Yamaha PWC Oil

[Compatico]

Why not use a marine oil?

Because "marine oil" is a marketing gimmick to jack up prices.

Look at the virgin oil analysis for marine and automotive and you'll find them to be essentially the same. In fact the Yamalube 4W oil recommended by Yamaha for their jetskis and boats is not even marine rated! It's plain old conventional oil - any 10w40 API SG or better meets their engine oil requirements.

I now run Castrol GTX 10w40 in mine as it works just as well (if not better) and costs half as much. No issues with foaming, moisture, or and has a better additive pack than Yamalube. Todays small vehicle engines are closer to these jetski engines than ever, and the oil they need is the same.

Same goes for their "marine oil filters"...cheap $5 filters being sold for "marine" environments at 5x the cost. Any comparable fitting filter will work just as well. I now run Fram TG3614 filters which filter better than the Yamaha at 1/4 the price.

 

[Cripes]

Certification - FC-W

www.nmma.org

"
FB-14307W Marine Performance 20W-40 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.
FB-43069W Marine Full Synthetic 5W-30 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.
FB-43072W Marine Performance 10W-30 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.
FB-00511J Yamalube Marine Performance 4M Four Stroke FC-W 10W-30 Yamaha Motor Corporation
FB-00512J Yamalube Marine Performance 4M Four Stroke FC-W 20W-40 Yamaha Motor Corporation
FB-00620K Yamalube 5W30 Full Syn Marine FCW Yamaha Motor Corporation
FB-80460T Yamalube Marine Performance FC-W 10W-30 Yamaha Motor Distribution Latin America Inc
"

 

[Pablo]

Because "marine oil" is a marketing gimmick to jack up prices.

Look at the virgin oil analysis for marine and automotive and you'll find them to be essentially the same.

No, no it isn't.

VOA does not show anti-oxidants, rust preventative and other organic additives.

 

[Compatico]

Certification - FC-W

www.nmma.org

"
FB-14307W Marine Performance 20W-40 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.
FB-43069W Marine Full Synthetic 5W-30 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.
FB-43072W Marine Performance 10W-30 Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd.
FB-00511J Yamalube Marine Performance 4M Four Stroke FC-W 10W-30 Yamaha Motor Corporation
FB-00512J Yamalube Marine Performance 4M Four Stroke FC-W 20W-40 Yamaha Motor Corporation
FB-00620K Yamalube 5W30 Full Syn Marine FCW Yamaha Motor Corporation
FB-80460T Yamalube Marine Performance FC-W 10W-30 Yamaha Motor Distribution Latin America Inc
"

Yup...4W is not on the list though is it...as I said, Yamalube 4W jetski conventional oil is not marine rated.

 

[kschachn]

Another resurrected thread offering no new or relevant information.

 

[Compatico]

No, no it isn't.

VOA does not show anti-oxidants, rust preventative and other organic additives.

No it doesn't show that. But it also doesn't show that regular oil isn't just as good. They also claim anti-foaming additives. Silicon is often used for that and most regular oils have a shot of that because today's small engines rev just as high. Motorcycle engines rev much higher. So that's just another misleading marketing tactic.

Also FC-W doesn't have any specs so we don't know what FC-W means except an unknown certification license fee was paid to slap "FC-W" on a bottle and charge twice as much.

If you know about the marine industry, almost everything they sell is twice as much. Buy a stainless screw at Home Depot and it's $1 but buy the same "marine quality" stainless screw made by the same company and it's now $2.

 

[kschachn]

Also FC-W doesn't have any specs so we don't know what FC-W means except an unknown certification license fee was paid to slap "FC-W" on a bottle and charge twice as much.

Just because you don't know what something is doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Certification - FC-W

www.nmma.org

 

[Compatico]

Another resurrected thread offering no new or relevant information.

I posted a VOA on this site for Yamalube 4W showing it has nothing special in it. It's an overpriced "marine" oil that Yamaha sells to gouge their customers. It's not even FC-W listed and Yamaha is arguably the biggest seller of jet powered skis and boats, but they can't be bothered to get their own recommended oil listed. That says something.

 

[kschachn]

I posted a VOA on this site for Yamalube 4W showing it has nothing special in it. It's an overpriced "marine" oil that Yamaha sells to gouge their customers. It's not even FC-W listed and Yamaha is arguably the biggest seller of jet powered skis and boats, but they can't be bothered to get their own recommended oil listed. That says something.

You don't understand what a $30 spectrographic analysis shows and what it does not show. People always trying to pull stuff out of a VOA/UOA bag that is not even in there to start with.

 

[kschachn]

I posted a VOA on this site for Yamalube 4W showing it has nothing special in it. It's an overpriced "marine" oil that Yamaha sells to gouge their customers. It's not even FC-W listed and Yamaha is arguably the biggest seller of jet powered skis and boats, but they can't be bothered to get their own recommended oil listed. That says something.

Are none of the ones on this list the oil you're talking about?

https://www.nmma.org/assets/cabinets/Cabinet456/2021%20FC-W%20Registered%20Four-Stroke-Cycle%20Marine%20Oils.pdf

 

[Compatico]

Just because you don't know what something is doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

Certification - FC-W

www.nmma.org

Believe what you want.

FC-W is meanlingless without guidelines, specs, or something. But they refuse to say what the rating requirements are. Based on the oils they do list, it seems most or all oils would meet their requirements as long as you pay the fees. But even if there is something meaningful in FC-W ratings, Yamaha 4W is not listed and is not a requirement for Yamaha jetskis and boats. And that's a fact.

Any 10w40 oil meets Yamaha's requirement for their watercraft.

 

[kschachn]

FC-W is meanlingless without guidelines, specs, or something. But they refuse to say what the rating requirements are. Based on the oils they do list, it seems most or all oils would meet their requirements as long as you pay the fees. But even if there is something meaningful in FC-W ratings, Yamaha 4W is not listed and is not a requirement for Yamaha jetskis and boats. And that's a fact.

Did you even look at the specification on that page? The exact ASTM tests are listed along with the pass/fail requirements.

 

[Compatico]

Are none of the ones on this list the oil you're talking about?

https://www.nmma.org/assets/cabinets/Cabinet456/2021%20FC-W%20Registered%20Four-Stroke-Cycle%20Marine%20Oils.pdf

Nope. I believe every watercraft Yamaha makes is spec'd to use Yamalube 4W oil, which is not listed. Never has been.

 

[kschachn]

Nope. I believe every watercraft Yamaha makes is spec'd to use Yamalube 4W oil, which is not listed. Never has been.

Well you also have to understand that if a manufacturer markets an oil under their own brand name and is specifically listed as acceptable for a particular application then nothing else is required.

 

[Compatico]

Did you even look at the specification on that page? The exact ASTM tests are listed along with the pass/fail requirements.

Yup. The requirements are not specific to "marine" oils. There's nothing there that any decent oil shouldn't be able to pass. But only certain oils are submitted for FC-W certification. I'm sure most if not all oils would pass, but companies are not going to spend money on certifications that no one cares about - Castrol or Pennzoil is not doing it because they don't care if their oil is used in watercraft - the market is too small for them to bother.

 

[kschachn]

Yup. The requirements are not specific to "marine" oils. There's nothing there that any decent oil shouldn't be able to pass. But only certain oils are submitted for FC-W certification. I'm sure most if not all oils would pass, but companies are not going to spend money on certifications that no one cares about - Castrol or Pennzoil is not doing it because they don't care if their oil is used in watercraft - the market is too small for them to bother.

So "normal" oils have the same corrosion and rust test? Plus the Yamaha engine test?

 

[Compatico]

Well you also have to understand that if a manufacturer markets an oil under their own brand name and is specifically listed as acceptable for a particular application then nothing else is required.

Doesn't mean you have to use their overpriced oil. The only requirement is listed right in the manual:

SAE 10W-30, 10W-40, 20W-40, 20W-50
API SG, SH, SJ, SL

They want you to use their oil so because it's twice as much. Their oil filters are also cheaply made, but cost 5x as much because it says Yamaha on the side. It's just gouging.

 

[kschachn]

Doesn't mean you have to use their overpriced oil. The only requirement is listed right in the manual:

SAE 10W-30, 10W-40, 20W-40, 20W-50
API SG, SH, SJ, SL

They want you to use their oil so because it's twice as much. Their oil filters are also cheaply made, but cost 5x as much because it says Yamaha on the side. It's just gouging.

Given that then I agree. Most manufacturer branded oils are more expensive, it's not just Yamaha. VW wants me to use their oils as well as does Honda and Toyota.

 

[kschachn]

Nope. I believe every watercraft Yamaha makes is spec'd to use Yamalube 4W oil, which is not listed. Never has been.

So it's not really "spec'd" to use it, just a recommendation. The only required "spec" is an API license.

 

[Compatico]

Given that then I agree. Most manufacturer branded oils are more expensive, it's not just Yamaha. VW wants me to use their oils as well as does Honda and Toyota.

Yup...all manufacturers want you to use their overpriced oils which they don't actually make, they just get it supplied to them - they probably make more profit from the accessories and oil changes than the car itself.