Gearbox oil?

[Kleyny]

Is there a differnce in Marine and Automotive?
My outboard is due for a service.
I have plenty of the right grade automotive gearbox oil floating around.

Can i use it or should i stop being a tight ar se and buy marine stuff.

thanks

neil

[FNQCairns]

No difference apart from the differences between brands of automotive diff oils, if you use enough of them you will sooner or later come across the auto oil the marine engine manufacturer buys and re colours/bottles.

Garry here has spoke of synthetic causing problems in particular boxs although the reason would be illusive I imagine and not typical throughout brands but worth considering none the less.

cheers fnq

[jimbo59]

I thought marine diff oil was special....seriously.

[Roughasguts]

HmmmmI got some castrol marine stuff and I'm just guessing it has better water dispersing qualites than the really smelly hy poid gear box oil I have for me car.

But like I said only guessing I know one thing the castrol marine stuff always seems to have sedimant in the bottom of each and every bottle. Whats the deal with that it looks like rust, so I don't use the last few ounces of the muck.

[Spaniard_King]

Neil, you really should go with the manufacturers specification for the correct requirements for gear box oils.

FYI if it were a Honda you can use any SAE 80W 90 GL5 rated Gear Oil. I have also used this gear oil in 2006 and older johnson, evinrude and Suzi engine which are used in a comercial enviroment.

[FNQCairns]

HmmmmI got some castrol marine stuff and I'm just guessing it has better water dispersing qualites than the really smelly hy poid gear box oil I have for me car.

But like I said only guessing I know one thing the castrol marine stuff always seems to have sedimant in the bottom of each and every bottle. Whats the deal with that it looks like rust, so I don't use the last few ounces of the muck.

Guts some of the companys that sell to the great unwashed do not have very sanitary filtering standards as the oil hits the bottle BTW it's the one reason it is bad practice to fill an oil filter before fitting it.

Actually Gut's you have given me an idea, all these 4wds that traverse water, all of these 4wds that get ruined diffs/gearboxs because of unknown water intrusion -seen it many times. Although there is not one marine style of automotive oil marketed to save this problem! an extra drab of emulsifier, some other wonder chemicals and an instant market - big market too:)

But really with all those that adhere to marine marketing outside of warranty periods there is a real market out there for marine gear oils in 4wds, engine oil even, how much does a sticker cost8-).

cheers fnq

[Kleyny]

looks like some mixed votes I'll have to dabble a bit further.

neil

[ozbee]

MARINE OIL has a lot more water dispersant in it also the muck that he talks about in the bottom of the bottle is not junk but small heavier base metal lubricants which when run attach them self between the working faces reducing friction . oil is the carrier not the only lubricant in modern products.