Billgran wrote:
"John H." wrote in message
Bill, I just bought a new Key West with a Yamaha 150 hp 4 stroke. In your
opinion, should I even consider using an oil other than the Yamaha oil
recommended for the engine?



If you want to use a different oil, choose another outboard manufacturer's
oil as your first choice. OB companies formulate their lubricants for better
carbon cleaning and longer engine life. Aftermarket TC-W3 oils are enough to
keep your warranty in force, but remember that they are made for a price
point, and may just meet the TC-W3 requirements. One test allows for 14%
scuffing of the piston diameter to pass, so an oil that only scuffs 12% of
the piston can say theirs EXCEEDS the TC-W3 specs. the OEM oils do not
allow any scuffing in that test. Think about it, if all the oils were the
same price per gallon, would you use the manufacture's designed oil or an
off-the-shelf brand?

I'm not saying other oils are bad, but they may not perform as well as an
OEM one, especially in the carbon cleaning department. Oil opinions have
always been a can of worms, just like discussions on religion and politics.

Bill Grannis
service manager




Herring has a four-stroke outboard, and it doesn't use TC-W3 oil. It
uses "regular" good quality auto engine oil, of the proper viscosity. If
memory serves, it says something like that right in the manual.

BTW, Bill, if you want to find some boaters, try

http://boatingforum.proboards91.com/index.cgi

Chuck Gould started it as a place for actual boaters to chat and post
photos. I'm sure he'd love it if you reposted some of your articles with
photos.