Oil comparisons

[BogMonster]

Looking through the service manual for my Johnson 115hp 2 stroke, it refers to just about everything as "OMC this" and "OMC that" for the various lubricants sealants and motion lotions etc. which are used in servicing it, all the ones quoted are OMC own brand items and it does not suggest alternatives. None of these are available locally.

Is there an information resource somewhere on tinternet which gives an "equivalent" to manufacturers own oils/greases etc? chances are there will be a perfectly good Shell or Castrol equivalent to most of the things listed in the book and there are both Shell and Castrol agents here, or there may be other cheaper equivalent items available from mail order suppliers if I do have to order them in. With automotive oils I know what I am talking about, but no specs are given for any of the OMC oils in the book (just the product name) so I don't really know what to search for!

Thanks

Stephen

[codprawn]

As long as it's a NMMA TCW3 good quality oil you will be fine.

http://www.nmma.org/certification/pr...asp?y=TCW32005

List here - but as long as it's a good make with the magic TCW3 markings don't worry.

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/produ...tentId=6008664

Castrol do a synthetic and normal to the same spec - I would say for a normal 2 stroke the cheaper oil will do although people swear by the biolube.

[jwalker]

Also, you can use auto EP 80 or 90 in the gearcase and Castrol CL water resistant grease does a good job for most everything needing grease.

[BogMonster]

Thanks. Sorry I should have been clearer - it is the gearcase oils and stuff that I am not sure about, for engine oil I am just going to carry on using what the previous owner was running which is Shell Nautilus, available here and rather conveniently on the approved list on that NMMA website!

However as the company I work for happens to be Castrol agents I should be able to get a good price on one of the Castrol ones if I order a few cases

On the others, what would be an equivalent to:

OMC Triple-Guard Grease
OMC Needle Bearing Assembly Grease
OMC Power Trim/Tilt and Power Steering Fluid (it says a Dexron II oil is ok for that - so that is fine I can buy that from myself)
OMC Ultra-HPF Gearcase Lubricant (is this just EP90? or would a lighter gear oil like 75w80 be better?)
OMC Moly Lube (is this a moly grease?)
OMC Adhesive M Sealant (silicone sealant...?)
OMC Gasket Sealing Compound (Hylomar or something...?)

What about lay-ups - they say to use a "OMC Storage Fogging Oil" before an extended lay-up period. Is this necessary? I have never done it with anything else. Seems to be that a little squirt of 2 stroke oil in through the spark plug holes will probably do the trick - it works on everything else.

Basically I suppose what I need to know is whether it is that critical to use the right stuff in various places, as I'm not sure how cranky outboard motors are if you use something that is "more or less right". Are we talking Land Rover or F1 car here?

[Nos4r2]

Don't worry about brand names- as long as what you use has the right marine specs on it you'll be fine-but the marine specs are the important bit.


At a guess, the triple-guard grease will be an anti-sieze grease with a high zinc content. DONT use copper based grease as it'll promote galvanic corrosion. Moly lube is going to be normal moly grease.I think you're pretty much right with the sealers but possibly one of them is an equivalent to Sikaflex-depending on what they are telling you to use it for.

DON'T use car EP80 or EP90 in marine gearcases-marine gear lube ONLY-it's designed to soak up an awful lot more water without losing it's lubrication properties than auto gear lube.Trust me, if your boat is staying in the water it's important.

Anything labelled 'outboard fogging oil' somewhere on it will do for layups. It's not expensive and a can will last you 5 years+.

In general it's better to use the right/recommended marine grade stuff as outboards do take a lot more of a pounding from use and their environment than car engines (what other engine can you think of that's cooled by something that's trying to eat it...!)

[BogMonster]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

DONT use copper based grease as it'll promote galvanic corrosion.

Good job you told me that! I have a large tub of copper grease at home which normally gets used on everything with threads on.... oops.

Likewise with the EP90 - the stuff I have access to is regular automotive stuff like you would stick in a Land Rover diff (which is what we sell it for at work). I see what you mean - I had better get some proper stuff ordered before I start pulling anything to bits this winter. I know from my Defender diffs that it doesn't absorb water all that well....

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

....DON'T use car EP80 or EP90 in marine gearcases-marine gear lube ONLY-it's designed to soak up an awful lot more water without losing it's lubrication properties than auto gear lube.Trust me, if your boat is staying in the water it's important.

Nos4r2, I heard this many years ago but I could find no evidence for it and Castrol's tech department said they could see no reason not to use their product in a gearcase. Perhaps you could point us in the direction of your information.

For my own part, I have used auto EP oils exclusively in my outboards without a problem. I am also using Castrol's Dynadrive synthetic gear lub in my outdrive.

Now, I'm a firm believer in regularly changing gearcase oil and the entry of water into the case under any circumstance is a no-no whether the oil has a high emulsifier content or not.

I think you'll find EP oils all contain corrosion inhibitors, anti-oxidants and anti-foam agents.

However, I'm all for having my education improved and I look forward to it.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Nos4r2, I heard this many years ago but I could find no evidence for it and Castrol's tech department said they could see no reason not to use their product in a gearcase. Perhaps you could point us in the direction of your information.

For my own part, I have used auto EP oils exclusively in my outboards without a problem. I am also using Castrol's Dynadrive synthetic gear lub in my outdrive.

Now, I'm a firm believer in regularly changing gearcase oil and the entry of water into the case under any circumstance is a no-no whether the oil has a high emulsifier content or not.

I think you'll find EP oils all contain corrosion inhibitors, anti-oxidants and anti-foam agents.

However, I'm all for having my education improved and I look forward to it.

Same here - hate the way people get ripped off with branded stuff etc when something else does the purpose just as well but cheaper!!!

Just looked at Castrol's site - they sell the SAME oil for marine or car use. Product safety sheets are the same as well - gear oil IS gear oil.....

[Nos4r2]

It was said to me by one of the marine engineers on iboats.com and I poo-poo'd it myself and carried on using shell/castrol until I had a lower unit seal die on an engine.

What came out when I drained it felt like it had no lubrication properties at all when I rubbed it between my fingers and looked like clotted cream.

I flushed and replaced it with quicksilver gear oil and carried on using the engine-after use it didn't look anywhere near as bad, the leak had slowed and when I rubbed it between my fingers it still felt like oil and like it was actually lubricating-yet it had been in use and in the water approximately the same length of time as before when using car gear oil.

I've used marine gear oil ever since-preferably quicksilver. It's not so much more money that it's worth taking the chance-less than half the cost of an oilchange on a car...

[codprawn]

Ah but was it the fact that the oil was better in the prescence of water or was it the fact that the seals swelled up and stopped the water getting in anyway?

Can understand the logic of an oil that emulsifies better or worse than others - will have to investigate further - may be sad enough to make my own little test rig when I have the time......