What brand do you like? Do you only use the manufacture's brand or have you tried a "west marine" or other brand?

I use nothing but Evinrude Ram ficht oil, it's over 20 buck a gallon and I use about 6 gal a season. I add carbon guard when I fuel up and follow all the maintenance procedures.
Power heads are to expensive to try to save a buck on cheap oil.
Just my .02

BigCat - what Ficht motor do you have? Happy with it?

What Bigcat said.

I would stick with the manufacturers oil, especially on newer engines. Even my buddy stays with yama oil on his 1987 150HP.

All I use is the ram oil on my ficht ,why take the chance for a few $$.

Also if you have a problem, they could blame you for using the "wrong" oil. (and maybe have a warranty problem), although they probabaly all buy it from the same company. Merc, Honda, OMC etc..do not make their own oil.

I found the ficht oil at the boat show for 18 bucks, so I stocked up.

$18-20.00 a gallon WOW, what makes that oil so much more expensive? Just curious.......I thought the going rate for 2-stroke oil $12.00 or so.....

22$/ gallon during high season.

I think its just the "brand name" thing.
The OB companies making a few more bucks on "their" oil.

Like i said its probably all the same stuff in different colored jugs.
But I can't be sure, and truthfully I'm hesitant to use an off brand for the reasons I stated earlier.

Thankfully, the fichts use about 1/2 the oil as the old 2 cycle engines. Some actually recirculates and goes back into the reservoir tank.
I definately notice the difference in consumption.
No smoke.
No oil in the water.

when I picked up my boat, I also got a case of oil
Yahama===Ithink I paid 18-20 a gallon, I was use to buying mercury bulk oil which is cheaper than 1 gallon off the shelf, the last motor was a lease so I was usung the no name specials,, never blew it up sp gp figure

OMC or Yamaha or Merc are not in the oil making buisiness. They contract someone else to make it for them. West Marine or boaters world or whomever can do the same. 2.5 gals of 2 cycle marine engine oil that does not void any engine warrenty and appears (from the label) to contain the same primary contents and costs $21.95.
If I had to guess...there are probably tighter quality controls on the OMC stuff and you may get a more consistant product. Is it noticeable to you and me?...I doubt it and most likely it will work fine.
The reason I posted this is that in the store they had results of an indepentent test showing deposits left by different oils at 600 degs. (omc/yamaha/quicksliver/westmarine and another) and the results (surprise) showed west marine left the least deposts and they claimed smokes less. I just wondered if any of you "power-users" have noticed a difference?

John,

I am running a 115 with 250 trouble free hours, to push my Hydra-Sport LTS 20 bayboat. She will top out around 40 and great on gas.
Of course you never have enough power, I feel the need for speed:D

Sandman is the oil TC-W3 ?

I wonder if the OB makers have additives in their oil that the off brands don't. It could explain the high price tag.

Dunno,,, I'm guessing.

I have always used the manafactures oil especially if still on warranty. I just bought a new evinrude ficht and it recomends using the ficht syntheic oil. you shouldn't even be using the tcw3 unless they don't sell the syntheic. You will get a quickercarbon build up with the tcw3. the newer engines are made to run on wot and if you do much trolling it is best to use a carbon guard in the fuel tank.

The west marine oil I looked at in the store was tcw3. I called an OMC factory trained mechanic I know in NY this afternoon. He said use the evinrude product. He admitted that the other "probably" won't do any harm and in a pinch it would be fine to make do, but told me to buy a load when its on sale and be done with it.

I need to swing by the dealer and bulk up.

You can use a good quality TC-W3 oil, but then you have to decarbonize at 50 hours.
If you stick with the Ficht oil you push that out to 100 hours.

What do you guys use to decarbonize ??

I've never done it. (3 seasons with 175 ficht).

I will use Yamalube and Ring Free...........

yamalube,,,,$8.00 a gal. out of a 55gal drum...or free depending on who's pumping;) ....ring free's a must.

Van,
Stop into your dealer and pick up a few cans of engine tuner,and a new set of plugs. follow the directions on the can.
I wait for a crummy weekend then head for the ramp to do it.

BigCat, I see you live on the cape...which evinrude dealer do you like for service and parts?

I run ONLY Johnson/Envinrude oil, my mechanic said to never use the cheap oil. He said if I was in a bind to use Mercury oil, said that would be the next best thing. With some things, you can go cheap, but with oil for a $15,000 motor, I think I'll use what they tell me too. I buy oil by the case and go through 2-3 cases a season and always keep an extra gallon on board just in case.

As long as it says TCW-3 I use it. I'm the 3rd owner of a 19 year old motor, and it still starts and runs fine. The advice I was given is to make sure you open the engine up for a couple of minutes before calling it a day to burn all the crap out.
Even better advice is to keep an outboard running good, run the outboard often.
I did get my carbs dipped in acid a few years ago because of old gas that gummed em up.
If using brand name oil calms your nerves, then use the brand name stuff.

I wonder how cars with high miles made it that far without the new invention of "High Miles motor oil"? :rolleyes:

New plugs are in, shes running good.

Engine tuner I have seen as a spray can ( I do that before storage fog oil).

I have not noticed a can (added to fuel I would guess)...

Sandman,
I was chatting with a factory man yesterday,and his recommendation was to use Edwards in Falmouth.
I can only tell you who Not to use.

Bigcat,

Edwards is where I have my boat serviced, the OMC mechanic is top notch, but he just started at Little River Boat Yard in Mashpee a couple weeks ago. Looks like I go to Seconset Island for my service now.

I swung by Edwards on saturday during the fine weather we were having. Met the service/parts guys and managers and picked up some minor parts and oil. They seem like they are on the ball and customer service is high on their list. The manager was very nice to me...like a just bought a couple of engines from him. That was a pleasent surprise. He even said If I stored the boat in his yard he would come over to the vineyard and get it, service/winterize/store it and bring it back in the spring. I am kind of rigged up not to store it here but it was nice to see them go the extra mile(s) to make the customer happy.

I picked up a couple cases of that Evinrude FICHT oil...ouch... your right, 21.95/gal. They do have some "stuff" in there that is not in the west-marine brand. Carbx? and a few other things.

Anyway thanks for the Edwards lead.

I use only Yamalube but keep the gal jug take it back to the dealer and refill it myself out of thier 55 gal. drum. Half the price of gal. off the shelf. Also find that with the new HPDI I use less that half the oil I use to.