Yamalube products are the only products engineered to meet the unique demands, operating characteristics, and applications of Yamaha outboards engines. Need help using Yamalube products to service your Yamaha outboard? PartsVu regularly publishes helpful service guides over our blog, like this marine grease guide.
We also provide to following resources to help service your Yamaha outboard engine:
Yamalube Products FAQs
Oil and grease are the primary lubricants that keep your outboard in the water and out of the repair shop. If it’s time for maintenance, or you detect oil that is milky in color, smells burnt, or looks darker than usual when checking it, it’s time for a change.
That being said, the choice of oil matters. One of the most commonly-asked questions about lower unit oil is, “Can I use regular gear oil in my lower unit?”
The answer is no. Lower unit oil is made with emulsificantes – that is to say that lower unit gear oil has additives that help absorb moisture to prolong engine performance. Because the lower unit spends a significant portion of its usage in water, emulsificantes ensure the proper longevity and performance of your Yamaha outboard motor.
Yamaha outboard motors require regular maintenance to stay reliable out on the water and avoid breakdowns. This maintenance must occur after 20 hours of service for new engines, then every 100 hours. You should perform enhanced service every 300 hours and 500 hours.
Convenience is king when it comes to spending more time on the water. Instead of making multiple trips to the marine supply shop, having everything you need to perform gear lube changes helps prevent buying the wrong item or compromising on quality.
That’s why PartsVu has conveniently assembled all-in-one Yamaha gear lube kits for every Yamaha engine type.
PartsVu’s Yamaha marine gear lube kits include the following (kits vary based on your Yamaha engine model):
- Yamalube gear lube
- Yamaha gear lube pump
- Yamaha outboard lower unit drain gaskets
What Kind of Grease Should I Use on My Outboard Motor?
Marine grease is the right choice for all Yamaha outboard motors. More precisely, Yamalube for Yamaha outboard motors is specifically designed to work with Yamaha’s exacting engine specifications and high performance in freshwater and saltwater applications.
The purpose of using grease in mechanical applications is predominantly for lubrication. However, because an outboard motor spends a significant time exposed to water and high RPMs, it needs a specially-designed grease that repels water while delivering high performance.
Marine grease serves many crucial functions for outboard motors:
- Enables lubrication between metal components to withstand extreme conditions, such as high temperatures, high pressures, shock loads, or slower speeds under heavy loads
- Lubricates hard-to-access or closed systems for extended periods without frequent replenishing
- Aids long-term storage by creating an air-tight film against moisture
- Prevents corrosion from contaminants and foreign materials
- Due to its viscosity versus oil’s, grease acts to keep deteriorated seals effective and extend their lifespan without leakage
- Grease is often used in applications where installing an oil-based system is too expensive/impractical to circulate and retain
Boat owners often compare their outboard engine operation with that of their car. Yes, both your outboard engine and your car’s engine are combustion engines with the same mechanical principles. However, the environment the two engines operate within are significantly different. For example, outboard engines frequently reach and maintain speeds between 3500 and 6000 RPM. However, your car reaches only about 2200 RPM when running on the highway.
Another big difference is that outboards have oil sumps and exhaust systems that are immersed in water when the boat is not on plane, resulting in much lower operating temperatures. Combine this with the large amounts of time that outboards spend at idle or trolling speeds, and it’s easy to see how carbon buildup in the combustion chamber occurs much faster in your outboard’s engine than in your car’s.
Carbon buildup in the combustion chamber is just bad.
- Piston rings stick in their grooves and cannot seal tightly
- Cylinder walls become glazed allowing exhaust blow-by and excessive crankcase pressure
- Gasket failure is the common result
When rings stick and cylinder walls glaze, unburned fuel gets past the rings and contaminates crankcase oil—this results in a condition known as “making oil” that is extremely detrimental to long engine life.
The concern: Carbon buildup in your outboard’s engine is quite harmful to your engine’s performance and longevity.
The good news: One ounce of Yamaha Ring Free Plus to every 10 gallons of gasoline solves the problem.
Water is heavier than gasoline. If both water and ethanol gas is in the fuel tank, water will sit on the bottom of the tank—your fuel pump is also at the bottom of the tank. This is a problem, but the problem is about to compound. If enough water is in the fuel tank, ethanol will leave the gasoline and bond with the water, which potentially doubles the volume of the water in your tank. You can end up with water enriched with ethanol rather than ethanol-enriched gasoline.
An additional source of contamination is debris from your gas station’s holding tanks. While you run the risk of “old gasoline” at a low-volume station (always try to frequent a high-volume station), even the popular stations’ tanks will age, increasing the odds of introducing unexpected contaminants to your outboard engine.
Spent engine oil can be removed from the engine by extraction or via the oil pan drain screw plug. The extraction method requires the use of a vacuum extractor which is inserted down the dipstick tube and uses suction to pull the spend oil from the pan. This method tends to be very clean and is probably the most widely used among marine technicians. Alternatively, the drain screw itself can be removed. On inline Yamaha four stroke models (F15 to F150), the Seawell drain kit can be used to minimize the mess. On larger V6 models, to access the drain screw, remove the plastic chaps that cover the midsection of the engine. Be sure to have plenty of drain pan capacity as some of these engines can hold up to seven quarts of oil. We also recommend a petroleum sorbent pad to catch and errant drips and keep your driveway or lawn clean.
As the spent oil is draining, you can work on removing the engine oil filter. Depending on your specific Yamaha model, your filter may have a drain lip that will help keep the mess to a minimum when you unscrew the old filter, but most older engines don’t have this feature. We suggest being prepared with plenty of absorbent rags or place a small cup that is cut to be placed below the filter prior to removal. Using a properly sized filter wrench or socket is the best way to loosen the filter and Yamaha even produces a socket for their 5GH sized filters. Some technicians make a practice of puncturing the filter to allow trapped oil to drain back into the block prior to removal, but this will ruin your ability to take the filter apart later for further inspection should you wish.
The new oil filter should be removed from its package and the o-ring lubricated with a thin coat of fresh engine oil. Spin on the fresh oil filter and gently tighten with your filter wrench to seat the o-ring without over-torquing.
Loosen the yellow oil fill plug on the top of the engine and pour in fresh oil. It is recommended to add just less than stated capacity and check oil level on the dipstick after allowing a few minutes for the oil to properly drain down into the oil pan with the engine trimmed down. Filling the oil to the lower level on the dipstick will help you to measure if the oil level changes over time after the engine has been in operation.
Yamaha - Yamalube Fuel Stabilizer and Conditioner Plus - 32 oz. Bottle - ACC-FSTAB-PL-32Regular Price $11.24 $12.49
Yamaha - Yamashield Rust & Corrosion Protectant - 12 oz. - ACC-YAMSH-LD-00Regular Price $9.41 $10.45
Yamaha - Yamalube Marine Silicone Spray Lubricant - 10.5 oz. - ACC-SLCNS-PR-AYRegular Price $8.73 $9.70
Yamaha - Yamalube Outboard Ring Free Plus Fuel Additive - 12 oz - ACC-RNGFR-PL-12Regular Price $21.26 $23.62
Yamaha - Yamalube Outboard Ring Free Plus Fuel Additive - 32 oz - ACC-RNGFR-PL-32Regular Price $67.87 $75.41
Yamaha - Yamalube Fuel Stabilizer and Conditioner Plus - 12 oz. Bottle - ACC-FSTAB-PL-12Regular Price $5.31 $5.90
Yamaha - Yamalube Multi Purpose Marine Grease Lubricant - 14 oz. Cartridge - ACC-GREAS-14-CTRegular Price $7.94 $8.82
Yamaha - Yamalube Marine Grease Lubricant - 10 oz. - ACC-GREAS-10-CTRegular Price $7.53 $8.37
Yamaha - Yamalube 10W 40 Mineral 4W - Gallon - LUB-10W40-WV-04Regular Price $26.89 $29.88
Yamaha - Yamalube 10W 40 Mineral 4W - 32 oz. - LUB-10W40-WV-12Regular Price $8.06 $8.95
