Did I use the wrong oil or???

[mitchbuck]

Yesterday I ran the boat for about 25 miles and had no problems. I filled the tank up when I got in (~20 gallons) and then I realized that I was out of 2-cycle oil. The only thing open was walmart and they were wiped clean of 2-cycle oil except for Penzoil Marine Synthetic Blend TCW3 that claimed it was compatible with premix engines. So I added the synthetic oil in a 50:1 ratio to the 20gallons of gas that I had just put in (there was probably a few gallons of gas with regular oil in it remaining). Today I ran the boat and after 20 minutes I noticed that the engine was loosing power and the boat was having trouble planning. I switched over to my portable tank which had regular TCW3 oil but the problem persisted (damage already done?). I got back to the dock, cleaned the spark plugs, and tried again but had the same results. Does anyone have any experience with using a synthetic blend in a Force engine and could this be my problem?



The only other thing that I noticed was there appeared be a green residue (oil/fuel residue?) that that looked like it came out of a hole at the top of each carb (I think its the vent). I had just rebuilt the carbs back in June. I also have both a fuel/water separator and inline filter installed on the fuel lines. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[JB]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

No, Force outboards run just fine on any TC-W3 rated oil. Your problem has some other cause.

 

[SweeperForce]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

+1 JB
I only run synthetic oil from Quicksilver and have been doing so for years. I don't know where you are but the Wally world near me sells Quicksilver. Hope this helps. Tom

 

[DougGreer]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Like the rest, I don't think that oil is your problem

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

I use the same oil. Don't blame the oil. It's something else and with the green pre-mix (PZ is tinted blue, but turns the pre-mix greenish) out of the carb vents I would suspect floats/ float level.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Penzoil isn't the problem?
If you added the oil after you put in the gas??
You could be burning straight gas?
The straight gas could be what caused your problem?
I always add my oil then put the gas in on the oil.
But the problem?? Try a compression/spark test?

 

[matt167]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Mixing the oil after the gas is poured would be ok if the tank was given a shake or 2 before running, otherwise, it certianly could be 'straight gassed' due to unmixed oil.

 

[mitchbuck]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Thanks for the input everyone. I am realizing that I definitely poured the oil in after I had added the 20 gallons to the tank so that it might be a mixing problem. I never had this problem with regular oil though....does regular oil more readily mix with gas than synthetic? I was also reading another thread that mentioned if synthetic oil is added after the gas that it can accumulate in the bottom of tank where it can be picked up first by the fuel intake so you are essentially burning oil. My main tank is fixed below deck...is there anyway to mix the gas/oil at this point or do I need to pump it out? If my carbs are gummed up with oil do I have to take apart & clean, or can I just run some carb cleaner & new gas/oil through them?

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Your problem is not the type or class of oil but the process how you mixed your oil with the gas. Had you poured in the oil first before the gas you would have been OK but not the other way. You see when you poured in the oil after the gas and ran the engine, the oil is heavier than gas and will stay at the bottom of the tank. Thus, the suction tube and the rest of the fuel lines are now filled with almost pure oil instead of proper gas mix. I'll say clear the fuel lines and carbs by running the engine for a little bit but before doing this you need to pump out the gas in the internal tank into jugs and pump it back in like mixing it. Or you can just pump another 5 gal of gas just make sure you add the oil first before the gas to mix the entire tank.

 

[Jiggz]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Thanks for the input everyone. I am realizing that I definitely poured the oil in after I had added the 20 gallons to the tank so that it might be a mixing problem. I never had this problem with regular oil though....does regular oil more readily mix with gas than synthetic? I was also reading another thread that mentioned if synthetic oil is added after the gas that it can accumulate in the bottom of tank where it can be picked up first by the fuel intake so you are essentially burning oil. My main tank is fixed below deck...is there anyway to mix the gas/oil at this point or do I need to pump it out? If my carbs are gummed up with oil do I have to take apart & clean, or can I just run some carb cleaner & new gas/oil through them?

I do not believe the carbs are gummed up yet, but you definitely need to clear them by running good fuel oil mix. Of course, you always have the option of clearing them manually including the fuel pump.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

If you trailer the boat, the jostling there should take care of the mixing question.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

The only other thing that I noticed was there appeared be a green residue (oil/fuel residue?) that that looked like it came out of a hole at the top of each carb (I think its the vent). I had just rebuilt the carbs back in June. I also have both a fuel/water separator and inline filter installed on the fuel lines. Any advice would be appreciated.

Unmixed oil/gas didn't cause this ^^^^^.

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Checked your profile and couldn't find any reference to the age, or hp of your engine. Details please, because age is a defining factor.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Mitch I think has a 125 87 or close.
Do a comp test.

 

[mitchbuck]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

I have a 1990 90hp....I did do a compression check this spring. I trailer my boat as well, its about 4-5 miles on town roads to the ramp.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Sorry about the mix up.There was another guy who had a 125 that I was helping too.
I sold Mitch the shifter for his.
The other one, I rebuilt a head for a guy in Va.
Mitch fill out the profile? Location.
I forgot where i sent it??

 

[mitchbuck]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

No worries Jerry, you've helped me a ton this season! You sold me the shifter, control cable ends, and engine shifting mechanism.

 

[mitchbuck]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Update: I was finally able to troubleshoot this problem this past week as I had been outta town or busy since I last posted. Anyways, I drained the fuel lines, filter, and carbs, and then hooked up a portable tank fired the engine up in the driveway. I ran it for a while and it seemed to run ok, so I took iit for a test drive. The engine ran fine and I got up on plane no problem! So I drained the 25 gallon main tank, which took almost 2.5 hours! I went out the next day fishing and covered 70 miles. Overall, the force ran great most of the day although it did hesitate several time when I went to get up on plane; however, I was chasing false albacore (little tunny) so there were lots of starts and stops. I am thinking the fuel water separator is gunked up so I will replace that next.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Did I use the wrong oil or???

Glad it wasn't anything serious.