Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

[jasno999]

I have a 1997 GP1200 and I love the thing. However I have a question on what kind of 2-strok oil I can use.

My friend has been making me use this oil that he gets at the marina that says it is for PWC on it and it costs like 18-22 dollars for a gallon of it. However I think he has jsut fallen into the trap of packagging and this idea that we have to use that oil.

I thought TC-W3 was all we needed. But I am not sure. What I was wonderign was what the exact type and oil requirments are for a PWC or for a Yamaha?

I mean I know that at wallmart you can get a gallon of 2-strok oil for outboards and I think it is rated TC-W3 for like 7 dollars. IF I can use this stuff on the jet ski I would liek to save money and do it.

Now I don't want to hear the peopel like my friend that are stuck on the idea that one oil is better than another and that I have to buy a cearatin brand if I want everyhting to work. I think the majority of that is jsut crazy-talk. Oil is rated in a ceartain way so as to make sure a consumer knows what they are getting. IT is jsut like gas- it all comes from the same place and is all basically the same. Only thing that makes exxon different from Shell is the additives they add and in the end it does nto make a big difference.

Somebody help me out.

[Technical Support]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Very few PWC engines can survive on the Wally world cheap stuff.


That motor is a very high performance block that needs at least a synthetic blend. Yamalube is about the best for the money, and you can find it under $20/gal at almost every Yamaha dealer. If you want to shop at Walmart for your oil, pickup the Penzoil synthetic - about the same price.

[jasno999]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

What is the rating for a yamaha PWG? TC-W3???


I mean what is the difference from one to the next if the ratting is the same?

What I use now is jsut the brand that we get from the marina and I foget the name but it says it is specificaly designed for PWC use. But I think it is jsut a TC-W3 and it makes me wonder what the true difference is...

[Technical Support]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

It's not about the ratings.

[jasno999]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Ok then what exactly is it about. I have not heard anybody giove a good argument with facts to back up their statments on this yet. YOu guys all say the same thing but is that jsut because of your cultural beliefs or is it based on hard facts?

[Technical Support]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

For me, it's based on thousands of inspections, and seeing first hand what cheap oil does to these engines. It's also first hand experience with testing exactly that. The cheap stuff gums up, looses viscosity, stop protecting, period. We all say the same thing and we know what we're talking about. That why there are probably 100 threads on this EXACT topic, and the ONLY reason it keeps coming up, is because people (in particular PWC owners for some reason) are CHEAP and want to skimp and save on care of the machines. I'll never understand why, since you are risking 100x the cost of repair.

[jasno999]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Relax.

I am goign to keep to using the stuff that is formulated for PWC. I am goign to do that cause as you say it is not worth messign somethign up or having something break.

However at the same time I don't beleive your statments to be 100% true. I am not sayign you are incorrect. I beleive there are differences in oils I jsut am not sure that the differences are as large as you state.

Again it is different but I use the analogy to gas companies. Additives are the only difference between one gas and the next. Same goes for oils. So in the end the oils are the same but you have soem special treatments and additives in one brand that are not in another.

I will keep using the good stuff. However I have a small boat with a old 1982 75HP Johnson engine (outboard) on it. FOr this I have been using the wallmart cheap brand 2-stroke oil and I will continue to do so. I will hope for it not to cause me any issues or problems. Hopefulyl on this smaller and less specalized engine the cheaper stuff will be enough.

I thank you for you input. But I think there are more sides to this and a lot of information out there that has been alterd or warped due to preception and cultural beleief.

[Technical Support]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Outboards are a completely different story, and the old small ones run on anything.

[skraggy]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

jasno....Your point is correct about most oils being the same and coming from the same place and root source.But that only really applies with regular oils,mostly automitive.The amout of additives that are added to regular motor oils are minute compared to a performance semi-synthetic 2-cycle blend such as Yamalube.Having been involved with one of the largest oil packaging plants in the southeast...I know what you are trying to say,but your statements apply mostly to automotive oils/non synthetic.

Yamalube is all I use since siezing a motor due to lack of lubrication....cheapo oil.I learned the expensive way,way before joining these boards.And as TS stated...this subject has been covered many many times.I also think it is pretty funny that you disagree with him....You ask for advice and then want to argue the advise you are given from someone that has easily 100x the experience that you or I have.....I just dont understand people sometimes I guess.

No arguement needed please....

[dtd696]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

You Get What You Pay For.

[1200ks]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

outboard motors do not run for hours on end at 6000+rpm like a ski does.

TCW3 spec is minimum requirement spec. The sky is the limit on the upper end as far as specs. If you plan on keeping your ski for many worry-free years, then you will need to pay up and buy a good quality 2cycle oil. I personally use Amsoil Dominator or Interceptor (both 100% synthetic) and have gone to premix on both my ski's. In short, you can either pay for the oil now, or you can pay SBT for a new engine much sooner than you would like. Nothing against SBT, but I'd prefer to spend my time riding instead of installing a new engine. Riding days are too few and far between to be wasted in a hot garage on a Saturday afternoon.

[YZrider]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Read Yamaha Service Bulliten on their test of 2W Yamalube vs. MANY other brands @ a 100hr continuous wide open throttle test @ the R&D facility @ YMC. Very informative article. Mr. Lechein @ Maxima ,who owns the company,has another excellent article on oils and their properties and protection.

"Quality oil is cheap compared to expensive engine components" "Cheap oil is a recipe for disaster"

[K6jet]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

yea, yamalube all the way, I also have a small outboard, and agree that just about anything can go in those, but for a ski engine which is built for performance and speed, you really need the manufacturer recommended or better.


I also think that yamalube in yama's cuts back a little on smoke then any other oils.

[Katmandu]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Jasno, I have a riding partner that's been made to believe that Yamalube is the only way to go, and will never change. We can buy it here in bulk at $11 a gallon, bring your own container. I don't know if it's synthetic blend or not, BUT I do know that at Wal-Mart you can buy Pennzoil semi-synthetic at $9 bucks a gallon. Here in Tx I go to Academy Sporting Goods and buy it a buck cheaper. I use it for my PWC, and all my 2 strokes, with no problems.

I agree, I think it's all a matter of preference and what each person has been told by others or what they're led to believe. Then again, Toyota and Honda want you to buy ONLY their brand of filters and fluids for maintenance on their vehicles, and I don't know their specifics, so I buy known quality fluids like Mobil 1 oil and such. I probably wouldn't buy the cheapest TC-W3, but I think if you buy known quality stuff, you'll do fine. Like others have said, we could go on forever with this debate.

[jasno999]

Re: Oil Question on type for yamaha GP1200

Ok I am going to be using the Amisol Intercepto synthetic on the ski from here on in.


Now how do I change my ski over from self mix to premix?