Difference in outboard motor oils....is there?

[tmikewww2]

What difference is there in manufactures outboard motor oils, if any? ie.,OMC, Merc., Honda,etc..

 

[racerone]

There are so many opinions on lubricating oils !----------You ask 10 people and you get 20 different answers.------------Some good and some bad.-------Run your motor with the recommended oil by your manufacturer.

 

[yamaham]

I went down this same route initially, decided to just get the Honda Marine 10w-30 on ebay from White's Marine at $22/gal. With filter, it's about $50 and I'll do the service myself. I'll probably change the oil on 2 cars twice in the span the outboard will need it done again.

 

[chawk_man]

Do a search on this site for "oil" and you will see a whole bunch of posts. Racerone is correct - there are lots of opinions.

My Honda dealer (large, and very reputable dealer for Honda and Yamaha) is actually using Mercury 25W-40 in all the big Honda's and Yamaha's that he services in order to reduce wear issues when owners start up their engines after long layup periods.

In my opinion, which oil and weight to use depends on your level of usage, frequency of usage, and age of the engine in running hours. If you are in warranty use whatever the manufacturer specifies. Once out od warranty, use common sense.

The key is to religiously change the oil at the specified maintenance internal and/or at the end of every boating season, whichever comes first.

 

[tmikewww2]

Question??? I see on different sites where you can order Honda outboard oil...all they offer is 10W30, my owners manual calls for.....
5W30,what gives?

 

[chawk_man]

Any MARINE 5W30 with an API rating meeting or exceeding what is specified in your owner's manual should work fine.

There are some precautions about using the new API rated oils in older engines.

For example, see: http://aa1car.com/library/api_motor_oil_classifications.htm