2 Stroke Oil

Jim@sea

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Quick Question. Its 30 years since I had a 2 stroke outboard.
Now I have a Tohatsu 6hp 2 stroke as the outboard for my boat.
Is there a difference in 2 stroke oils for outboards compared to ordinary 2 stroke as used in mowers, strimmers etc.
I was to go tomorrow, drive 18 miles to my nearest chandlers and buy a bottle of boat 2 stroke
Or I can drive 5 miles and as someone mentioned on another listing buy from Toolstation a lot cheaper
 
Quick Question. Its 30 years since I had a 2 stroke outboard.
Now I have a Tohatsu 6hp 2 stroke as the outboard for my boat.
Is there a difference in 2 stroke oils for outboards compared to ordinary 2 stroke as used in mowers, strimmers etc.
I was to go tomorrow, drive 18 miles to my nearest chandlers and buy a bottle of boat 2 stroke
Or I can drive 5 miles and as someone mentioned on another listing buy from Toolstation a lot cheaper
Yes for your outboard you need an oil suitable for a water cooled engine. Garden machinery engines are air cooled , run hotter and use a higher viscosity grade oil ( I have actually compared them in the lab )

Any oil with a NMMA TC-W3 certification will be suitable for your outboard,
Quicksilver is probably the most readily available brand.
Premium grade will be adequate for a small outboard , no need to buy a high performance grade
 
Before all this bllocks reared it's ugly head. What happened to the mix with any lube oil you could et your mitts on
 
I don't think Seagull outboards were fussy about the kind of oil, as long as there was plenty of it.
For the amount of running hours that the average dinghy mounted small outboard does, it's hard to believe that whether the oil is classified "W" or not, is really critical. I suspect "W" = boaty = expensive.
 
The 'marine' oils go through some tests, which cost a lot of cash, this must be recouped from the customer.
The same oil may be sold without the marine TCW3 label at a lower price. Or maybe not!
My view is that either your engine is a big chunk of cash to replace if it's say a 50HP, or the amount you use is pretty small, so swallow the extra quid or two a litre.
 
Well, in 1964 my Dad bought an Evinrude Lightwin. 3hp and essentially the same powerhead as the 3hp and 4hp Johnsons and Evinrude for the next few decades.

He ran it on 2 stroke motorcycle mix at the proper ratio. Within a couple of years of light summer holiday use it needed a decoke.

I bought a later 4hp model in 1996 and use the proper TCW3 outboard oil. It still doesn't need a decoke.
 
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