Things you wish you knew before you serviced your outboard

[speedbird]

Planning on doing the 100 hour service on our twin Yamaha F150s myself. Labor prices at Yamaha dealers are very high. My maintenance expertise amounts to one oil change on my car, but I figure I have to start somewhere. Watching all of the (Very good quality) Youtube videos on this topic before I even think about touching the motors, but I am curious if there are any simple lessons all of you learned that might help my journey go smoother

 

[Evan B]

Honestly, it's way easier than doing it on a car. If you can do the car, you can do this. I'm not sure the layout of those Yamahas, but on my DF200 Suzuki, I did have to undo the lower cowling to get the oil filter off. My DF60 didn't require any of that.

Otherwise, just minimize the mess on draining it out. One thing I like to do is tilt the engine up a bit as it drains so that the oil doesn't end up running down the side of my motor when it loses that initial pressure that shoots it out the side a few inches.

Don't forget the gearcase oil. Get a pump if you don't have one yet.

 

[Matt B]

Based on some experience with a smaller Honda—those service tasks are pretty straightforward. But if you have any trouble, maybe think twice before venting your frustration here.

 

[Steve Vaughn]

The first time maintaining my Merc I discovered the lower unit plugs had been installed with an impact driver at the dealership. There was no way I could get them out manually. Ended up going back to the dealership ($$$). I now have one of those impact screwdriver you hit with a hammer. Will be trying it out this weekend.

 

[Pescaphile]

We have a pretty new Yamaha F70 outboard. The dealer is helpful with tips for those of us who wish to do simple routine maintenance themselves.

The engine oil/filter change is pretty straightforward.

The dealer told me that when I change the gear lube in the lower unit to make sure to do this:

1.) Use a pump​

2.) Fill the lower unit until the new lube begins to spill out the vent, then,​

3.) WAIT at least 15-20 minutes allowing the gear lube to fully settle in the housing and displace trapped air, then,​

4.) Fill the lower unit again until the lube begins to spill out the vent again​

5.) Reinstall plugs with new gaskets​

He said "You're going to be surprised how much more lube will go into the lower unit the second time." He was right! I'd guess easily another 30-40% goes in the second time.

He also advised me to keep all my receipts for oil/filters/gear lube/ etc. in a file and write what/when servicing was performed and the engine hours into the owner's manual. He said Yamaha occasionally has asked to see records for owner-maintained outboards when he's had them in for a repair under warranty.

 

[fatbillybob]

I have never opened an outboard but rebuilt plenty of car motors and transmissions. I race cars and my italian cars don't break down. That said the two biggest problem I see with newbies is they fail to take off enough stuff to get good access to what they are trying to fix. The second is not having the right tool or lack the ability to make the tools they have work for the task at hand. For example you can destroy a fastener, or what it is attached to, using a giant breaker bar and all your strength while a simple impact tool will drive the nut off with no drama. If you lack the impact tool often you can often apply heat to get the job done. That's 3 ways to get a nut off. There are others.

 

[Chucker]

The first time maintaining my Merc I discovered the lower unit plugs had been installed with an impact driver at the dealership. There was no way I could get them out manually. Ended up going back to the dealership ($$$). I now have one of those impact screwdriver you hit with a hammer. Will be trying it out this weekend.

I used to have one of those. I left it behind when I moved, which tells you how good my opinion of it was.

Torque wrenches are fairly cheap and easy to use, and maintenance manuals have tables of recommended torque settings for things like spark plugs.

 

[RCF]

Sometimes it is great being retired, actually most of the time.

When I retired my wife agreed that I no longer have to do big or complex projects. I now hire out those projects (for the most part). After decades of taking on large or complex projects, I have retired from doing them. Sold a lot of my tools e.g. table saw, drill press, planer, cutting shear, tube bender, engine hoist, etc.

Being retired also means hiring out projects with lots of aggravation potential. Best decision I made for my body and mind...