Rotella T in an outboard?

[robertsapp]

My new Tohatsu 6HP outboard says to use engine oil with an API SF, SG, SH or SJ rating. Life it too short to try and figure out what that even means, and why the hell do they make so many damn different oils anyway? So after about an hour of scrutinizing the labels on every bottle of oil at Pep Boys, Castrol GTX was the only one that listed any of those ratings (I think it was SJ. Or SH. Whatever). So here's the thing - I always have plenty of Shell Rotella T onboard for oil changes for the Yanmar. It has none of those ratings listed above. But it sure would make life easier if I could just use it in the outboard. So would it hurt something if I did?

 

[kloudie1]

Rotella T is a dual rated oil.. Good for gasoline engines and diesel.. Will be fine in the Tohatsu

 

[Eddie7045]

The API rating is on the label, sometimes twice. It

will be shown within a small circle about a half an inch dia and will most likely say API-SM which supercedes the previous API ratings SL, SJ, SH ect.

 

[robertsapp]

Rotella T is a dual rated oil.. Good for gasoline engines and diesel.. Will be fine in the Tohatsu

Thanks Claude. How'd those tiles work out?

 

[kloudie1]

Haven't put 'em in yet, .. have had some family stuff with aging mom and I've been working on one of my cars .. haven't been at the boat for 5 weeks.. NOT GOOD.. Weather is really bad right now here so it will probably be next week before I go back ..
I appreciate the effort in getting them to me.. Right now, the stbd side of the engine box has a limply hanging aluminum foil sheet and a lot of polyurethane powder all over the floor.. Nasty.. Those tiles are going to really help.

 

[kloudie1]

Tiles

Robert.. new tiles under engine lid. Other ones went on sides of box.
Many Thanks .. Very tenacious adhesive !

 

[robertsapp]

Re: Tiles

Yeah, you definitely want to get it right the first time, as there's no second chance. FYI on my engine installation, I used aluminized duct tape on the seams. Not the silvery fabric stuff you get at Lowe's or Home Depot - the professional stuff you get at an A/C supply center that's made of actual metal foil coated with adhesive.

 

[anchorclanker]

I started running Rotella T, 15W40 in everything I own about 4 or 5 years ago, gas and diesel. Its good oil and does cover just about every range of application. Some engines call for straight grades, like straight 30W, within a certain temperature range. But I have seen situations where the oil was really not holding up the way they claimed. Just keep an eye on it, it shouldnt be any problem.

 

[David W]

Robert.. new tiles under engine lid. Other ones went on sides of box.
Many Thanks .. Very tenacious adhesive !

Gent, at the risk of hijacking this thread, I'm curious about how effective those tiles are at reducing noise levels in a real world situation. Have you had any time to make a 'gut-feel' assessment on their effect?

I just noticed that there is no lid to cover seal on the compartment in the picture. As an aside I put some regular weatherstripping on our lazzerette lid and it made a significant difference. Something to consider.

 

[Richard19068]

My new Tohatsu 6HP outboard says to use engine oil with an API SF, SG, SH or SJ rating. Life it too short to try and figure out what that even means, and why the hell do they make so many damn different oils anyway? So after about an hour of scrutinizing the labels on every bottle of oil at Pep Boys, Castrol GTX was the only one that listed any of those ratings (I think it was SJ. Or SH. Whatever). So here's the thing - I always have plenty of Shell Rotella T onboard for oil changes for the Yanmar. It has none of those ratings listed above. But it sure would make life easier if I could just use it in the outboard. So would it hurt something if I did?

I think in the small print here it shows that it has SJ and SH ratings so should be fine.

Shell ROTELLA® T Triple Protection® Oils provide triple action to help control wear, deposits and emissions to continuously adapt to the needs of your engine for protection in on- and off- highway applications.

It meets or exceeds API CJ-4 requirements, and is designed to provide extra performance. Shell Rotella® T Triple Protection® performs well in both older and new engines.

• Up to 38% lower iron wear in over 40 million miles of on- and off-road testing in late-model engines*
• Up to 22% less iron wear than Shell Rotella® T3 SAE 15W-40
• On average 50%+ lower wear in seven key industry tests*
• 30% increase in active ashless chemistry to protect against deposits and sludge*
• Designed to optimize after-treatment service life in systems on 2007-and-newer trucks

 

[Eddie7045]

Richard, the guy did not understand what the API

rating was. SJ has been superceded several times since the time his manual was written. A bottle of oil will have that listed 2 or even 3 times.