Shell TCW-3 oil ?

cloumar

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
305
Hello all,<br /><br />Last week I want to the Mercury dealer near my place in order to buy an impeller for my Force motor and since I was there I bought a liter (pint) of oil, well it's aint cheap that stuff from Merc. 9.95$ CDA for mineral oil, not synth., but I had to buy some and did have the time to run to Wallmart. Since I just got the boat few weeks ago the 2 first time I mixed oil in it, I used Shell Nautilus which I am buying at Wallmart for 6.50$ /pint, does anyone knows something about Shell TCW3 oil, is it good stuff or should I run away from it ? <br /><br />Thanks <br /><br />Mario :rolleyes:
 

Pursuit2150

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 3, 2001
Messages
553
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

You'r still paying too much! You should be able to get a gal of Exxon or Texaco for about $9.00,at most Major boat stores.<br />"ANY" tcw-3 is OK to use.
 

Hooty

Rear Admiral
Joined
Oct 2, 2001
Messages
4,496
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

I'm not really hip to the metric system, but I thought a liter was almost a quart (2 pints). The only reason I point this out is I don't think you want to mix a liter of oil with 6 imp. gals. of gas, but maybe that's the way it's done by our neighbors to the north.<br /><br />g'luck & c/6<br /><br />Hooty
 

cloumar

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
305
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

Oopss !<br /><br />Sorry Folks, not a pint but a quart, you are right Hooty I made a mistake: 1 liter is about 1 quart US. And for the price well is seems that everything is more expansive here in term of fuel or oil, remember we are paying a gallon of fuel (gas) about 2.92$<br /><br />Thanks for the Reply<br /><br />Mario
 

kyricochet

Cadet
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
25
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

ive used the shell oil and it seems to do very well <br />acted like it didnt try to load up as bad as say quicksilver it ranks way up there with the penzoil stuff
 

snard

Cadet
Joined
Jul 16, 2002
Messages
20
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

Has anyone had any good or bad experience w/ the Texaco oil?
 

Terry H

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Sep 25, 2001
Messages
1,862
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

I used Shell a couple of times with no apparent ill effects, but the mechanic at a local boatyard says he likes the bargain brands of oil because he gets to take more motors apart and replace more internal parts because of it...<br />just a Thought <br /> ;)
 

cloumar

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 12, 2002
Messages
305
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

Thanks for replies on Shell,<br /><br />Hey Thought101, <br />that's a good one and I am not surprise at all with the comment from the mech of your boatyard. I work in the automotive and car engine are very sensitive with cheap quality oil, it could shortened the life of the engine seriously !!! So that is why I am trying to use a good 2 cycle oil for my boat with a decent price<br /><br />Happy Boating ;) <br /><br />Mario
 

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
11,195
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

I wonder what he gets for HIS oil! As long as it is rated TCW-3, is has to of a certain standard. I have used Walmarts brand for many years, and have had no ill effects on any of my Motors. As a matter of fact, I have fairly good knowledge that it is made by Quicksilver!
 

Terry H

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Sep 25, 2001
Messages
1,862
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

Smoky...I use use mostly the OMC brand of oil in my big Johnson...tho sometimes I go with the Yammy brand...$14 @ gallon for the OMC and $15 @ gallon for the Yamalube...I have a lot of hours on these motors, but I can't say the budget brands wouldn't perform as well...I just like to up my odds...just a Thought
 

BillP

Captain
Joined
Aug 10, 2002
Messages
3,290
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

Use anything that is TCW3 rated and enjoy your boat. Decarbonize once a season and it will take care of deposits. Every different mechanic I have talked to over the years says his brand oil runs the cleanest and does best. Major contradictions. If you believe them at all it means all brands are good. <br /><br />For the record, I use OMC oil in my OMC engines and Merc oil in my Mariner (merc) 4 stroke. I used Texaco and Penzoil in my 2 stroke Kawasaki powered ultralight plane. Never really had problems that were related to poor oil.
 

allanwh

Cadet
Joined
Jun 6, 2002
Messages
18
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

I agree 100% with BillP.. Everyone will tell you that a particular oil is the best.. I have used Shell nautilus in my Mercury outboards for years with no problems whatsoever.. The only problem is what to spend the money I save on instead of buying quicksilver oil which is probably just a rebadged generic product anyway... :)
 

orca

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 12, 2002
Messages
422
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

G'day Whybee. Yep, Quicksilver is probebly just a generic brand, but the way I look at it if you are using the manufacturers brand of oil in a new motor and the motor stuffs up then the manufacturer cannot blame the oil as a cause of the failure. By the way, how much are you paying for your oil, I find the BP, Shell etc are about the same price as Quicksiver, about $27.00 for 4 litres (Whoe you yanks, remember we are talking Aussie dollars here, peanuts to the greenback ;) ) I am retailing Quicksilver for $19.95 special, OK as long as you want to pay the freight to WA.
 

skeer

Cadet
Joined
Jul 24, 2002
Messages
20
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

My two cents worth...<br />I have used Quicksilver in my 92 Force faithfully for 7 years. When I moved from my home town I discovered that the price of oil was about double what I was used to paying (about $48CAD for 5L). The 4L Evinrude jug was about $32. After talking with the (Evinrude) salesman I decided to give it a try. I listened to his talk of 'it's all TCW3 and Merc is just ripping people off' and 'it's all the same oil anyway'. I mixed up a fresh tank with the Evinrude oil. Within 1/2hr of running time the engine was losing power and in another 1/2hr it quit. On tearing down the engine I found I had two scuffed cylinders, two pistons with stuck rings and 1 normal piston/cylinder. Rebuild was $1100CAD. Coincidence or poor quality oil.... I am not sure which but I have a half a jug of Evinrude that I am a little scared to put in my boat....
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

I have found in many places that boat dealers and even sporting goods stores quite often have a 55 gal. drum of Quicksilver and/or OMC, Yamaha, etc (OEM) oil.<br /><br />Most will sell you a gallon for about half the shelf price, if you bring your own container.
 

BillP

Captain
Joined
Aug 10, 2002
Messages
3,290
Re: Shell TCW-3 oil ?

skeer,<br />I'd say your scuffing problem was not caused by poor lube properties of OMC oil. If anything, the change in oil brands may have caused earlier deposits to break loose and do the harm...more detergents maybe? Most likely your motor was ready to go down anyway. <br /><br />Like I posted earlier, many mechanics tell me the same type stories and place the blame on their competition's oil. The only common demoninator I come up with is Penzoil gets more bad rap than any other brand for running dirty. I still think running the mfgs suggested oil is the best insurance.
 
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