Just curious if you guys change your lower unit gear oil every year? Last fall I only changed the oil in my Yamaha F150. Is it that important to do the gear oil too? Also is it a deal breaker to use gear oil not made by Yamaha? Is there any difference? Looking at hopefully getting the boat out next weekend.
every fall
Just curious if you guys change your lower unit gear oil every year?
I don’t always change it every year, but I ALWAYS inspect it every fall.
Pull lower plug and see what it looks like. If it looks new – good enough. I change every 2-3 yrs, checking it a few times per summer.
It’s a no-brainer. If there’s water in the lower unit, I want to know about it before it becomes a problem, as in a cracked case from freezing or corrosion of parts. So I drain and refill mine every fall. Cheap and easy.
I do it every year in the fall as well – I use mobil 1 full synthetic 75-140 gear oil in mine and it seems to work great. Shifting is smooth as ever with the DTS system. Mine takes exactly a quart so it costs maybe 30 bucks with the oil and new seals for the plugs. I replace the plug seals every time I open it up. Bought a big bag of seals when I did the first job and have plenty of those.
Also is it a deal breaker to use gear oil not made by Yamaha? Is there any difference? Looking at hopefully getting the boat out next weekend.
I’ve used Valvoline 80/90 syntheic in my HPDI for years and all is good.
Fall and Summer,
As a guide with a two stroke in the past, I changed the lower end in the fall and in August. It was an older 2001 Merc 90. I hit a lot of wood (not hard) and needed to ensure the seals were good along with the high hours I was putting on it.
Now with a Yamaha 150 SHO, I haven’t been putting on nearly the hours but still change the crankcase and lower unit oil. One year, I put on less then 10 hours. Still had the oil changed.
If you have problems with your engine, it’s much easier to go back to the dealer with Yamaha brand oil in it to make your case. (although I’m told they have to cover warranty work even if you’re not using their recommended brand)
$10,000 motor. $50 oil and filter. Why not?
At the very least, check the lower unit gear lube in the fall before freezing temps get here. If you have any water in the gear lube/oil, the problem will occur when that water freezes and expands over the course of the winter and you will be left with a repair you need to fix before you’re back on the water in the spring. Speaking from experience here. Not only can your lower unit crack but also the gears on the inside can rust and get compromised from the presence of water.
Always check it in the fall. Never understood the through process of the guys who wait until spring to check it because at that point, it’s too late and you likely already have other issues that resulted from the water being in there over the winter.
$50 oil and filter.
What kind of lower unit do you have that has a filter?
What kind of lower unit do you have that has a filter?
Im assuming he is talking engine oil as lower unit lube is nowhere near $50. Its around $80 to change the oil in my Suzuki because it takes 2 gallons.
I usually change the lower unit in Fall but if it looks good I dont change every year, but its always done in the Fall before storage.
Im assuming he is talking engine oil…
Yeah, I figure that, but the question asked was specific to lower unit lube.
Yes, change every year unless you did not use the motor much at all. Best to do in the fall, assess the gear lube for milky colored appearance. If you have that, you have a seal leak or worse. If that water that causes the milky appearace freezes and it will if cold enough, it will cause more damage to other seals. If you did not change your lower unit gear lube/fluid last fall, open the lower vent screw before running the motor or turning the motor over. If water, or milky fluid comes out, you have a problem. If not, you are solid. You will know it immediately if you have a problem. If you do not, do not leak much and return the plug screw. You should be fine for this year as long as you did not run it much last year. Also, when refilling, follow directions and do not fill the gear case 100% full. Leave just a bit empty. You can blow seals by overfilling and as the lube heats it expands, causing pressure. No worries, you can do this.
thanks for the tips/info! it’s always interesting to see what others do. yes i am talking gear oil not the engine oil. i change that every fall but this year i kept my boat out into November and kind of skipped the gear oil change because it got colder than i expected and i always push it before putting the boat away so hopefully it don’t bite me in the rear.
I just check the lower unit oil every fall as stated if it looks new and no shavings on the magnet it stays in. Why waste perfectly good oil if its clean and no debris doesn't make any sense to me, how often one changes there rear end oils in there vehicles. Its not like it gets hot and breaks down besides water there isn`t any real contamination going on.
Just curious if you guys change your lower unit gear oil every year? Last fall I only changed the oil in my Yamaha F150. Is it that important to do the gear oil too? Also is it a deal breaker to use gear oil not made by Yamaha? Is there any difference? Looking at hopefully getting the boat out next weekend.
No, I never changed lower unit oil every year, I did it every other year at most. Never had the slightest problem. If you’re worried about bad seals and water contamination, the worst way to find out about that is to wait until a yearly oil change. Watch what’s dripping out of your outboard and inspect that lower unit every time before you put it in the water. If water can get IN to the lower unit through bad seals, then water and oil will also be leaking out and there will be signs that things aren’t right.
Engine-OEM-branded lubes are a total ripoff. Yamaha doesn’t “make” oil, they put thier brand on oil made by someone else so they can charge more for it.
The best gear lube on the market is Mobil One synthetic gear lube and it’s been that way since the stuff was introduced over 20 years ago. No idea who makes Yamaha’s lube, but best case scenario is that it’s rebranded Mobil and if that’s the case then why pay more for Yamaha to put their name on it?
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Hodag Hunter wrote:</div>
$50 oil and filter.What kind of lower unit do you have that has a filter?
My Bassackwards sefl showing again – old age. My brain thinking lower unit my fingers thinking engine oil.
I have rented motors for 40 years. Usually have six 6HP & two 8HP Evinrudes. I change the lower unit in them every year. Surprised how burnt the oil smells with not a lot of hours. Simple, cheap protection.
Bought my first real boat last July with 60HP Merc. I will change it every year. Even after warranty is over.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>eyeguy507 wrote:</div>
Just curious if you guys change your lower unit gear oil every year? Last fall I only changed the oil in my Yamaha F150. Is it that important to do the gear oil too? Also is it a deal breaker to use gear oil not made by Yamaha? Is there any difference? Looking at hopefully getting the boat out next weekend.No, I never changed lower unit oil every year, I did it every other year at most. Never had the slightest problem. If you’re worried about bad seals and water contamination, the worst way to find out about that is to wait until a yearly oil change. Watch what’s dripping out of your outboard and inspect that lower unit every time before you put it in the water. If water can get IN to the lower unit through bad seals, then water and oil will also be leaking out and there will be signs that things aren’t right.
Engine-OEM-branded lubes are a total ripoff. Yamaha doesn’t “make” oil, they put thier brand on oil made by someone else so they can charge more for it.
The best gear lube on the market is Mobil One synthetic gear lube and it’s been that way since the stuff was introduced over 20 years ago. No idea who makes Yamaha’s lube, but best case scenario is that it’s rebranded Mobil and if that’s the case then why pay more for Yamaha to put their name on it?
I don’t mind paying a few extra bucks for OEM yamalube but what irks me is you can only get it at certain places. Usually end up going on eBay because no one stocks it unless I call 10 different places.
Would be nice if Fleet farm, NAPA or common places carried the oil! Must be yamaha’s way of making sure do it your selfers are getting the correct parts? Or making it harder to come by so people just take their rig in and get it professionally serviced for 2 arms and half a leg.
I change every year , before putting it away . I drain it and leave it empty . Observe the oil being drained for water /milky. Then refill in the spring. Been doing it on a 40hp Johnson 2 stroke I bought new in 1985. Seals and impeller have been replaced once. Going on 37 years .
Changing the oil/lube is easier than on a car but WAY more expensive!
Tip, save a few gear lube containers and then go to your local boat shop. Most will sell full synthetic gear lube. They buy it in bulk and will refill the containers you supply. Much cheaper than buying in new containers. Im my experience, most full synthetic gear lubes are blue in color. You can buy hand operated pumps, made for this purpose at Farm and Fleet, etc. They are not expensive. the pump input screws into a quart bottle, and the output has a threaded metal fitting that screws into your lower units lower vent hole. Makes this a cleaner job than trying to squirt the lube in from a tube or filling from the top vent hole with a funnel and waiting, waiting, waiting for the air bubbles to dissipate, and continually checking to see if you have it full or not. Another nice thing about using the pumps is being able to tell about how much lube you have pumped into the lower unit. My lower unit takes 22.5 oz of fluid. I just pay attention to the marks on the side of the jug and know when I am getting close. I also install new vent plug seals/washers each time. Go here to find you lower unit gear lube capacity. https://www.mercurymarine.dk/_Resources/Persistent/7/1/4/c/714ccd5539f57db92b7df11a79581eaf83e98dbe/Quicksilver_Olie_Guide_Low.pdf It will tell you the capacity in ml. Take that figure and multiply by 0.0338 to get fluid ounces. I have found to be spot on. May cross check with your owner’s manual to be sure.
I change every year , before putting it away . I drain it and leave it empty . Observe the oil being drained for water /milky. Then refill in the spring.
I have a friend that does it this same way and I never understood why dont you just fill it up right away after draining it? Why turn one job into two? Plus on top of that, by leaving the gear case empty all winter, the insides could rust/corrode.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Meier wrote:</div>
I change every year , before putting it away . I drain it and leave it empty . Observe the oil being drained for water /milky. Then refill in the spring.I have a friend that does it this same way and I never understood why dont you just fill it up right away after draining it? Why turn one job into two? Plus on top of that, by leaving the gear case empty all winter, the insides could rust/corrode.
OR like my buddy Joe. A few years back the Saturday before opener we took his boat out for a ride to see everything was good. Later that day I was in his garage saw his lower unit plugs on the window sill. I asked him if they were extras. He said F-no. Well at least there was water in it for lube.
Note to self: Don’t buy anything from Joe.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Don Meier wrote:</div>
I change every year , before putting it away . I drain it and leave it empty . Observe the oil being drained for water /milky. Then refill in the spring.I have a friend that does it this same way and I never understood why dont you just fill it up right away after draining it? Why turn one job into two? Plus on top of that, by leaving the gear case empty all winter, the insides could rust/corrode.
Been doing it that way for 37 years , it still runs like a champ! I could fill it up right away , my thoughts are any temp changes cause condensate to form , also any residual water inside has a chance to drain or evaporate . There will be a film of gear lube over all parts in the gear case . For the 5 month time frame i am not concerned. As far as selling it Lol who the heck would want to buy a 37 year old 40 HP 2 STROKE with no power trim or electric start ? This thing is like trying to pull start a Harley Davidson LOL
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