Caring for your Yamaha Outboard

The internet is a wondrous thing, and it makes reams of information available to all of us at a keystroke. Unfortunately, as we certainly saw during the (horrid, disgusting, please-never-again) election cycle, an awful lot of that information is utter nonsense and in many cases, overtly and intentionally false. Even when it comes to how to care for your outboard engine, there’s a huge amount of erroneous advice and incorrect “fact” out there. That’s one of the reasons why Yamaha developed a whole new section of their web site, called “Maintenance Matters”.

I came to Maintenance Matters myself, when a friend asked me for help in winterizing his Yamaha F175. I’ve pulled the plugs and run fogging fluid through a zillion outboards in my time, and I naturally assumed it would be no different. Just to be sure, however, I wanted Yamaha’s official tech-driven word on the matter. And I was wrong. When it comes to the single throttle body EFI models Yamaha manufactures, they recommend mixing a special fogging fluid in with gas, and running it into the motor through a separate fuel line. I found this out by clicking on the “Extended Storage” link. I found it so surprising, however, that I emailed a friend of mine, David Meeler, who’s an expert insider at Yamaha. He confirmed the information, then went on to tell me that Yamaha had developed Maintenance Matters to get out as much accurate information as possible to their engine owners. And after spending some time perusing the site, I have to say that it will prove to be a valuable and reliable resource for anyone who has a Yamaha outboard—or any outboard, for that matter.

Different pages include basic outboard knowledge, corrosion prevention, fuel and filtration systems, electrical systems, power trim and tilt mechanisms, propeller issues, appearance and finish issues, regular interval maintenance, engine oil and lubrication, lower units, and extended storage. There are also links to the capacities and specifications for all of Yamaha’s current outboards. In each of the maintenance sections you’ll find directions, maintenance tips, and videos which describe and/or show the different things you need to do to keep your outboard in tip-top shape. In the video on trim and tilt, for example, you’ll see how and where to add lubrication, and how and where to check and add fluid.

The next time you have a question about virtually any maintenance issue on a Yamaha outboard, you now know just where to go. Visit Yamaha Maintenance Matters.