FC-W®: An Oil Standard for Four-Stroke Cycle Outboard Engines

The Oil Certification Committee of the National Marine Manufacturers Association has developed FC-W^®, a new standard for crankcase lube oil used in four-stroke cycle inboard, outboard, and sterndrive marine engines. A sub-committee representing the marine engine industry, the oil industry, oil testing laboratories, and the NMMA engineering standards group was formed to study the lubrication and corrosion prevention needs of four-stroke cycle engines. The sub-committee developed a rust test and an engine test as well as adopting 3 industry standard bench tests. These tests, together with formulation restrictions are used to identify oils that meet the requirements for use in four-stroke cycle marine engines. This paper gives an overview of the development of the new tests, formulation restrictions, and product approval system.