TOPIC: fuel ratio?

trying to confirm the fuel/oil ratio for my 1965 Evinrude 60hp motor. google's telling me 50:1 and that the switch from 24:1 was made between 1964 and 1965. i just wanted to make SURE before i filled the tanks. that'd be a bummer of a mistake for the maiden voyage.

as a side note, is there a chart or something like that online that y'all trust? so much innacurate information out there, i hate to trust any of it sometimes.

Your Sportfour has needle or ball bearings on all crank/rod surfaces and can be run at 50:1 ratio.

Here's what OMC has to say about the topic:

www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Owners-Center/FAQ/OilAndFuel#qst2

"1 - What kind of oil can I use for my 2-stroke motor?

XD30, XD50 and XD100 oil is recommended for all 1993 and newer motors.

2 - What is the fuel/oil mix for my motor?

The following is generally true: 1958 and prior used 20:1, 1959 thru 1963 used 24:1, 1964 and newer use 50:1. High performance usage (racing) requires a ratio of 25:1. New engine break-in (not DI) requires 25:1.

3 - I live in an area where they only sell oxygenated fuels. Will this hurt my motor?

Oxygenated fuels should not hurt motors. Motors can tolerate up to 10% alcohol in fuels, which is the maximum allowed by law in the United States.

4 - What grade of fuel should I use in my motor?
Current recommendations are to use a minimum of 87 octane, 89 octane is preferred. There is no additional benefit from using higher-octane fuels, in fact they may cause hard starting conditions in hot weather. If you have an older motor and the owner's manual requires premium fuel, here's why:

When these were built, the best oil available was TCW-2 rated, and did not contain the additive package (detergents, carbon preservatives, etc.) which our current oils (XD-30, XD-50 and XD-100) contain today. In that era, premium fuel contained the additive package that helped prevent the formation of internal engine deposits. That's why premium fuels were preferred at the time. Ultimately, in the late 90's the federal government mandated fuel refiners to use the same additive package in all grades of fuel and the premium fuel requirement was dropped."

So, grab your flagon of TCW-3 and start mixing!!

HTH & Happy Boating!.........ed

My 1961 has a lable inside the front of the hood
24:1

If you don't know much this motor has been used or how hard it has been run I would not go over 40 to 1 Better safe then sorry. A littel to much oil never hurt any motor.
Mike aka the pirate

Everyone I have ever asked this question gives me a different answer. So after a while, I just made the decsion to use 40:1 in my 1957 Johnson 35 HP outboards and the same 40:1 in my 1966 Evinrude 100 HP. I only use Evinrude/Johnson XD30 oil. I have been told over and over to stay clear of the generic brand 2 cycle oils and Penzoil.

The XD30 is $36.00 per gallon vs about $11.00 for the generic stuff at Fleet Farm. I'm well into my 4th gallon this season.

I also use only non-oxygenated gasoline. I paid $4.33 per gallon yesterday.

Andreas

I've run 50:1+ in lots older stuff for years. Also since my dad was a chronic cheap skate, we've used E-10 gasoline fairly often too.

What I mean my 50:1+ is one pint per 6 gallons, and then a little more just to be safe. Like others have said, 40:1, 32:1 should all be fine. If it makes you nervous, go 24:1. (quart per tank)

Quicksilver Premium Plus (don't forget the +) with mid-grade fuel at 50:1. Runs cool, no smoke. '59 McCulloch 60 hp Flying Scott. So there...another country heard from!

I have been running Penzoil syn. for about 5 years now at 50:1 for my 68 55hp rude and my Mark55. Never had a problem with it and I have run it in alot of other boat motors as well. I have tried the merc oils and alot other more expensive oils and have not seen any real differance in them other than I can afford more gas with the wally world penzoil.As for the cheaper brands there is an old gentleman over at the lake who has been running all of his mercs for the last 50 yrs on the cheapest lawnmower oil he can buy. He showed me some plugs from a old merc400 and they were in really great shape.He claims just about all old engines will run 50:1 or 24:1 or anywhere in between. Just make sure that your oil is low ash or they will smoke.

50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1

Contrary to what many believe - too much oil WILL hurt the engine. The excess oil creates coke /carbon formation that makes the rings stick. This will ruin the engine - I have seen it over & over, more times than I can count. all V4 engines should be run on 50:1. The 50 through 85 HP v-4 engine were especially wasteful of fuel, and the bearings and pistons are well lubricated. With the new oils available, they get more lubrication at 50;1 than they had at 24:1 with the old 30 wt oil back in the day. No matter what the original decals on the engine say, no matter what the original manuals say - run 50:1

50:1 may be fine, in fact, I would even tend to agree, but not for motors made before 1950.

Yes -but I need to make it a little more clear - the V4 can run on 50:1 because it has all needle & ball bearings. old pre - needle / ball Engines that use babbit bearings do need the extra oil to keep from burning up.

Bruce Gerard wrote:

50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1 50:1 - 50:1

Contrary to what many believe - too much oil WILL hurt the engine. The excess oil creates coke /carbon formation that makes the rings stick. This will ruin the engine - I have seen it over & over, more times than I can count. all V4 engines should be run on 50:1. The 50 through 85 HP v-4 engine were especially wasteful of fuel, and the bearings and pistons are well lubricated. With the new oils available, they get more lubrication at 50;1 than they had at 24:1 with the old 30 wt oil back in the day. No matter what the original decals on the engine say, no matter what the original manuals say - run 50:1

Hi Bruce,
Regarding coking, the lugging of these motors also contributes to the condition. Many of these motors are put on boats with no accounting of what prop is on it, what RPM the motor is running at, etc. These motors like to run! Lugging them down (too much pitch) is akin to driving uphill, while towing a trailer, in fifth gear. Temps build up in the combustion chamber and the carbon/coke builds up on the pistons and rings.
Too many folks think going up in pitch will give them more speed. If you have RPM to spare, that can be true, BUT if your motor is already maxxed out on RPM, adding more pitch isn't going to help, and will actually hurt! The Fat Fifties are rated 50hp with an operating range of 4000-5000 RPM. Prop the motor to peak at, or even just a touch above, 5000 revs, with a light, but usable, load (.ie, just the driver and fuel, not loaded up with gear, people, dogs, etc.).
- Scott

I have been using Pennzoil FULL synthetic ($26 a gallon at Menards near me) for years, and find that running it in some of the antique outboards I collect, they smoke much less. I pulled the exhaust cover from a 1956 Ev 7.5hp a couple years ago for a ring inspection and noticed how little buildup there was, even running 24:1 with an extra splash. Its the only oil I buy.