2 stroke oil

[Thehunter]

A friend just gave me a gallon of synthetic 2 stroke oil. Is it OK to just pour it in the reserve oil tank with the regular 2 stroke oil

[Jason2tpa]

I recon it wouldn't hurt. By "regular" I assume you mean non-synthetic. In which case mixing the two makes a synthetic blend. You won't be hurting anything, though burning the remaining amount in the reserve then adding the synthetic is wise.

[ausnoelm]

I personally would clean out the oil tank and use only recommended oil, and not mix any oils, never been a fan of mixing 2 stroke oil.

[99yam40]

also would not mix the 2,
I have no written proof or reason that I have seen, just have not liked the idea of mixing different things that are needed to keep a motor running well

[cpostis]

A friend just gave me a gallon of synthetic 2 stroke oil. Is it OK to just pour it in the reserve oil tank with the regular 2 stroke oil

I don't know what brand/type oil that that you have been using? But did you know that Yamalube 2M Outboard TC-W3® 2-Stroke Engine Oil is semi-synthetic.
See the link for further specifications.
I don't think there are any true full synthetic 2 stroke oils out there. CAN ANYONE TELL ME OTHERWISE?
2M Outboard TC-W3® 2-Stroke Engine Oil

[cpostis]

Found one, says "synthetic", although says nothing about 100%.AMSOIL HP Marine Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil

The Hunter, what is the manufacturer and details of the "synthetic" oil your friend gave you?

Others, have any of you used this Amsoil product? If so, how do you like it?

[seahorse5]

I don't think there are any true full synthetic 2 stroke oils out there. CAN ANYONE TELL ME OTHERWISE?
2M Outboard TC-W3® 2-Stroke Engine Oil

Evinrude XD-100 outboard oil is all synthetic

Their XD-50 oil is a synthetic blend

Your link does not work.

[DennisG01]

FYI, synthetic oil is still made from crude oil. It's just refined further (or differently, may be a better way to say it) so the molecules are more uniform in size.

Me, personally, I wouldn't hesitate to mix them - as long as there isn't something strange with one of them where it isn't approved for you engine... which I suppose would be rare. All you're ending up with is a synthetic blend which is perfectly fine.

[Thehunter]

It is amsoil

[Thehunter]

Thanks for all the info it's amsoil tc-w3 so it should be OK I think I'm just gonna pour it in. Reserve tank holds 2 1\2 gals

[zenoahphobic]

FYI, synthetic oil is still made from crude oil. It's just refined further (or differently, may be a better way to say it) so the molecules are more uniform in size.

Me, personally, I wouldn't hesitate to mix them - as long as there isn't something strange with one of them where it isn't approved for you engine... which I suppose would be rare. All you're ending up with is a synthetic blend which is perfectly fine.

Common belief is that synthetic is just that, not refined from oil but made from other materials to actual make it as "oil".
Having said that where do the ingredients come from? probably the same as plastics and many chemicals. What is important is that it is significantly different from crude oil derived oil.

On the question of changing oil by simply adding it to the tank doesn't constitute mixing. Maybe after shaking around in the boat they will. The more viscous an oil is the slower it mixes. I raised this because there is a belief that like animals, gradual changes should occur not to upset things. Therefore "weaning off" and "weaning on" seems to be prescribed. Say first mix 1/4 syn with the existing, then 1/2 etc.etc. until fully syn. They say it is to allow non miscible components not dominate or get out of proportion during this process causing unwanted affects. It's like washing, residual material may remain in a concentration greater than intended. Remember oil has detergents, emulsifiers, friction modifiers, suspended solids and other chosen ingredients that actually aren't the lubricant component of the oil. They have a different balance of these between oils.

But then again....

[robert graham]

I've been using the Pennzoil 100% synthetic oil for over 10 years in my C90....not sure exactly how it's made but it doesn't smoke as much and doesn't foul plugs or lay up carbon. The stuff is $45/gallon, a bit pricey$$$. We do a lot of very low speed river cruising (1000-1500RPM's) so smoking,carbon and fouled plugs is something I want avoid....so far, so good!

[seahorse5]

it's amsoil tc-w3 so it should be OK I think I'm just gonna pour it in.

I do not believe that Amsoil 2-stroke oils are TC-W3 certified.

You can find out for sure by seeing if they have a certified registration number on the NMMA certified TC-W3 oil page at http://www.nmma.org/certification/oil/tc-w3

Often the advertising departments will craft words that say in effect "meets all *** specifications" but that is not the same thing as being certified, tested, and approved by the organization that sets the oil standards.

[pstephens46]

Is Amsoil somehow affiliated with the Amway company? Are they a refiner or actual producer or does one of the BIG oil companies produce it?

[99yam40]

Good info here

What is synthetic oil?
The easiest way to define what synthetic oil is, is to define what it is NOT. Conventional motor oil as we have known it for the last 100 years or so is derived from crude oil that is taken from the earth with oil wells. Through a complex distillation process the crude oil is refined into many different liquids, or fractions, each having distinct characteristics. Some are very light and are used as fuel (gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel), and some are heavier and are used as lubricants (motor oil, gear lube, grease). There are many molecular compounds present in crude oil and many of those compounds are still present in the refined product, detracting from the physical properties of that product. For instance, paraffinnic waxes are present in crude-based oil, but contribute nothing to the lubricative properties of the oil. Also, the size of the hydrocarbon molecules themselves are non-uniform in crude-based oils.



Synthetic oil contains none of these contaminants and the hydrocarbon molecules are very uniform, giving the synthetic oil base better mechanical properties at extreme high and low temperature(see the sections below on physical properties).



By contrast, synthetic oil is not distilled from crude oil. It is made through a chemical process known as the Fischer-Tropsch process, starting with raw materials like methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. This process was developed by Germany in WWII, when that country's access to crude oil was very limited.