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What Engine Oil Should I Use for My 1999 130 HP Honda Outboard

benedict

New member
"What engine oil should I use for my 1999 fuel injected Honda four stroke outboard? I know there are alot of brands out there, but which one do you recommend?"
 
"Hi Ben,
I'll jump in and


"Hi Ben,
I'll jump in and say that brands aren't all that important as motor oil is rated and graded by the American Petroleum Institute or API. If you use any brand exhibiting the proper API rating for your engine, you should be fine. Since your engine is a '99, it was probably intended to use a multi-viscosity oil, probably 10w-30 and API rated SJ. Since that time, two API rating upgrades have emerged with a third soon to come. The oil typically sold in auto parts stores today are rated SM. This rating can be found on almost all oil containers and is refered to as the "API donut" All oils that carry an improved or upgraded rating are "backward compatible" with the older, superceded ratings so they are safe to use in your older engine.

To explain; It is an alphabetic rating. When they first started doing these ratings back in the 1960's, the ratings for gasoline engine oils were SA and as they upgraded over the years they would change the second letter. We are now at SM. Diesel engine oils are rated with a C and then another letter and are not necessarily recommended for gas engines.

Long story short, as long as you live in a temperate climate you should be ok using a 10w-30 SL or SM oil of most any brand."
 
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