Yamaha Outboard Motor Rep Recommendations

OK..I called Yamaha and there was a real helpful gentleman who answered the call and we spoke at length regarding issues which are close to my heart now. That is the Yamaha T8 and fuel issues.

Basically, he recommends that at all times, we use Yamaha Ring-Free and a good quality Fuel Stabilizer at all times. Gas only stays good for 2 weeks so, for both 2 and 4 strokes, this should be done. Doing this is also good for winterizing.

However, the above do not “dry” out the fuel…ie. it does not remove the water….so Yamaha recommends a fuel-water separator to remove the water. They recommend for my 90HP 2 stroke to use a 10 micron fuel water separator and a 25-30 micro fuel water separator for the T8 kicker.

They recommend that separate fuel lines from the tank should go to the motors. But he was not against a T-switch.

I also found out that the fuel filters in the motors themselves only remove debris and not water and actually need to be changed regularly as per manual. For the 2 strokes, change after first 10H, and then every 100H thereafter. For the T8, first 10H, every 50H for the first 3 months, and then every 100H thereafter.

And he recommends 87 octane for both motors. He says that they are designed to run on 87 and that is what we should use. I think this is important.

So that is in a nutshell what we discussed today.

Now the question is…..my dealers dun seem to really follow the maintainence schedules. They did tell me about the impellers but noone has told me about changing filters. It might sound obvious, but for some reason, I am not so good with outboards than I am with car maintainence. So, how should I go about changing the Yamaha fuel filters or is it somethng best left to dealers. Thanks.

I had a 40 HP and the filter was simple. I didnt replace it, I just cleaned it with a solvent. I also used the Ring Free and it is good stuff. Most importantly, I did get the fuel/water seperator filter installed and you would be amazed at all the water that gets collected. Also I run 90 or 92, it buys you more time between uses. Gas mixed with oil starts to lose it Octane level within a week or so.

Careful there Derek, the 90/92 octane is that high because of higher Ethanol. You can do some pretty nasty plug/engine damage by using anything over 87 for a long period of time.
I was told that by a PHD at a major engine manufacturer.
Tuck

Tuck;
Not all 90/92 octane gas has ethynol……..Not to my knowledge anyways……..

Am I mistaken?

I should have added I do usually only use Non-oxygenated gas. Wahkon has it..

I use 92 on my truck all the time. I avoid ethanol whenever I can. But does this mean that even in the pumps that do not declare 10% ethanol, they might even have them?

Here is some interesting reading for you “Octane Junkies” I used to think more was better…

The Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline
Are you tempted to buy a high octane gasoline for your car because you want to improve its performance? If so, take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner’s manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won’t make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner. Your best bet: listen to your owner’s manual.

The only time you might need to switch to a higher octane level is if your car engine knocks when you use the recommended fuel. This happens to a small percentage of cars.

Unless your engine is knocking, buying higher octane gasoline is a waste of money, too. Premium gas costs 15 to 20 cents per gallon more than regular. That can add up to $100 or more a year in extra costs. Studies indicate that altogether, drivers may be spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year for higher octane gas than they need.

What are octane ratings?
Octane ratings measure a gasoline’s ability to resist engine knock, a rattling or pinging sound that results from premature ignition of the compressed fuel-air mixture in one or more cylinders. Most gas stations offer three octane grades: regular (usually 87 octane), mid-grade (usually 89 octane) and premium (usually 92 or 93). The ratings must be posted on bright yellow stickers on each gasoline pump.

What’s the right octane level for your car?
Check your owner’s manual to determine the right octane level for your car. Regular octane is recommended for most cars. However, some cars with high compression engines, like sports cars and certain luxury cars, need mid-grade or premium gasoline to prevent knock.

How can you tell if you’re using the right octane level? Listen to your car’s engine. If it doesn’t knock when you use the recommended octane, you’re using the right grade of gasoline.

Will higher octane gasoline clean your engine better?
As a rule, high octane gasoline does not outperform regular octane in preventing engine deposits from forming, in removing them, or in cleaning your car’s engine. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires that all octane grades of all brands of gasoline contain engine cleaning detergent additives to protect against the build-up of harmful levels of engine deposits during the expected life of your car.

Should you ever switch to a higher octane gasoline?
A few car engines may knock or ping – even if you use the recommended octane. If this happens, try switching to the next highest octane grade. In many cases, switching to the mid-grade or premium-grade gasoline will eliminate the knock. If the knocking or pinging continues after one or two fill-ups, you may need a tune-up or some other repair. After that work is done, go back to the lowest octane grade at which your engine runs without knocking.

Is knocking harmful?
Occasional light knocking or pinging won’t harm your engine, and doesn’t indicate a need for higher octane. But don’t ignore severe knocking. A heavy or persistent knock can lead to engine damage.

Is all “premium” or “regular” gasoline the same?
The octane rating of gasoline marked “premium” or “regular” is not consistent across the country. One state may require a minimum octane rating of 92 for all premium gasoline, while another may allow 90 octane to be called premium. To make sure you know what you’re buying, check the octane rating on the yellow sticker on the gas pump instead of relying on the name “premium” or “regular.”

I would agree with that. Thats why I only burn 87 in my truck. I dont see any benefit of higher octane in outboards either, other than my motor have always ran better after sitting for periods of time without adding Stabil.

Thanks for the tutorial boys. Man I love this site

Ok so does snowmobiles have the higher compression engines? I know for a fact that when I run 92 or 93 in my sled it is snappier. I have a switch on my sled for Premium gas or Regular gas. If I remember right when the switch is on premium it changes the timing of something or another and supposedly the premium burns “hotter”? Tuck does this sound right?

So the Boat engine is not considered to be as “tricked” out and high compression as a snowmobile?

Man the stuff you learn on here in a day?

The key is compression. If you have a high compression engine (Which most of us do not.) there is no need to run a fuel with more oxygen in it. Oxygenation in fuels is primarily achieved by adding ethanol or MBTE. Contrary to popular belief, it does not keep fuel “Fresher” either. What Sta-bil and other such chemicals do is act as a binder, keeping key components in fuels from breaking down and sludging, or turning into kerosene!

Yep;
The higher the compression, the higher the octane needed.

Most vehicles today have a compression in the realm of 8 to 9.5. When you reach the 10 or even higher, is when your demanded to use the higher octanes.

It is the compression that gives you the power. If you don’t feed the compression with the proper fuel/timing, then you do not gain potential power.

So, Lip in answering your question, if your sled has a bit higher compression then yes, the higher octane will deliver the best your motor can give…..

Thanks Gary and Tuck.

Flippin Motor Heads

Hey Lip!
A buddy of mine has access to Nitous kits for sleds……..When ya hit the button, you either get blown off the sled, or launch from 90mph to about 140mph in about 3 seconds…….Interested????

You can gain more compression by shaving your heads, (Engine heads, not your melon Lip! ) reducing head space. You better be darn good at doing it, because that next sound you hear after you pass the century mark could be a loud “Boom” followed by a whole lotta mess!

You are better off taking my word for it on this one…

You guys make me roll

Yes Gary I have heard of them. No need for me unless I get a long tracker for out West. Then I might have some interest.

Tuck I don’t need to quicken my 500. She is plenty fast, to keep up wih the big boys. I have some friends that run 700 and 800’s and do plenty fine keeping ahead of them. The only thing that slows me down is when I have to go back and peel them out of the woods Thanks for the Auto Class 101 today

Lip, I cant believe you still have that pic of me leaving the Wahkon Inn.

Nope that was me on probably the best Snowmobile trip I have been on . That trip was in March 2003 up at Pasha Lake Cabins. 4-7 feet of powder. That pic was taken on a day 2. Man that trip was a blast. Frickin cold though. I think the warmest we saw was -22 F until the day we left it got -5. We had 3.5 days of virgin untouched snow. Unbeievable. Darryl has 100’s of miles of ultra smooth glass trails up there, but we never rode a mile of them. All off road down old logging roads out in the middle of nowhere the only other sleeders we saw were at the resort

Chris, is absolutly correct in his statments,very well written. I saw this on the NBC nightly news almost verbatum. They said the only vechiles that need premium fuel were higher end cars basically with all aluminum blocks which most of them are now and use only Mobile one oil.

The only thing I would add is if your car or truck is pulling a very heavy load. Then it may be benificial to step up in octane rating.

In my old V10 pulling loads they recomended higher octane.

Wow Tuck, I’m impressed.

Jami

Back to the original topic somewhat. I have run ring free in all my YAMAHA engines since 2002 (which is when I became aware of the product).

As for the recommendation of higher octane fuel – I was told that when it’s recommended in the owners manual, it has something to do with the temperature that the fuel combusts (higher temp for increased octane) and the grade/type of plugs that are matched to them.

I do make a point to not run any ethanol through my outboards or any other of my small engines (lawn mower, snowblower, trimmer, blower, etc…).

As for my tow vehicle, why use gasoline when diesel does a better job and it’s more efficent for my application!

My info on ring free and the octane for the outbards comes from Chad Smith at the YAMAHA tech support trailer.

ted