mbac31 Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 I have a mercury Optimax motor. I always use the Optimax oil but was wondering if there was another brand that is better than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bing Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 I purchase the opti-max oil for my 115 hp I figured the oil is specifically made to that motor it has got to be the best oil going for it. I got a really good deal on a case of it in Port Huron MI. Canadian Dealers can't come close to competing with it. What size of Opti-max do you have and how is it working for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 I don't believe Optimax oil is made specifically for those engines, it would be an astronomical expense for Mercury to foot the start up bill for that. If the engine requires(for example TC-W3 oil or other specs), then any other oil brand that meets or exceeds those particular specs is also suitable. Find the specs in your user book for the motor and go from there. I use synthetics for both 2 and 4 stroke, never had a problem with fouling, smoking etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigatollah Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 If your motor is still under warranty, use the specified oil for your opti. Once your warranty is over, you can use any oil you wish as long as it meets the TC code called for. If your motor decides to blow for any reason and you're using another type of oil, you will have a very hard time getting any company to fix it under warranty. They might even ask for the motor to test what was running in it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamboni Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 I was reading on iboats that Pennzoil full synthetic is good for DFI engines and a good price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Thorpe Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Hi,I ran Opti's few a couple of years. I did try various TCW 3 oils,I came to the conclusion that a higher priced oil does offer better consumption rates of oil.The oil burns much better.I also noticed less carbonization on my plus when using higher end oil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 (edited) I had a 2002 Optimax 225HP and I used what Merc suggested,Optimax oil. I've never had any problems with the motor and the new owner is happy. I now have a 225ProXS and they suggest Premium Plus. I don't know why they've changed but I won't use anything else....saving a few dollars on oil isn't worth the cost of a new powerhead. Edited June 5, 2008 by Gerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Bob Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 When my motor was new many moons ago the dealer/mechanic told me to use Johnson's oil while under warranty because of the dye in the oil and if anything went wrong Johnson could tell right away. When the motor was about 6-7 years old I stopped going all the way down to the dealer to pay lots of money for Johnson oil and started using LubriMatic oil. I used this oil for MANY years without a problem. Then all of a sudden Walmart and other stores here stop carrying it. So I tried Walmart's Super Tech oil. It looked, smelled and felt the same as the LubriMatic oil and I believe it might be the same dang oil. Bottom line it meets or exceeds my motor needs and the motor runs just the same as if I was using Johnson oil from over 20 years ago. But if you like spending a LOT more money on a name brand oil go for it. I myself need every extra dollar I can muster together for expensive gasoline Now since a good fishing buddy has moved on to a 4 stroker he has given me some FREE (my favorite word) 2 cycle oil. One unopened gallon of oil from Mercury and one 3/4 full 2.5 gallon container of Johnson's oil plus the 2 gallons of Super Tech of I still have it will be a LONG time until I need to purchase any 2 cycle oil. If I could only find some FREE gasoline I could go fishing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Yes, those old Johnsons are hard to kill, heck they'd probably run on tomato soup but they are also dirty, they smoke and spew oil into the water. That isn't the way of the world today, pollution and emission standards are far different from what they were 20 years ago. DFI motors were developed to meet these new standards and oil is manufactured according the each company's exacting recipe; they can tell if you've been using the correct oil or not. The new DFIs' are quite different than the old motors, they have many sensors in them and these should not get clogged up. Yeah, we're probably paying a premium for the suggested oil but I for one will not risk a $12,000 powerhead in order to save $5 or $10 on a can of oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lundboy Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 (edited) Evinrude Ficht and E-Tec engines do require special additives to the oil, mostly detergents (Carb-X) that washes the carbon directly out of the engine. On occassion I've seen it run out the upper exhaust ports on my Ficht. The original ficht oil which was red in colour was dyed that way so that Evinrude could determine if you were running their oil or not. It has now been replaced with XD50 oil which is green. E-Tecs use XD50 or XD100 (which is another colour, and the motor has to be programmed to use XD100). E-Tec will use 50% less XD100 than XD50 if programmed to use it. As for Optimax, I would say that it is the same thing. Custom additives and detergents are added to flush out the carbon and keep things clean. If you use something else you run the risk of gumming things up and possibly causing an expensive repair. Edited June 5, 2008 by lundboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 Yeah, we're probably paying a premium for the suggested oil but I for one will not risk a $12,000 powerhead in order to save $5 or $10 on a can of oil. I agree with you 100% Gerry, I use an 01 Merc 4 stroke and always use Mercury products in it. It may not be neccessary, but as you say, why take a chance in order to save a couple measly $$$$ over the course of an entire year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tybo Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 TC-W lll is just that TC-W lll. Their is two types regular and a low ash. If you want to listen to the marketing mambo jumbo go a head. A fool with his money is soon parted. I'm a heavy equipment technician and engine builder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherman Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 TC-W lll is just that TC-W lll. Their is two types regular and a low ash. If you want to listen to the marketing mambo jumbo go a head. A fool with his money is soon parted. I'm a heavy equipment technician and engine builder. Amen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 FYI I never had an issue with this stuff.Then again I didnt run an Opti.?????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purekgw Posted June 5, 2008 Report Share Posted June 5, 2008 just run what they recomend they made the engine im sure they know what there talking about Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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