2-stroke without smoke and smell!

[dhaglund]

Last fall I bought a small 2-stroke outboard. They are pretty bad for the environment since they send unburned fuel and 2-stroke oil into the water. There is not a lot to be done about the unburned fuel on older outboards but it turns out there are alternatives to the regular 2-stroke oil. I tried a product called Triboron. It is not an oil but a replacement for 2-stroke oil. According to the sales pitch it reduces friction 20 times better than any 2-stroke oil. I have no idea how true that statement is, but I bought a bottle to try in my Tohatsu 18 hp.

So far I have one tank of gas with Triboron through the engine and everything is in working order. The best thing for the lake is that Triboron is supposedly harmless for the environment. The best thing for me is that there is no smoke anymore, no smell in my clothes and no oil film in the water!

Triboron costs a bit more than regular oil but I would say it is well worth it! One bottle will last one season for me. For anyone that use their outboard a lot a fuel-injected four-stroke is the way to go.

Have any of you tried similar products?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by dhaglund

Have any of you tried similar products?

Not used Triboron, but I’ve been using Di-lithium for a while & had no problems with my warp coils.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Not used Triboron, but I’ve been using Di-lithium for a while & had no problems with my warp coils.

No clogged plasma injectors?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by willk

No clogged plasma injectors? [emoji782]

The port side nacelle got a bit clogged, but a flush of the plasma conduit sorted it.

[ptm]

I must confess- that 2-stroke exhaust smell is what I look forward to at the start of every season! Anyone else?

[dhaglund]

Originally Posted by ptm

I must confess- that 2-stroke exhaust smell is what I look forward to at the start of every season! Anyone else?

Haha, I agree, sort of. But that doesn't mean that I want that smell in my clothes when I return home.

[FoxZulu]

The smell of Castrol R from a 2 stroke motorcycle is as addictive as class A drugs - or so I'm told

[chriswjallen]

I totally agree. I was brought up around 2 stroke motorbikes and I LOVE the smell. I’ve got a Mercury 15hp 2-stroke outboard, and when not out on the water I sometimes fire up the Stihl leaf blower to give me a lift.

[jeffstevens763@g]

Originally Posted by FoxZulu

The smell of Castrol R from a 2 stroke motorcycle is as addictive as class A drugs - or so I'm told

Yea RAC rally’s Castro R in the wind great

[Miss Guided]

Gotta love the smell of 2-stroke and Castrol - As Robert Duvall says: "I just love the smell of Napalm in the morning"...

MG x

[TmMorris]

Originally Posted by dhaglund

Haha, I agree, sort of. But that doesn't mean that I want that smell in my clothes when I return home.

'And that's why I'm not wearing any clothes, officer'.

[Takson]

Originally Posted by FoxZulu

The smell of Castrol R from a 2 stroke motorcycle is as addictive as class A drugs - or so I'm told

There was nothing quite like a race poddock at 10:02 when the race engine curfew lifts at 10:00!

[FoxZulu]

I'll never forget the first time I went to Brands Hatch with some mates on our Fizzies in 1977 to watch the 'King of Brands', and as we approached the circuit we could smell that beautiful aroma of Castrol R. Totally intoxicating.

I keep a bottle on the shelf to add a small amount to the fuel in my LC just for the smell.

[dhaglund]

Well, this thread never really gain traction. At least not the way I anticipated.

To sum it up: Some are Start Trek fans, everybody just loves the smell of 2-stroke oil and no one seems overly concerned about oil in the water.

We did get some funny comments though!

If any admin is listening in, you can delete this thread. I don't think we have to save it for future generations.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by dhaglund

Well, this thread never really gain traction. At least not the way I anticipated.

To sum it up: Some are Start Trek fans, everybody just loves the smell of 2-stroke oil and no one seems overly concerned about oil in the water.

We did get some funny comments though!

If any admin is listening in, you can delete this thread. I don't think we have to save it for future generations.

Oh no - we keep all threads forever so we can remind the grumpy old people how unfunny / unhelpful they were to newbies!

As regard triboron - I'd not heard of it before (I've been 4 stroke only for a few years now). I had a quick google - its probably a bit of a misnomer to say its a replacement for oil as a large part of its ingredients seem to be hydrocarbons (i.e. oil). http://triboronproducts.com/wp-conte...ncentrate-.pdf

MORE IMPORTANTLY - I can't see any specific reference that it is intended for use in outboard engines. Normal 2 stroke oil used in water cooled outboards (TCW3) and used in air cooled engines (such as mopeds, chainsaws etc) is different - because the engine operates at different temps.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Poly

....MORE IMPORTANTLY - I can't see any specific reference that it is intended for use in outboard engines.

It looks strange stuff and water soluble. From the data sheet is has very, erm 'loose' specification. And....

12.3. Bioaccumulative potential
Bioaccumulative potential Distillates (petroleum): Expected to bioaccumulate in the aquatic environment.
Calcium Salicylat: Potentially bioaccumulative in aquatic environments.

[Roflhat]

I ran 11% MTBE in my unleaded for a couple years in the thundercat, cuts NoX and carbon monoxide emissions in two strokes down by 70 and 50% respectively. Very hard to get hold of now, I ran it primarily as a performance booster as it has high oxygen content. But the smell was truly fantastic, a mixture of Castrol 2 stroke and the sweet smell of MTBE almost like bubblegum

[TmMorris]

Originally Posted by jwalker

It looks strange stuff and water soluble. From the data sheet is has very, erm 'loose' specification. And....

12.3. Bioaccumulative potential
Bioaccumulative potential Distillates (petroleum): Expected to bioaccumulate in the aquatic environment.
Calcium Salicylat: Potentially bioaccumulative in aquatic environments.

It seems to be a petroleum based product just like normal two stroke but with high levels of boron which maybe what allows small quantities to be water soluble.

I'm not entirely sure that it's not just a clever workaround on how emissions are generally measured. If you have carbon based petrol, mixed with carbon based oil and it's burning in the atmosphere at the same temperature you're going to get the same molecules in the exhaust. Maybe the boron changes how these molecules bind so that standard measurements see less of what they're designed to look for and don't see what's now being produced?

Ie, if you can change the combustion to produce less pm10 particulate pollution by creating much more pm2.5 then you could claim such a substance massively reduces pm10 particulate pollution.

Most 2 stroke outboards pump the bulk of their exhaust and excess oil into the water. Oil actually biodegrades really quickly in water. Bacteria feasts on it. When we think back to that well spill in the Gulf of Mexico most of the clean up happened naturally as the oil was rapidly digested at sea. Particulates are less of an issue as these are pumped into the water. The real environmental damage tends to be what's left behind in the form of toxic elements such as heavy metals.

If this oil is soluble and rich in boron then I'm not entirely sure you'd want it used in outboards? The excess oil that isn't burned would dissolve into the water body rather than being naturally biodegraded and the high levels of boron strikes me as being quite nasty if it built up in an enclosed water body.

[TmMorris]

Originally Posted by jwalker

It looks strange stuff and water soluble. From the data sheet is has very, erm 'loose' specification. And....

12.3. Bioaccumulative potential
Bioaccumulative potential Distillates (petroleum): Expected to bioaccumulate in the aquatic environment.
Calcium Salicylat: Potentially bioaccumulative in aquatic environments.

It seems to be a petroleum based product just like normal two stroke but with high levels of boron which maybe what allows small quantities to be water soluble.

I'm not entirely sure that it's not just a clever workaround on how emissions are generally measured. If you have carbon based petrol, mixed with carbon based oil and it's burning in the atmosphere at the same temperature you're going to get the same molecules in the exhaust. Maybe the boron changes how these molecules bind so that standard measurements see less of what they're designed to look for and don't see what's now being produced?

Ie, if you can change the combustion to produce less pm10 particulate pollution by creating much more pm2.5 then you could claim such a substance massively reduces pm10 particulate pollution.

Most 2 stroke outboards pump the bulk of their exhaust and excess oil into the water. Oil actually biodegrades really quickly in water. Bacteria feasts on it. When we think back to that well spill in the Gulf of Mexico most of the clean up happened naturally as the oil was rapidly digested at sea. Particulates are less of an issue as these are pumped into the water. The real environmental damage tends to be what's left behind in the form of toxic elements such as heavy metals.

If this oil is soluble and rich in boron then I'm not entirely sure you'd want it used in outboards? The excess oil that isn't burned would dissolve into the water body rather than being naturally biodegraded and the high levels of boron strikes me as being quite nasty if it built up in an enclosed water body.

[TmMorris]

Double post