Cabela's Brand Semi-Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil

[CatskillBob]

Cabela's Brand Semi-Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil

Hi Guys, seeking advice. I have an older 1990 Yamaha 225 2 stroke carbeurated outboard. I have always run yamalube 2m outboard 2 stroke oil in the motor and never experienced issues other than the high cost of the Yamaha oil @ 32 dollars per gallon. While shopping for a new net on the Cabelas website I see they have their brand semi-synthetic tcw3 oil on sale for $12.59 a gallon. At that price i bought a gallon to try. 

 

Anyone have any experience with this oil? Nothing but good reviews on the product (44/45 gave it 4 or 5 stars) which leads me to believe its probably an okay product. 

 

I understand that the Yamalube and other higher quality oils have additives that decrease the amount of soot, carbon and ash buildup, but I run RingFree so I should be okay with this oil. 

 

Anyone have any advice or opinions? If nothing else, maybe someone else will benefit from a good price on oil from my post. 

 

Thanks!

Bobby

[skipper19]

Excellent oil! Rums perfect in my yammy 225 OX66 2 stroke saltwater. It's fuel and oil injected. Never an issue with it. Have run it for at least 5 years exclusively. No way I pay the price of Yamaha oil. Last I checked yamaha wasn't in the oil business nor Cabela's but it works just fine, go ahead and save your money for more gas!

cent frum my notso smartphone

[jimski2]

Two stroke engine oil is used in the combustion cylinder for a minuscule time so it really never gets old. Whether it is synthetic or basic, it is good. Four stroke engines use the oil for as long as you get to change it and synthetic oil withstands degradation from high temperatures longer.


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Xxx]

34 minutes ago, jimski2 said:

Two stroke engine oil is used in the combustion cylinder for a minuscule time so it really never gets old. Whether it is synthetic or basic, it is good. Four stroke engines use the oil for as long as you get to change it and synthetic oil withstands degradation from high temperatures longer.


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My uncle runs a older merc. Supposed to be 50:1 used to foul plugs running "Mercury Syntech" the plugs for this motor are very expensive, he tried the TCW-3 from cabelas and has the same plugs going on 3 years now. He just has me set the gap every year, I personally think he's just cleaning out the threads every year, they are perfect color nice brown color and nothing on the grounding electrodes. Now for my older kicker motor 15hp Evinrude I use Amsoil 100:1 full synthetic oil. Troll all day on 3 half gallons of gas. I started using this oil in the early 80's on our Canadian trips, I mixed my own up there, I'd have to buy their gas I added my own oil, with 1 quart I ran all week. If you bought their oil. Ouch and they just pour it in. By the end of a week they had you for at least 2 quarts, a hand full of plugs and lost fishing time running 10 miles on 1 cylinder. 

[skipper19]

The plugs in my OX66 are same ones for the last 5 years except for one. That one plug had a broken insulator and would not fire. The plugs are never fouled and always starts right up. It smokes a bit at first, but clears up in a couple minutes. I don't think any other oil would smoke less. I found later that the oil injection linkage needed some tweaking, and it is much better now. I also synchronized the throttle bodies and it runs so much better, but the oil is good, and that is a good price. This engine has an oxygen sensor for the ECM to adjust the air fuel mix at different RPM. The sensor gets some carbon after a couple seasons, but this is normal, and it needs to be cleaned to run properly. I also shock the fuel and combustion system with seafoam once a year and that keeps things pretty clean without the disassembly of the oxygen sensor and the housing it's in quite so often.
Cabela's brand oil is good, and the savings is even better. When you only get 2.5 MPG at cruise you need all the gas money you can get. The oil always seems to go quicker than you think it would, but the trade of not having to change crankcase oil and a filter is some reprieve. I always make a mess with the 4 stroke 9.9 and then I gotta find a way to get rid of the old oil...chain saw bar usually, but I don't saw much wood these days.

cent frum my notso smartphone

[jimski2]

Two stroke engines are the best here to avoid the hassle of winterizing your engine especially if you fish the lower Niagara all winter. After pulling the boat out, lower the engine to drain its water, crank it for a moment and you are good to go.


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[phil2]

I buy my oil from domo online. Cheapest place I save 8 a gallon for dfi oil

[lineman49]

If I was to switch to semi- synthetic 2 cycle oil would I need to empty the oil reservoir completely before adding the synthetic oil to it or just add the new oil?   Any thoughts?

[skipper19]

Mix it, it's not gonna hurt anything. It's just semi synthetic and over time and use it Will just become more balanced. You should be ok with the older 2 strokes. Mine is 2002 oil injection. No problems!

cent frum my notso smartphone

[lineman49]

 Mine is a "95" Yamaha 76* V-X 225hp oil injected. should be good I guess.

[lineman49]

  If I used semi-synthetic & then wanted to or had to go back to regular 2 cycle oil would that be a problem in the engine??  I have also heard once you use synthetic you can't go back to regular oil.

[Xxx]

Yes I've heard the same thing but I think that pertains to the automotive industry. Also if your motor was set up for synthetic oils then you can't go back to conventional oils. As long as it says TCW-3 on the jug somewhere your good to go. The only reason that oil is in the gas is to lubricate the crankcase goodies such as the rod bearings ect. That oil gets used only once for a split second. Also the synthetic oils don't have the same properties of regular oils, such as thick when cold and to thin for proper oiling at that point. True synthetic oils stay the same consistencies whether ice cold or hot as hell. We ran synthetic oils in old 15-25hp short shaft Mercs. That were 40:1 we ran them 100:1 in those older motors and never looked back. The Merc. Dealer in Allentown Pa. told us they won't last, those motors are still going today . I have one and my 2 uncles has them, and a guy that owns a scrapyard. Richard Costenbader was the first to have this AmsOil in our area and he did a test on a 40:1 motor mixed the fuel 100:1 and that motor ran all day in the barrel at more than a idle, basically that the motor had to work a little. Saw this with my own eyes. I have a Evinrude 15hp mid 80's I'd say same plugs going on 3 years. Nice light brown color on the ground strap and the electrode was the same. So why would you want to go back to conventional oils??

[skipper19]

  If I used semi-synthetic & then wanted to or had to go back to regular 2 cycle oil would that be a problem in the engine??  I have also heard once you use synthetic you can't go back to regular oil.

I've had to switch back and forth a few times out of necessity (the cabela's oil got used up, only had some Sierra left)....there was never a problem except the non synthetic was smokey and stunk worse! 2001Yamaha OX66 225hp.
Pap is correct, the oil mostly Flys in and out in seconds. Crankcase always has new clean oil exchanges on every piston stroke. By the time it hits the top of the piston, it has done it's job. Only needs to burn off clean in a complete combustion after that. TCW 3 oils are designed to burn off more complete and lower ash/carbon deposit.
Pap, I think your Merc. dealer wants to scare you into buying 40 dollar a gallon oil specifically refined by Mercury oil industries and exploration...the bottle says it's their oil?[emoji38]

Money doesn't buy happiness,
but it does buy horsepower....
I've never seen a sad person in a boat haulin' A$$...!

[lineman49]

  Thanks for the info. guys!   Pap I was just thinking about if I was somewhere where I could not get the  synthetic & had to use the other if there might be a problem .

[Xxx]

5 hours ago, skipper19 said:

I've had to switch back and forth a few times out of necessity (the cabela's oil got used up, only had some Sierra left)....there was never a problem except the non synthetic was smokey and stunk worse! 2001Yamaha OX66 225hp.
Pap is correct, the oil mostly Flys in and out in seconds. Crankcase always has new clean oil exchanges on every piston stroke. By the time it hits the top of the piston, it has done it's job. Only needs to burn off clean in a complete combustion after that. TCW 3 oils are designed to burn off more complete and lower ash/carbon deposit.
Pap, I think your Merc. dealer wants to scare you into buying 40 dollar a gallon oil specifically refined by Mercury oil industries and exploration...the bottle says it's their oil?

Money doesn't buy happiness,
but it does buy horsepower....
I've never seen a sad person in a boat haulin' A$$...!
 

Yea I knew right away he was a crackerjack!!  The Merc dealer out the road from me, Beltzville Manor Marine, those guys are the best, I believe that there's a finger lake guy Jim Albert he's relation somehow, he's good people also, those guys down at the Merc dealer I go to would have told me the truth, not like that other knot head. Hey when my 355 cid is purring at 3200 I'm happier than a clam, you got that right Skipper, I've never been pissed when she works, the other way around you might not like what ya see! LOL

[lineman49]

  Well I got the good news , bad news deal today!  I went to Cabela's today to buy their semi-synthetic  oil @ $9.99 a gal. & their mechanic talked me out of it. He said the two oils should not be mixed & that the conventional oil will never be totally out of the system. And the semi may not be compatible with an older engine.  Then I see what you guys ,all good, about oil is only in there a few seconds, & that  if it reads tcw-3 it should be the same I really would have liked to use it. But  now I am totally confused & I don't  want to burn up an $15,000  engine!

Edited April 5, 2017 by lineman49

[skipper19]

  Well I got the good news , bad news deal today!  I went to Cabela's today to buy their semi-synthetic  oil @ $9.99 a gal. & their mechanic talked me out of it. He said the two oils should not be mixed & that the conventional oil will never be totally out of the system. And the semi may not be compatible with an older engine.  Then I see what you guys ,all good, about oil is only in there a few seconds, & that  if it reads tcw-3 it should be the same I really would have liked to use it. But  now I am totally confused & I don't  want to burn up an $15,000  engine!

Argh!...mechanics!..whatever! I know a lot of those I would not take a Tonka toy to. My caterpillar and KW repairs are prime examples of extreme cases of knowlege from experience, and not so much experience.There are some good ones... great ones, like Hank, and some wanna be shade trees too. Anyway, so far, my experience has not been bad by using the two different oils back and forth in my OX 66 Yamaha.
Of course if you switch back and forth, you will never get all the one or the other oil out of the system..duh!...what's he trying to say is bad about that? Experience with knowing there was a problem? Evidence of the problem with mixing the two? My trust goes down on a lot of the non supported statements strange mechanics make. I'm not a mechanic by trade but have extensive experience in doing exactly what he didn't recommend, and I hammer on my old 2001 V6 as most have seen or ridden with me know. Many hours, and high rpm, never had an issue with the TCW3 oil of either base.
I'm glad you found the oil at less than 10 bucks a gallon! That's a bargain and if I can get there I'm gonna buy a couple cases of it!

Money doesn't buy happiness,
but it does buy horsepower....
I've never seen a sad person in a boat haulin' A$$...!

[skipper19]

http://www.saltwatersportsman.com/two-stroke-engine-oil-for-fishing-boat
This should help explain the 2 stroke evolution of oils.
Simply having blended synthetic is actually having both synthetic and mineral based oils together and tested for Industry standards to meet TCW3. Obviously having this means you have both oils at once in the reservoir or in your premix. So stating that one oil or the other is never going to be out of the system is rediculous! I can't see a problem that would cause a blowup, but there are some differences in performance and some observations you personally can make to determine if the brand you use is working well in your engine. Routine maintenance things like spark plug analysis or sensor cleaning issues, excessive smoking, etc. In my experience there is more risk in the type of fuel and the air/fuel ratio (for carbs) that someone uses, than the lubricates in the mix. ECM controlled fuel injection is not a problem for air/fuel ratio if all sensors are working correctly but that's another thing.
Anyway there are lots of those bottles of cabela's synthetic blend being sold, many on tournament series. I talked to the marine sales people there about it in Richfield Wisconsin, and they keep having to restock it. It wouldn't be scarce quite often when I look, if it were a bad thing. Cabela's sticks there neck out on it, and it keeps them happily filling the shelves!


Money doesn't buy happiness,
but it does buy horsepower....
I've never seen a sad person in a boat haulin' A$$...!

[lineman49]

 Skipper 19,  thanks for the info. great read! I think I will go for it! 

[skipper19]

 Skipper 19,  thanks for the info. great read! I think I will go for it! 

You'll be okay! Your observation in the use of it will tell you if it is comparable to what you use now. Check your plugs before and after using a few gallons of it. Look for fouling and color of insulator before and after 3 or 4 gallons. Note any extra or less deposits on the ground electrode. Less is always better meaning the oil has additives that work well with the conditions the engine is running in. I also religiously put 1 ounce of Lucas fuel condition in with every 5 gallons of gas in the tank. With that you will notice performance gains and keeps things clean in the fuel system. Let us know how it does!
Mark

Money doesn't buy happiness,
but it does buy horsepower....
I've never seen a sad person in a boat haulin' A$$...!

[lineman49]

  Thanks, will do!