# 2 stroke motor oil
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 7, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802 "2006-09-07T17:50:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/1 "2006-09-07T17:50:56Z")
Lets say I was stranded out in the boonies and my 2 stroke golf buggy ran out of gas. My buddy has a gallon of fresh gas along and a quart of motor oil.Can I mix the regular motor oil with the fresh gasoline and do no damage to my engine?
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/2 "2006-09-07T18:00:13Z")
Nope… you need to use 2 strike oil as it is a very different beast alltogether.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/3 "2006-09-07T18:00:35Z")
It’ll work, but very poorly. You WILL foul the plug if you run it for more than a few minutes and blow a lot of nasty smoke (more than 2-stroke normally produces, for sure). I certainly wouldn’t run it that way any longer than absolutely necessary. I wouldn’t expect any permanent damage, however; the situation isn’t significantly different from a 4-stroke engine with worn rings with respect to burning engine oil.
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### Author:  [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2006, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/4 "2006-09-07T18:06:19Z")
No, you cannot.
The reg qt of oil will not blend properly, so it won’t follow the fuel through the crank and around the internal engine parts. Further, if it were to get thru the engine crank and around the engine parts thru the ports in the cylinder/piston and then it were to wind up in the combustion chamber, (where 2-stroke oil should go), it will completely foul up the combustion and/or not combust and/or stall the engine.
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/5 "2006-09-07T19:30:59Z")
I’ve done it and not had a problem. I don’t suggest it as a regular method, but it beats walking.
You have to make sure the fuel and oil are properly mixed, you can’t just pour in some oil, and then pour into your gas tank.
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### Author:  [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/6 "2006-09-07T22:15:44Z")
I’ve done this several times with a chain saw, when I forgot to get more two-stroke oil before hitting the woods. Never had a problem.
Just follow **Rick** ’s instructions about thorough mixing.
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### Author:  [@Toyman991](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toyman991)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/7 "2006-09-08T00:38:04Z")
I own several old outboard motors from the fifties and their manuals state that SAE-30 HD (non-detergent) motor oil can be used but that two-stroke oil is preferred. These motors run on 24:1 mix. I also have a 1949 Mercury KF-5 that runs (like a scalded dog!) on the required 16:1 ratio.
I belive the additive package in modern GL motor oils would create some pretty bad deposits if burned in a two-stroke. Plus, they are not formulated to mix well with gas so keeping them from separating would also be a problem. In a pinch, though, cheap non-detergent oil is your best bet but you’ll likely foul the plugs and may need to de-carb the cylinders after using it.
For more than you ever wanted to know about oils and lubrication in general, check out:
> **[A Review of Mineral and Synthetic Base Oils - Bob is the Oil Guy](https://bobistheoilguy.com/)**
>
> By MolaKule Introduction: Conventional lubricants are formulated based on mineral oils derived from petroleum. Mineral oils contain many classes of chemical components including aromatics, paraffins, naphthenes, sulfur and nitrogen species, etc, and...
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/8 "2006-09-08T01:33:30Z")
> [@Toyman991](#):
>
> I belive the additive package in modern GL motor oils would create some pretty bad deposits if burned in a two-stroke.
> [www.bobistheoilguy.com](http://www.bobistheoilguy.com)
[nitpick] Not GL the ratings for gas engines start with an S so it is SL [/nitpick]
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### Author:  [@Toyman991](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toyman991)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/9 "2006-09-08T02:02:26Z")
Sorry for the brain fart (GL). Can’t even blame it on keyboard proximity!
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/10 "2006-09-08T04:35:14Z")
I get those also. 🙂
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### Author:  [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/11 "2006-09-08T04:51:13Z")
To avoid paddling or walking in the old days, we used anything that worked even if just for a little while. I came by my lazy ways honestly. 😉
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### Author:  [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/12 "2006-09-08T15:49:11Z")
Supposing there were a drug store, but not an automotive store available, castor oil is a fair substitute for “real” two stroke oil. It was what was used when they were first developed.
[cite](http://www.sea-doo.net/techarticles/oil/oil.htm)
From the link above:
> [@](#):
>
> I mentioned a third category of base oils earlier, vegetable or Castor (not Castrol, that’s a manufacturer) bean oil. This oil is derived from pressing oil out of castor beans and distilling it. ‘Bean Oil’ as it is often referred to, has some very unique characteristics; some very good, others not so good. The good is that it is an excellent lubricant. It seeks out hot spots in the engine and clings to those hot surfaces much better than petroleum type oils. The bad is that it does not mix with gasoline easily and it burns ‘dirty’ (excessive carbon/varnish deposits). In the early 70s, before power valves were used, castor bean oil was very popular in racing 2-strokes. Now that power valves are common and we have improved petroleum and synthetic oils, castor bean oil is seldom used anymore. Several companies still market it in the form of a degummed castor oil for racing applications only. It should be avoided for recreational use unless you enjoy tearing your engine down for a top end cleanup fairly often. Several manufacturers formulate their oil with castor bean oil as an additive (antiwear agent) rather than base oil. They blend it with their petroleum and synthetic base oils. When castor bean oil burns, it has an unmistakable ‘sweet’ smell.
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### Author:  [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/13 "2006-09-08T20:48:15Z")
A two-stroke mechanic told me there is even a big difference between oil for boat motors (water-cooled) and snowblowers and grass trimmers (air-cooled.) He warned me not to use the oil from one kind for the other.
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [September 8, 2006, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/14 "2006-09-08T22:12:12Z")
I think I would need a cite for that. Now I fully admit I have not searched the labels on my 2 stroke oil for the small print, but the biggest difference I can think of is because the boat engine burns so much more fuel, the oil comes in a larger container.
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### Author:  [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-stroke-motor-oil/371802/15 "2006-09-09T02:04:34Z")
> [@Rick](#):
>
> I think I would need a cite for that. Now I fully admit I have not searched the labels on my 2 stroke oil for the small print, but the biggest difference I can think of is because the boat engine burns so much more fuel, the oil comes in a larger container.
A marine mechanic would be loathe to recomend anything different… while I am not one, I have had several boats…
I would have no issues running “Marine” 2cycle oil in non-marine applications, but I would not do the reverse… Marine applications usually require a minimum rating (TWC-3 in my Mercury)…
If anything, it would have to do with it’s ability to withstand the heat, etc… Marine applications are generally much higher HP and run at higher RPMS under considerably more load than most “garden tools”.