OIL CHOICE

[David Butler]

I currently use mecury premium oil TW-3 at $20. a gallon,been useing it since day one. i can get penzoil TW-3 at $12.95 a gallon. Question is is mecury a better oil and will i harm my engine if a switch. I have a mecury 75HP oil injected engine thanks in advance for the advice

Dave

 

[JAMES MOORE]

I'm running the penzoil in my 150 and haven't noticed any difference. As long as the oil is a good tcw3 or better you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[TrepMan]

David - you THRU me for a loop in the unfortunetly not working chat room! I've got a guy that used to work for me named David Butler who lives in TN! I saw your name pop up, even though we could not chat, and was trying to figure out WHY he would be on this site. Then checked your profile and his emails and he is David M. Butler!! Go Figure.



Ok, i've only got the 40hp Merc but i've run EVERYTHING that is not synthetic and had ZERO problems in 2 1/2 years, everything from Merc Premium, Quicksilver and walmart!



I think on the big/HP motors it matters more.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

You won't get immediate problem, but over prolonged use, can get carbon build up that leads to premature engine failure. Usually because the rings start to stick. I use Quicksilver, but get it for only $12 a gallon at Sam's Club. Plus if you save your containers, most marinas buy in bulk (50 gal) and will sell premium to you for around $10 a gallon. You can't go wrong there.

 

[David Jordan]

I'm sticking with mercury Plus for now on in this new engine. It cost way to much to replace. It's not worth the couple of dollars saved over a season. Lets just say that replacing my 150 hp has caused me to become cautious when it come to any thing that might caused damage to an out board. I've go 7000 reasons

 

[Bob G.]

I only use Mercury Premium oil in my XR6 since it was new. I have never had a problem to date so I will continue using it. Anyways, I only use 3 - 4 gallons per season. My fishing spots are usually within a 10 - 20 minute run at WOT from the ramps.



Bob G.

 

[James D.]

I'm no expert but I recommend Mercury or Quicksilver all the way. I had a 77' evinrude on my previous boat and she ran better on the mercury oil than she did on the omc brand which was made for the motor. For the lower unit, I'm impressed with the mercury quicksilver lubricants as compared to some of the other brands. Oil is oil but I wouldn't change brands too much.



Also of note: lower units - do not mix the standard oil with the high performance oil with the "+" on the lable. I've heard that mixing them could lead to problems. Use either one or the other.



james d.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Got my flack jacket on again.....



The biggest difference besides the packaging between Mercury's oils and any other brand is the amount of money that goes into Mercury's pockets.



They owe it all to Marketing - NOT superior additives.



me!



INCOMING!!!!!!

 

[Adam Murray]

C'mon, Scott, you know better than that!



While some branded oils are the same product in a different package (ie. Mercury/Quicksilver), most are quite different. The base product comes from different sources, is refined differently, percentage of additives and tolerances are different.....you get my drift.



Gasoline is the same way. I've got a bad-azz, hopped-up Z-71 Chevy that will tell you exactly what she thinks of the brand of fuel you put in 'er.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Well..... I don't know about Texas..... But in the rest of the country.....



All the refineries from all the companies dump all their gasoline into one, big pipeline to send it to other parts of the country. There is no way of teling who's is who's. When it gets to the other end anyone can take out if their refinery has put in. Kinda like going to the bank - you don't care if you get back the exact dollar bill you put in, just so you get it back 'cuz they're all the same anyway! The different brands then may put in different additives at that point, but all the additives are pretty much the same, too!



Same with the oils. Mercury just buys from someone else in bulk and puts or has it put into their containers. Maybe minor differences in the additives - but not enough to make any difference at all.



That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[Russ Charles]

A good quality oil is probably the cheapest insurance you can buy. Stay with the Mercury premium.



Russ

 

[Rich Stern]

I do believe there are differences in the additives. However, the premium charged by the OEMs is a bit ridiculous and there is no publicaly available statistical evidence to support the claimed benefits.



Locally, Pennzoil Premium Plus (synthetic blend) is about $10/gallon. I use it in my current Polaris jetski. On a previous Polaris jetski, a steady diet of Exxon TCW3 or Lubrimatic TCW3 worked for several years with no problem. Also used those same oils in the 170DC/75 HP Tracker I had. Merc Premium Plus is normally $16/gallon, but pops up on sale for $11/gallon at the end of the season, and four or five gallons is pretty much all I need to get the Merc 115 through a season. I'd use any of the TCW-3 oils in a pinch if my brand preference wasn't available. Beyond $11/gallon, I refuse to purchase any of the oils. It's heavy gouging at those prices.



Don't get me wrong: As a business person, I say the makers should get whatever price the market will bear. I just don't care for the marketing tactics ("use our oil, you never know what might happen...")



Here's a profit margin hint: Ever notice how the price of crude oil doesn't change the retail price of TCW-3? Crude oil costs twice as much today as it did just five years ago. That should give you an idea of how much padding is in the price of a gallon of TCW-3.

 

[Larry Harp]

After reading all these posts I'm really confused. I know that GM always recomends Delco, and Ford recomends Motorcraft, Briggs & Stratton even has it's own brand of oil for lawnmower engines for crying out loud. I always consider this to be a way to keep the uninformed to continue going into the dealers parts dept. I agree with Rich that all PREMIUM oils are pretty much the same. However, 5 or 6 extra bucks a gallon for oil for my little 50 hp is not going to hurt. I've been using Penzoil--should I start using Merc? I've never even heard of Quicksilver. Where do you find it. I swear by synthetic (Moble 1) for all my cars. Is that a good oil for me?

 

[Rich Stern]

"More often than not, the user was not using Mercury oil. "



Bob, is it fair to say, since you have seen failures on a variety of oils, including Mercury Quicksilver, that failure could be statistically related to oil brand market share?



There is a guy over in the rec.boats newsgroup who runs nothing but Texaco or Wal-Mart branded TCW3 in his 175hp Merc Sportjet. He's a big naysayer on premium priced oil. After 600+ hours, he claims he can still see the hone marks on the cylinder walls.



Until somebody puts out some objective statistical data, everything in this discussion remains a marketing claim.

 

[Rich Stern]

Bob, I have no problem with someone recommending an expensive brand when it has proven performance advantage and the recommender of that brand does not have any involvement with fulfilling the recommendation.



When I put 93 octane in a car and a pinging problem goes away, I'm sold on the beneifit. When I put 93 octane in a car that runs fine on 87 octane, but the manufacturer recommends 93 octane, I'm still fine with it, because the car maker doesn't benefit from me spending extra money on gasoline.



But, when the warranty giver on my outboard motor recommends only their brand of oil as protection against potential failure (written in purposely vague language), and charges an extreme margin above competitor pricing on that oil (100% or more), without publishing any data to back up it's claims, well, me thinks me smells an MBA making the recommendation, not a mechanical or petrochemical engineer.



No offense intended. I appreciate your experience and anecdotal evidence.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Now, Bob, wil you PLEASE start marking yourself as a member and put Marine USA, whatevercity, Massachusetts and your phone number in your profile so that those of us who appreciate and value your input and advice can contact you and maybe actually find some way to do real business with you! An MBA would!



Thanks for all your help!

me!

 

[Staci Matheis]

I already know how to reach you, Bob..... It's the OTHER people I'm talking about!



BTW..... Next Spring, I will likely want to replace the High5 prop on my 1994 Nitro 2000 / Merc 200 hp. What would you suggest? Do you take trade-ins?

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Yes ...it's your choice....but, can tell you some oils are NOT compatible. Also I do not believe that oils are oils....just rub some Pennzoil on your fingers then rub some Quicksilver or Merc + and you'll feel the differance!

TEE

 

[Chad Justice]

So.... What I'm hearing is that Pennzoil 2 cycle oil is no good?? Hrmmm.. That's all I use for my motor ('92 Force 70HP). Even though it's a Force, should I run it pretty dry and try out some 'Quicksilver' or 'Merc +' ??



Also, I heard someone mention something about making sure to use a decarbonizer twice a year, especially for a Force motor.... Any product suggestions for that??

 

[Staci Matheis]

C -



I use Pennzoil..... And sometimess Lubrimatic..... And I've never used a de-carbonizer..... And I've never had an engine failure on an outboard or a motorcycle or lawn mower or any 2-stroke..... Of course, I've never stupidly tried substituting a 4-stroke oil either!



me!