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There are probably other properties the oil must have in order to work. It is plain to see that outboard oil has to do a lot. If it fails to any degree in just one of these areas the end result could be minor engine damage or a power head that is history.
All outboard oil is rated TCW. In 1988 a rating of TCW-II was introduced. This was an effort to identify which oils were doing the job and eliminate the ones that weren't. It was an effort to keep engines from blowing apart before their time. A few years later in April, 1992 a rating of TCW-3 was adopted as the standard. That action eliminated a bunch of the TCW-II oils, their formulas just couldn't make the new level. It also introduced a higher amount of detergent additives in the oil.
Over the past several years gasoline formulas have undergone a lot of change. This was due to the need for a reduction in pollution. Unfortunately one of the side effects of this change is an increase in combustion deposits in outboard engines. The new gas formulas just didn't take into account the needs of two stroke engines. Part of the reason for the TCW-3 standard was to combat this problem.
When you mix oil with the gas be sure to follow the manufactures recommendation as to gas / oil ratio. If the engine calls for a 50 to 1 ratio (2% oil) and the oil bottle says 100 to 1, mix it at 50 to 1. It is the need of the engine that dictates the amount of oil. Even if the bottle says 100 to 1, the oil is not twice as good. Best as I can figure (don't really know for sure) this labeling is a left over from several years ago when engine manufactures did call for 100 to 1 on some of their engines.
After all is said and done, the choice is yours.
A while back I started a search for hard information on oil formulas and how they affected outboard operation. I didn't get very far. As best as I can figure the information is kept guarded. I did manage to hear of an individual who conducted an informal test of several TCW-3 oils. He sent to me a report of his findings and I have included the report on this site. Click here to see the report.
When I first started in this business I was fortunate enough to work on the Gulf Coast in a mostly commercial fishing area. I say fortunate because the hard use the motors were put to accelerated wear and failure. I didn't realize it at the time but it gave me a great education on some things that worked and some things that didn't.
Our shop did a lot of power head rebuilds. During the summer we averaged two a week. I got to see a lot of problems from oil failure. One of the things we did was look in the guy's boat to see what brand of oil he was using (asking, most times, resulted in a vague answer!). Most of the engines with oil failure were run on off brand oils. Engines did fail on the brand names but they appeared to be the exception. This was not a "scientific study", no records were kept. I do feel the facts were quite clear though. The three best brands of oil I noted were Johnson/Evinrude, Quick Silver and Exxon. Since that time I've moved on to recreational boats and the oil has moved on to TCW-3. I no longer see as many failures due to the oil itself, probably because of both changes. Engine manufactures have reported that TCW-3 has helped in this area and I feel they are right.
They also report that all TCW-3 oils are not the same, some being better than others. A few years ago I heard a buzz of setting another new oil standard (TCW-4?) to eliminate even more of the lower quality oils.
TCW-3 is a minimum standard that must be met in order to label an oil as such. I'm sure that some of the oils just make the grade and others beat it hands down. The questions that need a truthful answer seem to be what minimum standards are needed to keep an engine from coming apart and what specifications do various oils possess.
The first question I'm not sure how to answer. I somewhat doubt an engineer can give an answer that will hold for any length of time. Gas formulas keep changing and motors keep getting bigger. I can say that a TCW-3 rating is not the full answer to engine survival. Carboning and ring sticking is still too much of a problem.
The second question is one I'll keep asking. If I manage to come across any answers I'll pass them along.
One of the arguments I've heard many times is that manufactures are trying to get rich by selling you their oil. Not really the case. They are going to get rich by selling you a $12,000.00 motor, not by selling you a $10 bottle of oil. If they sell you a second, third and forth motor as time goes on they are going to get richer. If their motor gives you good performance and a long life, they feel you are more likely to buy that next motor from them. They are trying to make money, that is the name of the game in this world. The oil they provide is designed to make that motor last. It has been formulated, tested and analyzed with that end in mind. I feel that is your best bet for engine life and savings in maintenance bills.
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