN | jjmuskie is right about the air cool vs. water cooled. Water cooled follow TCW-3 specs while air cooled follow API-TC specs. A TCW-3 spec calls for non-metal additives and ashless. Major emphesis on ashless. Air cooled have higher ash content and doesn't take long to affect your outboard. I made a mistake of grabbing the wrong oil off the shelf, long story, that was for my kids air cooled 2-stroke atv and added it to my outboard. Didn't take long before it developed a hesitation on take off and kind of a slight miss at idle. Sucked out the oil and grabbed the right stuff and it cleared right up. Running an oil with ash in it for a long period will cause problems and difficult to return to normal. I only ran mine for maybe 15 minutes before I realized I had the wrong stuff. And like Tim I run Amsoil. It's cheaper than Merc brand and good oil.
Hope this helps... |
