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Posts: 278
Location: WV | I have a 4-Stroke Merc 9.9 kicker and was wondering about putting standard motor oil in it other than marine grade oil. Any thoughts? |
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Posts: 865
| Standard motor oil is Not Recommended, and will void any Warranty that the motor has. I would use Marine Oil as recommended.......... |
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Posts: 208
Location: Sun Prairie, WI | Its a 9.9. What are you talking maybe a couple quarts? Put the right stuff in it. why take the chance. Its cheap insurance. especially if its still under warranty.
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Posts: 795
Location: North Central IL USA | Marine oil. This is one area I wouldn't cut corners!
Edited by gregk9 5/6/2013 10:18 AM
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Posts: 278
Location: WV | Thanks guys. Wasn't trying to cut corners. I can't find any marine 4-stroke oil locally. I will just order or travel to get some. |
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| do NOT use regular motor oil. marine or other small engine 4-stroke oil is made to protect engine at much higher rpm's than regular (car/truck) oil. |
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Posts: 1096
Location: Hayward, WI | Use a FC-W rated oil, that is the rating for 4 stroke outboards. |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | You can easily and safely use any HDEO oil. HDEO = Heavy Duty Engine Oil.
It's 100% safe. Save yourself the time and energy and simply use this type of oil. These oils are typically used in diesel truck applications.
Here are a few that are sold almost anywhere (Walmart, Tractor Supply, etc.)
Rotella 15w40
Delo 15w40
Chevron 15w40
The only thing that makes an oil FC-W rated is a spray/corrosion test they perform on the oil in a laboratory. Nearly any oil would pass this test. There is nothing special or anything added to an FC-W rated oil. Believe me, I know. Few oil manufactuers are going to pay to have this test performed to sell it to boaters. Run a good diesel rated 15w-40 oil with SUPREME confidence. These oils are WAY better than marine grade oils anyhow. And if you want to run a synthetic, all these 15w-40 oils are conventional, but all the synthetics will be rated at 5w-40 and they will be sitting right next to the convetional bottles at Walmart.
These are the oils run in multi-million dollar yachts that cruise the salt water ocean. These are the same oils that are run on $500,000 boats on the Great Lakes.
They provide more than adequate corrosion protection. Probably better than a true "Marine Oil"....which is typically garbage oil to begin with. Any kind of marine oil that Mercury, Johnson, OMC, Yamaha, Honda, etc. on it.....is almost always sub-par oil compared what is actually out there and available.
Edited by SteveHulbert 5/6/2013 9:32 AM
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Posts: 136
Location: Dane Country | Steve,
I'm a little concerned with your statement. While you are correct that these oils (heavy duty) are used in the yachts and big fishing vessels, they are also diesel powered. A little kicker is gas powered. I'm not saying you can't do it, I just know Being a trucker (owner-operator) that oils are made for different engines and usage. I stick with Marine oil for me, with the boat, motorcycle oil for the bike and so on.
Diesel oil is designed for very high compression and has a lot of detergent to clean soot from metal areas. Just my thoughts and opinion. Sorry to but in. |
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Posts: 202
Location: Angola, IN | Scooter70,
You aren't butting in. Not one big. But don't be concerned about the advice that I gave.
Ask online, ask a boat mechanic who works on big boats, or ask someone who owns a bigger boat with inboard V8's....whether they be Chrysler 318's, GM's small block 350, or their big block 454 or 502....the oil of choice is either an HDEO diesel oil, or a straight 30 or 40 weight. All of which are diesel oils.
The marine oil that is most popular is usually labeled as 20w-40 or 25w-40. It's a joke. All the manufacturer does is mix straight 20 weight with straight 40 weight oil. That's not a 20w-40!!
Motorcycle oil used to be something special....it contained a ton of friction modifiers and anti-wear agents in it....components like moly, boron, zinc, phosphorus, etc., and most of them were group V oils, which are esters. But not so much anymore. What makes a "motorcycle oil" a "motorcycle oil" is that most bikes now have a shared oil sump.....the same oil that lubricates the engine also lubricates the transmission. So, you can't have too much moly and anti-friction compounds in the oil, or the clutch packs won't work (your oil can't be too slippery). If your bike doesn't have a shared sump, then you can use any oil you like....like Red Line or Motul.
Diesel oil now only contains a little more detergents in them that regular old passenger car oil. But it's enough to help keep your engine cleaner. This is why people who study oil (like me) really like diesel oils. They are sheer resistant (most passenger car oils will start out at 0w-40 when you pour it in, for example, but after a few hours running in a boat or a motorcycle, it quickly becomes a 30 weight oil. Diesel oils are sheer resistant. Which is another plus in a boat or motorcycle....both of which have engines that are oil shearing machines!!! A straight weight oil, like SAE30, these are super sheer resistant oils. But they offer little protection at start up because of their thickness at ambient temperatures...that is why typical marine oil, 20w-40 is just a mix of two straight oils. Yuck!!
I know it's a lot to digest, and it took me a little while to really become versed in all this information as well. You don't have to believe me, but if you ask around to some people who know their stuff, you'll see I'm right.
The bottom line....does any of this really matter? If your boat gonna blow up if you use lawn mower oil in your kick? No. Is your inboard 454's gonna wear out sooner if you use regular passenger car oil in it....perhaps. For me though, it's all about being informed and making the best possible decision when it comes to protecting my investments. |
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Posts: 136
Location: Dane Country | Steve,
All very good points. I guess I will have a little bit of homework this week. It all makes sense. I know some guys run diesel oil in their bikes. I just stick with Mobil. Always been good to me. I don't no much about Marine oil but the others 'm pretty good at. LOL |
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Posts: 134
| Anybody ever run VP race fuel in their outboard? The barrel in my garage is spiking some interest. haha. |
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