Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand oil

[boater1234]

I wanted to get some facts or just opinions on oil for me or to help anyone who needs help on the subject.I personally belive that synthetic oil is a million times better then any brand oil like merc oil or yamalube or any other oils out there for either 2 or 4strokes.I also belive that people neglect to realize how very important lower unit oil is.

I have used like reg pensoil 2stroke oil and amsoil 2stroke oil and what a difference like very little smoke from the amsoil but the pensoil did serve it's purpose well.As far as lower unit oil they say change it at least twice a year for like reg lower unit oil what i have found is what i think to be the best lower unit oil and that is royal purple marine oil and i say hands down the best[just opinion].

I put it to the test on a 2stroke 9.8 tohatsu a few yrs ago and left it in for a yr and i used that motor almost everyday and went full blast with it alot and did a lower unit oil change exactly one yr later and i have to tell u it was as clean as the day i put it in no dark color period clear as a whistle,can't say that for any other oil i have used.That stuff sticks to all the moving parts of the lower unit like glue which is what u want and does not break down period and it will hold up even if water sets in amazing stuff.

As far as the sump oil for a 4stroke u can use any oil as long as it is sae certified.I like royal purple,amsoil and i'm really liking the new castrol edge i used it in my car recently and what a difference,more power,runs smoother,idles like a dream but it is to new to tell how it hold up as it is rated for 15,000 miles or one year.I just changed out mobil 1 and i have to say i was not to impressed with it as it broke down fast and i called a auto part store and he told me that mobils oil has gone down in quality bigtime and i can second that statement.But to each their own.

So tell me what u think of synthetic oil and synthetic lower unit oil vs conventional oils for outboards,have u experienced any differences and what is your favorite,maybe i can get some more insight on your opinions thanks can't wait to hear what u guys say.

 

[JB]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

I think full syn is better than any and all petro oil.

 

[jelli]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

synthetic is much better then reg oil from what iv read also heres a little proof in my truck i ran reg oil for a year and got 15 mpg switched to penzoil platnum and now get 17 but i read or someone told me that once u go synth u cant go back to reg oil

 

[roscoe]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

I think most or all oil discussion threads get locked at some point.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

fiction that it will raise your gas mileage from 15MPG to 17MPG.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

That's not true. you can change brands every oil change. BUT you engine will take some time to get used to it. Different brands have different additives. Some will look black after changing from another brand.

I totally DO NOT get the whole 3000 mile oil change deal and "high mileage" oil for over 7500 miles. It is nothing more that sales hype. When I worked for Ford in the late 60's early 70's they said change oil at 6000. So we are to believe that engines now are not as good as the 60's???? The oil sensor in the Chevy PU list % oil life left. I have checked it vs mileage and it comes out to around 6000 miles. I run synthetic and go a little less then 2 cycles on my oil life, or about 10,000 miles. Synthetic comes out looking like regular oil changed at 6000.

What I have heard is synthetic in the lower will not hold any water (milk shake) like regular does and have been told a synthetic blend is best so lower gears and bearings won't sit in pure water between outings (should any get in there). Not sure if this is true.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

- Mechanical components have a finite life regardless of what you use.

- All modern lubricants of a type specified by the manufacturer have all the properties and additives they need to maximize the life of said components.

- Mechanical components prematurely fail due to abuse and/or neglect, NOT because one used Pennzoil instead of Royal Purple instead of Mobil 1.

- Use lubricants of the type specified by the manufacturer, and change them at specified intervals. Annual changes work well for most recreational boaters.

- If you want to spend big bucks for the "best" (note the quotes) stuff out there, go ahead. It's your boat.

The rest is just the old Chevy-Ford-Dodge debate. Personal opinions, preferences and prejudices presented as "fact".

Have fun!

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

Whatever oil you choose, make sure it meets FC-W marine specifications. Most automotive synthetics don't have rust inhibitors.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

All I can relate is my own experience, changed from Yamalube to Pennzoil 100% Synthetic Outboard oil several years ago and get less smoke, very little carbon on spark plugs. Regarding synthetic oils in lower unit gears, I still use most any kind of Marine Lower Unit Oil, no problems there at all. The trick on the lower unit is to check to be sure all your seals are good and tight and no water intrusion. I'm no expert, but I've never heard of a lower unit just "wearing out", I mean it's just a closed, sealed gearbox. Good Luck!

 

[milmat1]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

Read This:
http://www.aircooled.net/gnrlsite/resource/articles/synthoil.htm

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

dont tug supermans cape
dont spit into the wind
dont pull the mask on the old lone ranger
and dont post in oil, launch, or launch ramp threads

if you do bondo says it best---any oil is better than no oil

 

[tawood]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

Funny thing about the synthetic/dino oil debate...it really doesn't matter.
I used to be an aircraft mechanic, and I've done alot of research on oils. If you use the right oil (99.9% of the time this means the recommended oil), and change at regular intervals (some like 3k, others 5k, 6k, etc, just don't go 20k), the engine parts that wear out, will completely wear out long before the type of oil you use becomes critical.
On thing that I would see all the time: people will spend $6 a quart on mobil 1, then buy a cheapo fram oil filter. You can better protect your engine with the cheapest oil you can buy as long as you use the best oil filter. In other words, the type of oil you use is much much much less critical than keeping the oil clean.
Another funny point: many (when I was a mechanic I would have said, "Nearly all...") aircraft engines specify straight weight MINERAL OIL!!! Here was an engine that lives depended on, using 75 year old oil technology!!! Why? Because it wasn't that critical, thats why (as well as they were designed to run on it, and aircraft engines are not as high tech as you would think, etc).

 

[boater1234]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

All very good opinions and valid points but i can't see how anyone can say u don't feel or see a difference when using synthetics.That i feel very strogly about even know i'm know oil expert.There has to be some difference if there is less smoke in synthetic 2stroke oil and sometimes none at all when i used amsoil.I just got done with mobil one and it was not what i had thought it woukld be i saw nothing at all and it broke down fast,less then 3000miles it was black and my engine is clean and leaks not a drop of oil or burns none at all

I just switched to castrol edge and wham from the second i pulled out of the driveway i noticed it idled unbelivable.Don't really know about milage yet i will post if i get better milage but it is alot smoother ride.This stuff hit the shelf not to long ago so like i said before the jury is still out on it.

Also lower unit does break down and the cheaper stuff will not stop the 10% water like the royal purple does it does not come close to sticking to the components like the royal purple does.My cousin is a boat and car mechanic for over 20yrs and i wanted to do a small test on the lower unit and we had two running outboards,a 1985 merc 15 2stroke and a 1987 yamaha 15hp 2stroke we got cheap and he tore them both apart to see how good of shape the gears were and the motors were owned by original owners for all that time and they used ordinary lower unit oil and when he took the apart they were in ok condition but he noticed the lower unit oil was not sticking as well to the gears it was just dripping off like water,not very thick at all as u would see when u first put it in.

Well to make a long story short we put amsoil lower unit oil gear lube in one motor he like that stuff/ not royal purple that i like and the regular stuff like pensoil in the other motor and ran the motors hard for 6mths straight and very hard,the results were astonishing the motor with the regular pensoil was black and like water thin and the amsoil was like new as the day we put it in thick and was glued to the gears and all the lower components so i belive that synthetic is 100%better the long run and if u have to change it less that adds to less money being spent.p.s i had no clue how to take these things apart but he does in a vert short time and the things i learned about the lower unit were amazing to see so he gets the credit.

He also did not belive in synthetic oil till he did that and then he did it to two of his vechiles a 1990 corvette and a 1995 monte carlo just to see the motor oil difference and he said it was not even close,he put the 10w30 conventional oil reg pensoil in the carlo and the amsoil 10w30synthetic oil in the corvette and tore the two motors apart to see in 5000miles/note this guy can tear a engine apart with his eyes closed in a day so this was no task for him because i know people would say why go through all the trouble but he does this all day for a living/Well anyway the reg oil was black as the ace of spades and like water and the amsoil was perfect and cleaned the inside of the motor spotless,after that he has never looked back.just thought i would share that but everyone still belives what they belive and no one is wrong or right.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

Wow, usually oil threads degenerate into baseless opinions and unverifiable "facts". I believe that this is the only one I have ever seen that actually started out with baseless opinions and unverifiable "facts" then got worse!!!

Sorry, but I've just got to ask:

anyway the reg oil was black as the ace of spades and like water and the amsoil was perfect and cleaned the inside of the motor spotless

If the Amsoil "cleaned" the motor, what exactly did it do with all the stuff it cleaned out if it was still perfect??? Did it have little "motor maids" come in and carry the carbon and blow-by particles away during the night so it didn't get dirty? Sounds like the regular oil at least held the stuff in suspension while the Amsoil let it get deposited in the motor somewhere .....

Of course, anyone that can tell a difference in the way their motor idles based on the brand of oil in it is obviously far too technically qualified for me to argue with!

 

[FBPirate95]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

dont tug supermans cape
dont spit into the wind
dont pull the mask on the old lone ranger
and dont post in oil, launch, or launch ramp threads

if you do bondo says it best---any oil is better than no oil

LMAO!!!!! This is just perfect. Short sweet & to the point.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

I don't understand why the original poster started this thread if he already had all the answers?

 

[Philster]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

Well, one thing is certain: No matter what type of oil you use, it won't enhance your grammar and/or punctuation.

 

[Jakebob]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

If the Amsoil "cleaned" the motor, what exactly did it do with all the stuff it cleaned out if it was still perfect???



Of course, anyone that can tell a difference in the way their motor idles based on the brand of oil in it is obviously far too technically qualified for me to argue with!

if your oil is clean, your motor is dirty

It's the "car wash tune-up" you know, your car just seems to run better when it's clean.

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

I don't understand why the original poster started this thread if he already had all the answers?

To quote JB: He wanted to see what would happen if he poked
a stick in a hornets nest.

Is the search function out of order?

 

[GXL205 Deke]

Re: Fact or fiction/synthetic oil is better then conventional oil or outboard brand o

I just take mine to my trusty boat dealer guy where my baby came from and say give me the annual premium maintenance package. So he lubes, replaces seals, winterizes, fogs, changes lower unit oil, engine oil, packs trailer bearings, changes out for new impellers and everything else that needs to be done to make it lake ready for the following season. I do this every late October. This service is his premium annual lake ready service and it costs me 385 dollars a year unless he discovers a need outside the annual norm. So in short I pay him to worry about what kind of oil goes in it. [Just a tip he uses all synthetics] Well worth it in my book.

So when spring comes around, my only responsibility is put gas in it and make sure the batteries are charged, elbow grease to good coat of carnuba on all her glass surfaces, protectant on the seats and of course keep her clean and wiped down after every outing.

I don't pretend to know diddly about engine mechanics outside the basics and he doesn't expect me to, and he doesn't pretend to know or care how his network, servers, security, and computers work, that is what he pays me for.