YAMAHA & MERCURY METHODS I spoke to Yamaha’s special projects manager David Meeler recently about this topic and he offered some sage advice on the“Yamaha way”to check your outboard engine’s oil level. The following is his step-by-step method to get it done: The oil level check procedure for your Yamaha 4-stroke outboard is a bit different than the procedure for your car. It’s easy to get an accurate reading if you follow this procedure: 1-Start and warm the outboard to normal operating temperature, then shut it off. 2-Tilt engine up halfway and allow it to rest for 5-minutes to thoroughly drain the oil back into your outboard’s crankcase. 3-Trim the outboard back down to level. You can place a small bubble level on top of the anti-ventilation plate or cowling to help you determine when to stop.
4-Carefully remove the engine cowling, pull the dipstick, wipe the oil from it and re-insert it in the crankcase. Then pull the stick again and check the oil level. This helps ensure proper venting for accurate indication. 5-At the proper oil level, the oil should be halfway up crosshatch
pattern on the dipstick. Replace the engine cowling when finished and lock it down.
The top and bottom of the crosshatch pattern on the dipstick do not represent“high”and“low.”The correct oil level indication is at the mid-point of the pattern. Use caution when filling or
adding oil. Add oil slowly and in small amounts and do not allow the oil level to surpass the upper portion of the crosshatch pattern. Doing so may result in aeration of the oil, reducing lubricity and oil pressure and may cause eventual engine damage.
Looking at how Mercury Marine suggests doing an oil level inspection, their step-by-step for my ProXS 250 V8 is as follows: 1-For a cold engine, tilt the outboard up at an angle past vertical to allow trapped oil to drain back into the oil sump. Keep the outboard tilted for at least one minute. 2-Tilt the outboard back down to a vertical operating position. 3-Take off the cowling, or in the case of Mercury’s V6 and V8 outboards, push down on the port side of the convenient service
access door to open it and access the dipstick and the engine oil fill cap. 4-Remove the dipstick and observe the area of the five yellow beads. 5-The bead or crosshatch that shows oil furthest from the end is the oil level.
6-Add oil as necessary one quart at a time if the oil level does not touch any of the beads. Repeat and recheck as necessary to bring the oil level up to the safe operating range, which is anywhere from the first-to-fifth bead, in the middle of the beads on the dipstick. AN EASIER WAY As discussed, most boaters have to remove their outboard engine cowling to check their engine oil level and to add oil if required. On my EdgeWater 185 CC’s Mercury ProXS 115 HP in-line four, this is the procedure. However, as mentioned in the prior section, the 250 ProXS V8 on my 228 EdgeWater CC features a very convenient service door that makes both oil checks and adding oil a breeze, there- by encouraging me to check my oil status more frequently. It’s always a good idea to keep a few spare quarts of oil onboard just in case and be sure to keep them secure so they don’t bounce around and cause
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