Reply To: Oil mix

[Don]

OK, well there are many variables to this discussion for sure. No doubt, today’s OEM two stroke oils are much better than what was around back in the 50s. James, choosing an oil mix relies heavily on the older outboards you are running. Like Bill says, regardless of oil improvements, 50s OMCs with plain rod bearings require 16:1. Keep in mind that not all 50s OMCs required 16:1, even back in the 50s.
Like others have said, I always mix for the heaviest oil mix for my several OMC engines. In other words, my two line OMC tanks always get mixed at 16:1, my single line OMC fuel tanks get mixed at 24:1. Keep in mind that none of my old two line engines have been converted to a single line/fuel pump system. My mixing routine would not work for owners who have converted older two line engines to single line fuel pump engines.
I can’t speak for other manufacturers, except to say it is wise to follow their original mixing recommendations for a particular engine. Is this “overkill”? Perhaps, it really depends on how many old engines you run, and how many hours you put on them.
This will always be a “hot button” topic. Keep in mind that most of today’s techs have little or no experience with older engines, and have no business commenting about them. Even some of the OEM/OMC recommendations from later years are absolutely wrong for some of the older engines.