gear oil vs marine gear oil

[Tuffy1760]

question for you guys... Can get RP gear oil pretty easy at AAP or AZ, discounts help. RP marine gear oil not so easy to get and savings not that easy. So can the Non marine gear oil be ok?? it was for years... talkin' lower unit here... I'm leanin' right now with the regular gear oil and the AAP discounts...
Thanks ahead of time for your input.

 

[quint]

If we are talking Mercruiser, I have an older 1st gen Alpha drive (technically its an MR drive) and I have been using regular non-marine gear oil for the last 8-10 seasons or so. I know for a fact my friend uses non-marine gear oil in his too.

I cant really say I know what the difference in marine vs non-marine gear oil is, other than a 162% difference in price. An added water emulsifier would be my guess, but I dont really know.

I'm not recommending you should use non-marine oil in yours (quite the opposite, actually), I'm just throwing my own experience out there....I dont put a ton of hours on my boat, its a 4-banger, so not a lot of stress on the drive. A few hours of puttering around on the weekends during the summer months. So far, no problems.

Let me say that differently. If there is a problem, or if I'm in the process of creating one, it hasnt shown itself.....yet.

 

[Donald]

The marine gear oil deals better with any water that might get in, it holds in in suspension. Given that they sell Mercruiser gear oil (snot green) at Walmart, I see no reason not to use it. You could damage the seal at any point in time and not know it.

 

[Phishin]

I have the old electric shift in my 1969 Johnson 115HP.

It uses magnets to shift the lower unit to Drive-Neutral-Reverse. It requires special lube for that unit. It's strange looking stuff....crystal clear (like water) and VERY thin.

The bad part is, it's about $18/quart....and tough to find.

I know you don't have this style of lower unit, but I felt compelled to share. LOL!!

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Phishin
I have the old electric shift in my 1969 Johnson 115HP.

It uses magnets to shift the lower unit to Drive-Neutral-Reverse. It requires special lube for that unit. It's strange looking stuff....crystal clear (like water) and VERY thin.

The bad part is, it's about $18/quart....and tough to find.

I know you don't have this style of lower unit, but I felt compelled to share. LOL!!



I had one of those but I thought Evinrude was the only one to have them.

 

[bepperb]

If you can get Quicksilver or MerCruiser at walmart or another discount store I don't know why you'd chance a non marine oil. I assume it has more corrosion resistance and can hold more moisture in suspension but what other benefits it might have I don't know (like seal conditioners or ???).

I mean, aside from vintage electric shift units there really isn't a lot going in in a lower unit that would require a good lubricant, it's like four bevel gears and some dogs. But there is a lot more risk of contamination.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Tuffy1760
question for you guys... Can get RP gear oil pretty easy at AAP or AZ, discounts help. RP marine gear oil not so easy to get and savings not that easy. So can the Non marine gear oil be ok?? it was for years... talkin' lower unit here... I'm leanin' right now with the regular gear oil and the AAP discounts...
Thanks ahead of time for your input.


Regular gear oil will be fine until your seals allow some minute level of water into the lower unit. Then your regular gear oil will fail and you will destroy all of the tolerances in your bearings and on the gear teeth faces. Then it will be $1500 R&R time. So, go buy regular dino marine gear oil and change it every season and extend the life of that lower unit. You do not need synthetic in it.

 

[friendly_jacek]

There are some differences on VOA: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...170#Post2862170

 

[Phishin]

Originally Posted By: Donald


I had one of those but I thought Evinrude was only one to have them.


Johnson and Evinrude....same thing. OMC, now Bombardier.

 

[Tuffy1760]

very good info thanks.