Outboard Motor Oil

What is oxygenated fuel?   Oxygenated fuel contains oxygen as part of its chemical makeup.  The purpose of fuel oxygenation is often to reduce carbon monoxide levels created while the fuel burns.  Usually oxygenates come in the form of gasoline additives, such as alcohol.

Some boaters are concerned with the possibility than an oxygenated fuel can harm their motor and interfere with the performance of their outboard motor oil.  Outboard motors can generally tolerate up to 10% alcohol content in fuels, which is the maximum amount allowed by the United States.

     
A few days ago in this blog, I compared 2-stroke and 4-stroke outboard motors.   In the news this week, another question arose.  The year 2006 was the original deadline the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave for all outboard motors in use to meet new, more stringent emission requirements—levels so low that many consumers believed that 2-stroke motors would have to be done away with altogether, simply because they did not have the technology the EPA guidelines would require.  However, almost three years later, two-stroke outboard motors are still being sold, even though statistics have shown that up to 40% of the gas and oil in a two-stroke motor’s gas tank enter the water unburned.  One study suggests that a 70-horsepower outboard motor emits as many hydrocarbons per hour as the average automobile driven about 5,000 miles.

There are currently no regulations demanding the disposal of two-stroke outboard motors, which are still acceptable in all but a very few situations.  Some of these motors are over 25 years old and still running smoothly, but their overall fan base is dwindling due to environmental concerns.  The real issue is not with all two-stroke motors, but with the older models that are not directly oil- or fuel-injected, where the outboard motor oil and fuel are mixed in a can prior to use.

Through several posts on this blog, we’ve stressed the importance of recycling your outboard motor oil.  One of the biggest concerns is where to find your local recycling station.  There are several ways to do this.

The easiest way to do it is to check your local phone book. You can also check your county or city’s website to find locations.  If none of those resources work out, you could also consult an auto mechanic, as they would know where to recycle your oil.

Just like with your car, boat motor oil leaks can signal a problem. Find oil leakage can be indicated in several ways, whether it’s a pool in your garage or driveway or if it’s mixed with water when you remove the water plug.  Here are some things you should look at to surmise a leakage problem:

• Check your dipstick before and after you take your boat out. It’s also good practice to do this anyway.
• Check if there’s oil in the oil pan.
• Check the level in your tilt and trim reservoir.
• Change your filter, if necessary.

If you’re still having issues, consult a professional boat mechanic to see if there are any other parts of the boat you may have glossed over.  The main thing is to solve this problem immediately before it causes a great deal of damage to your boat.

Clean Water: By recycling your used outboard motor oil, you keep it out of rivers, lakes, streams and even your ground water. In many cases, that means keeping it out of your drinking water, off our beaches and away from wildlife.

Recycling the motor oil from one oil change protects a million gallons of drinking water - or a year’s supply for 50 people.

Save Energy and a Resource: Motor oil doesn’t wear out – it just gets dirty. As it circulates through your engine it picks up a variety of contaminants and becomes dirty or used and needs to be replaced. If you are one of the millions of do-it-yourselfers who drops off your oil at a collections center or uses curbside pickup you are conserving energy for future generations.

If one gallon of used motor oil is reprocessed and burned as fuel, it will generate enough electricity to power everything in your home for a day.

Recycling Used Oil: Used motor oil can be reprocessed into fuel that warms your home in the winter and cools it in the summer. It can be burned in furnaces for heat, or in power plants to generate electricity for homes, schools and businesses. Processed motor oil can also be used in industrial burners, mixed with asphalts for paving, or blended for marine fuels.

Used motor oil can be re-refined into lubricating oils that meets the same certification and specifications as new or virgin motor oil thus conserving energy resources for the future.

As the Associated Press is reporting, bulk oil prices have slid today to $116 a barrel.  The news comes as the spring season enters the home stretch and Americans prepare for the summer – a season that is most popular for vacationing and leisure activities such as fishing and boating.

The decrease in oil prices was due to the end of a refinery strike in Scotland, which adds to the falling demand of oil, though gas prices are still averaging at $3.67 throughout the U.S.

The Many Uses of Recycled Motor Oil

Recycling used outboard motor oil keeps oil out of landfills and ensures that this oil is available for re-use, reconditioning, reprocessing or re-refining.

From a purely environmental point of view, the best thing that the motor oil consumer can do is to buy a longer-lasting oil. In that way, less used oil is generated in the first place.

Over 380 million gallons of used oil is recycled each year according to the U.S. EPA, which equates to over 50 percent of all motor oil purchased annually.

Currently, used motor oil can be re-used or recycled one of three ways—reconditioning, reprocessing or re-refining. It is important to note that each process can be important in helping to manage the overall volume of used motor oil in the U.S.

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An Environmental Guide for Watercraft Operators
Reprinted from Evinrude XD 50 Engine Oil website
©Personal Watercraft Industry Association

All boaters participate in the ecosystem, a system created by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment. We are not separate from nature, but a part of it. As boaters, we cannot ignore the effect we have on the environment. The waters that we enjoy may be impacted by our actions. Every boater has a responsibility to learn and use environmentally safe boating practices and products (like Evinrude XD 50 Motor Oil) that will protect the waters for the future.

As a watercraft rider, you are considered a boater. Watercraft are defined as Class A inboard boats by the U.S. Coast Guard and are required to follow most boating regulations.

The Personal Watercraft Industry encourages you to adopt the following simple guidelines to preserve our natural resources.

Beware and show you care by following these general rules.

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