TCW3 outboard oil?

Merrittboy

Active Member
Ok guys need a question answered. Have a Mariner 250 2 stroke. Went to buy oil and was told I must have the Merc. oil, at 40 a pop (4 litres) , instead of the Lordco tcw3 Quaker State, Castrol for 23 - 29 bucks for 4 litres. What do you think?
 
Just had a friend who's an auto mechanic say he's been to the refinery where they make the oil and the same oil was in various boxes with different labels.
He has a boat and runs the cheap stuff as long as it says tcw3. My old outboard mechanic said to use the good stuff as in Merc quicksilver and I have been but lately it's been the red Yamy stuff from Parker. If you are paying 10 a litre in my new opinion it is a rip off.
 
My son is an auto mechanic and basically agrees, but in talking to a marine "specialist" owns a storer, he says NO WAY. The oil is made specifically for Merc. etc outboards and should be used... lol. I will go with it this time and see what others say. Is it worth the extra 15 bucks? Curious. Thanks for your input tortuga.
 
The Penzoil semi synthetic oil has good reviews but I have only been able to buy in the US.
Walmart has across the line at $14 a gal on sale from time to time
 
My old man owns the Petro Can marine in Hardy, been selling ob oil there for over 20yrs. Just asked him about this, he said he has had lengthy coversations with the lube department in Perto Can because guys had told him his oil didn't meet the standards that the Quicksilver and other oils did and they couldn't use it in their engines. He has since spoke will almost all OB manufacturers, Yamaha, Merc, Honda since a lot of them say you have to buy their oil during warranty years. Wrong, as long as you use TCW3 you are good.

The answer is, beside synthetic oils as long as it says TCW3 on you are going to go. This means it meets all requirements that outboards call for. Do not let anyone tell you different, you not need to buy the expensive stuff as it is all the same. He is will to answer any and all questions on this, call him at 250-949-9988, talk with Gord or Dale.

Hope this helps!
 
I agree to a point. TCW3 is an oil classification standard. Many manufacturers product meets that requirement, Others have additive packages that offer other benefits . Some engines have a spec for a full synthetic or synthetic blend . With the oil/fuel ratio at 100-1 or higher a petroleum based product will not offer the same protection and lubricating properties that a synthetic will. If you have $15000 tied up in a new engine why risk a hassle over warranty for a couple of dollars in oil??
 
Awesome. This is what I wanted. It is good to hear from someone who is actually in the oil business. I bet that this arguement could go on forever with oil producers. Was in Canadian tire yesterday and the only TCW3 oil that they carried was Quicksilver for $40. Lordco carried the other brands. thanks BearCove.
 
Hi guys , my take is if you are running high performance 2 strokes , optimax or E-tec that are still under warranty , use the recommended oil or you warranty will be void. if you are running pre 2003 2 strokes find a cheap brand and stick with it. Read your manual to see if you can run cheap tcw3 and you will probably find in the subtext that any oil that meets the tcw3 standard is fine. That said some oils definately burn smokier and some thinner oils burn faster.
I refuse to pay more than 5 bucks a litre , so I use the West marine brand and stock up when it is on sale.
One important note is not to mix oils in your bucket , most oil related engine damage is caused by oil gelling up and plugging the intake on the oil pump. I have run 2 2003 evinrude 150s and a 2001 optimax 225 this way for 100s of hours without problems.

beemr
 
Walmart has a good deal on Castrol TC3W this time of the year, but later on they are OS.
The fuel dock in Ukee has a reasonable deal on good quality oil as well. Less than $22/4 litres last year.
I run a 200 SWS Yammie Carbs, and have no problems with any TC3W oil.
 
I have a 2001 optimax and just run the merc oil. Not all tcw3 oils are the same , google it. I went thru this with my seadoo's and found running the bombardier oil i had less plug failure, same with an early 90's yamaha outboard. For the few extra bucks I find it worthwhile running manufacturers oil.
 
Awesome. This is what I wanted. It is good to hear from someone who is actually in the oil business. I bet that this arguement could go on forever with oil producers. Was in Canadian tire yesterday and the only TCW3 oil that they carried was Quicksilver for $40. Lordco carried the other brands. thanks BearCove.

Does C. Tire not have the Shell product ( TCW3 ) anymore? Used to get it there ....about $27-$29 /4 litres. They carried both that and Quicksilver the last time I was at the store in N. Van
 
Canadian Tire does carry both types the cheep Canadian Tire branded twc3 about @20 per 3.78 litres and the Shell Premium Nautilus Brand There is a difference even though they are twc3 I believe there is less ash and some extra ingrediants And better yet they are one sale this week at 25% off
 
The Wal-mart in Merritt should carry it no? Lots of 2 stroke Trout boats around there.
I spent the first 19 years of my life 54 miles down Hiway 5 in Princeton. I started fishing there when I was 5 with a steel telescopic fly rod , oh my!Still get back to Merritt and Princeton area every couple of years to fish the lakes and creeks of my youth.

Chit, sorry got rambling OFF TOPIC!
 
Some oil injection systems are fussy about what oil is used, as far as pre-mixing I would not be too concerned.
 
Tipton's in Lake Cowichan sells the Evinrude TCW3. I buy a 2and a half gallon jug for about $60 (the last one was). It lasts me all year.
 
Can. Tire sells Shell Nautilus, which seems to work best for me. Goes on sale once or twice a year for about 20-22 bucks per 4 liters [usually about 30], which is when I stock up.
 
Thx Gon fishin, dropped by CT today and got a few 4L Nautilus for $22.50 ( 25% off till May 26th) The mastercraft stuff was $14 on sale but just don't trust the mastercraft product.
 
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