Question about TC3W oil for 2001 Sportster Le

[patsl]

fyi I`m in the market to buy a Jetboat
1st experience this week i had put a down payment on a 1996 Challenger boat 2 months ago and went to test the boat on Monday to find out its cavitating and things looked fishy.

2. Went to see a 2001 Sportster Le today and I was surprised when I lifted the motor compartment this guy had been using TCW3 oil since he bought the boat 7 years ago and has not had any engine problems with his boat.

Just wanted to know does a person thats been using TC3W oil in their 951 Rotax Motor really bad? and should i switch to BRB Synthetic if i do buy the boat after a test run this weekend

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Hi & welcome to the best Seadoo forum.

To answer#2A it means that he wants to sell it soon before it blows up. Not only that TC3W is bad for Seadoos but the 951 should really use the full synthetic from Seadoo (BRP)...other brands of full synthetic may be OK for 787s but not really for 951.
If you buy it, be prepared for a reman motor soon.....$1100+

*****
BTW, how did you notice it was TC3W.....did you see the bottle?

 

[patsl]

Thanks for the reply

Actually as soon as he opened the motor compartment is aw the oil tank was blue and not yellow, So I mentioned to him "Hmm your using Tc3w oil" He said "yes its marine 2 stroke" then he said that hes from the older generation of 2 stroke and adds a bit of oil to his gas manually. In the garage he showed me the Shell Nautilus marine oil. He is man in his 60's and told me hes had it for 7 years and i know his brother owns a Marine shop down his street where it has always been serviced and winterized/ stored there.

I'm Going back to see it on Sunday for a test drive on the water. Any tips or things i should consider.

Also he did mentioned its always been mature driven so this may have prevented the oil to stay cool cause its not WOT all the time. the only time he uses it to go faster is pulling his grand children when they come visit.

If i do buy it can I switch to BRP full Synthetic?

 

[LouDoo]

Well it's kinda like this, you pays your money you takes your chances. Pardon the bad English. While running TC-W3 is not instant death it will definitely shorten the life of a Rotax engine, especially a 951. Compared to other Rotax engines the 951 has a relatively short life anyway, you can expect to do a rebuild between 200 and 250 hours.

I realize that you live north and generally the further north you live the fewer hours on an engine. So see if you can find out how many hours are on the engine.

To answer your question yes, if you buy the boat, you will want to switch to an API-TC rated full synthetic.

Lou

 

[patsl]

thanks for the input LouDOO,

If I do pick it up tomorrow and want to change the oil, do I only empty the oil reservoir and flush lines or do I need to take other things apart ?.

I'm getting this boat for 5k because the guy bought a vintage glastron doat

 

[LouDoo]

Well, yes you should change the injector oil. You will need to drain the oil tank, change the oil filter, and bleed the oil lines. And while you're at it, it would be a good idea to replace the oil injection lines. We can go into more detail if you buy the boat.

Unless this boat is exceptional or you are paying and exceptionally low price I would certainly think twice about buying it, this could turn out to be a major problem.

Lou