Guide Of Maintaining Your Yamaha Outboard Engine Part II

6. Forgetting to Check the Oil

What It Does: Oh, yeah, boaters neglect this all the time. Checking the oil is necessary every time you use your boat. Non-use of boats can cause seals and gaskets to fail as they dry out. This can accelerate oil leaks.

Result Of Neglect: Going to sea with a twoquart oil shortage can damage valves, rocker bearings or cranks — and very quickly at the high rpm ranges where boats run.

Solution: The easiest way is to send your engine to local authorized dealer for checking and ask them to use only Yamalube Outboard Oil.

Penalty: Lose a power head or engine block and shell out $10,000 or more.

7. Running on a Damaged, Out-of-Balance Prop

What It Does: Props turn the energy of the engine into propulsion by pushing and pulling on the water. When they are undamaged, they spin smoothly with no vibration.

Result Of Neglect: Ding, dent or knick one badly enough and it will vibrate even though it may still push the boat. You may or may not be able to feel the vibration, but it will cause shaft “cancer,” shake the shaft, erode the seals and maybe even damage bearings and gears.

Solution: Do not use Non Genuine Propeller as it will not last long. Replace only with a Genuine Yamaha propeller. Repairing the prop is another optional.

Penalty: Keep on spinning that damaged wheel and plan to buy a new gear case and a prop to boot

8. Running the Battery Down

What It Does: Batteries are made to burn while starting the engine and running lights, engine electronics, marine electronics and stereos, but most batteries are destroyed at the dock during storage. Keep an automatic charger on the batteries to keep them fresh.

Result Of Neglect: Batteries that should last three years won’t last one year if you fully discharge them even a few times a season.

Solution: Replace with a new battery or recharge your old battery to keep it fresh and conditioned. Plug it in whenever your boat is in storage to keep it topped off.

Penalty: Don’t condition-charge and you’ll buy a new battery every season. Keep batteries charged and save the cost of the charger over three years — and end those embarrassing moments at the dock.

9. Not Flushing Salt Water from the Engines

What It Does: Many engines take in cooling water from the sea. The water works great. There is a ready supply of it, but it’s corrosive.

Result Of Neglect: If you leave that salty water in the engine when you store your boat, it can corrode and block the engine’s cooling jackets, destroying it.

Solution: Free! Yamaha technicians say one of the biggest causes of engine failure is failing to hook up a garden hose to the engine and flush it with fresh water.

Penalty: Buy a new outboard!

10. Forgetting to Service the Water Pump Regularly

What It Does: The pump impeller is made of a flexible, rubber-like material that degrades over time. Changing it ensures water flow, but equally important, changing it regularly ensures that the screws that hold the gear-case housing together do not corrode and lock tight.

Result Of Neglect: The most obvious and immediate effect is an overheating engine, which will at best end your boating day, and at worst burn up your engine.

Solution: DO NOT use non-genuine Yamaha impeller as it only waste your money. Replace broken impeller only with Genuine Yamaha Outboard impeller which is long lasting. DO NOT use non-genuine

Penalty: Even if the water pressure gauge indicates all is well on a threeyear- old pump, those screws might be welding the gear case together. If they do, you’ll replace the gear case for thousands, not hundreds, of dollars.