Making oil bulletin

[saltyfeather]

On a past posting there was a mention of a Yamaha Bulletin to fix the issue of making oil on the F115 4 strokes. This included replacing the ECM, thermostats, spark plugs and a new dip stick. Was this work something that should be covered under a warranty? It sounds like a problem Yamaha was aware of and should be correcting at little or no cost. I am being told my making oil issue on my outboard is due to underheating because of a bad thermostat that is not closing. This is causing the rings not to expand for a good cylinder seal and blow by occurs. The issue of a bulletin was discused with the dealer prior to purchasing the boat and they stated they had not haerd of any such bulletin or a fix kit for this problem. <br />What do you guys think ?

 

[JB]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Check out the article in the Engine FAQs, Salty.

 

[saltyfeather]

Re: Making oil bulletin

JB<br />Thanks for the repley, I've read all the posts on this subject and have learned a lot, but I am more interested in the Bulletin that has been put out by Yamaha. Do you know of such a Bulletin ?

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Making oil bulletin

There have been a few bulletins trying to come up with a solution. I've noticed that most of their latest 4-strokes specify less oil than when they first came out. The new dipstick would correspond to that. That would allow more room in the sump for the oil to "grow". <br /><br />The thermostat thing is a crapshoot. It's just a vain hope that it's sticky or runing too cool. A higher temp thermostat can help a little, but not much.<br /><br />The new ECM thing is just the latest and greatest version. Availability is probably going to be spotty and reserved for the worst cases.<br /><br />Hotter sparkplugs are like hotter thermostats. They might help a little, but... <br /><br />The real solution is for you to get into a mindset that goes against all you've learned. The situation is unlike anybody has ever experienced before. Your experience with every other 4-stroke motor you've owned says to fill the oil to the Full line and put in another quart if it drops to the Add line. Outboards are different. Contaminants that would evaporate in a hotter running motor build-up faster than the motor uses oil and seemingly makes oil. Some do it a little, some do it a lot. But all healthy 4-stroke outboards do it. In fact a 4-stroke outboard that Uses oil probably has something seriously wrong with it.<br /><br />The solution is a bit strange. Consider filling it only to the Add line and changing the oil if it reaches the Full line. That's far more likely to happen than for the oil to drop from Full to Add.<br /><br />Regarding warranty ... this problem is a Characteristic, not a Defect. It's what they do. Nothing's broken. But it is a problem and they're doing their best to minimize it. You can have all those things done, but It'll only help a little. Get yourself into that mindset I mentioned and you'll find that it comes a lot closer to a sloution than anything mechanical offered yet.

 

[bigbrownbuku]

Re: Making oil bulletin

since the yamaha f/s expansion beyond the t9.9 we (as techs) have always been told that the correct oil level is not the top of the dipstick hash but rather somewhere close to half. part of the problem occurs when an owner does his own servicing which in itself is fine, but, being a fastidious owner and wanting everything just so, fills the oil to the top of the hash. this is not the correct level and is actually overfull.<br />there are other conditions that will contribute to "making oil". the running cold problem has been metioned. <br />i personally havent seen the bulletin you mention and my service manager makes me read everything sent to him by yamaha.<br />im with willy when he says an outboard losing oil probably has something wrong with it, i dont ever remember seeing one that lost oil.<br />as an owner be fastidious with service intervals and dont be afraid to ask your local tech questions, certainly double check any answers you get here also. due to the nature of the cooling sytem its not unusual for the thermostat to be working fine one trip and be stuck open from a small amount of debris the next, regular servicing and a little bit of knowledge will help you prevent any damage this might incur.

 

[saltyfeather]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Guys, Thanks for the information. I'll keep a close eye on the levels.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Saltyfeather,<br /><br />There was no published bulletin on the "making oil" problem for the 115 if I remember correctly. At training seminars it was said if a customer had a problem, call the dealer tech dept. and on a case by case basis, they would send a kit at no charge if the motor was still in warranty.<br /><br />It did help in some situations but it wasn't always a cure-all.

 

[zzzzz]

Re: Making oil bulletin

it's in the 2004 Yamaha Technical Guide that gets passed out at the yearly Technical Update Seminar...you can find it in the tech library on their dealer website

 

[saltyfeather]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Thanks again for the info. ZZZZZ, where exactly can I see this Yamaha Technical Guide ?

 

[seahorse5]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Every Yamaha dealer gets one when they send a tech to the annual update service seminars held throughout the country.<br /><br />They also can be ordered from Yamaha.<br /><br />IF you have a good dealer, he has one. I'll check around and see if I can find a part number for the kit. It is very expensive if you are not under warranty, and the motor has to be checked out first as the motor has to be at the correct temperature and the boat not overpropped.

 

[zzzzz]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Salty- if ya' got a fax I can send a copy of the "tech tip" check out my homepage !

 

[saltyfeather]

Re: Making oil bulletin

ZZZZZ, Check your contact page on your website. Thanks

 

[Gerald K4NHN]

Re: Making oil bulletin

Does this apply to all 4 strokes or just the F115. I have a F40<br />Gerald K4NHN<br />Cayce, SC

 

[saltyfeather]

Re: Making oil bulletin

zzzzz<br />Thanks for the great information. I will speak with my dealer and hopefully resolve these issues before the Striped Bass start to bite !<br />Thanks again.

 

[zzzzz]

Re: Making oil bulletin

No problem Salty ! and Gerald K4NHN- it only applies to the F115

 

[First Light]

Re: Making oil bulletin

As you can see, I am new here, but I know enough about this topic to say that everything WillyBWright said above is correct.<br /><br />EVERY four stroke outboard has this problem, but for some reason Yamaha's 115 is the worst offender.<br /><br />But there is a solution, and the solution is to run the 115 at WOT for a few minutes each day when you are on the water. Running the 115 at WOT for a few minutes whenever you are out appears to burn off the moisture (ie. water) that ends up in the 115's crankcase when the 115 is operated continuously at low or trolling speeds.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Making oil bulletin

stiped bass,<br /> now I now why its making oil. excessive low speed ops.<br /> that motor should be propped to run 6000 RPM if it cant fix/prop it till it can, then ya need to run 10-15 minutes ,especially at the days end at 5500 or so.<br />tends to help burn off the fuel contaminants and water condensation. but also check the t-stat, there is a bulliten cover some F115 motors but usually its operator eror rather than defects.<br /> I was checking that issue on an F225 the other day, computer shows 416 hours, 304 below 1K 20 2000-3000 20 hr in the 5-6K range and 9.8hr above 6K. tells me two things. one he is trolling the manns harbor bridge a lot and he is under propped and setting it on the rev limiter.<br /> try the above reccomendations and see if the issue goes away. especially the one on filling.

 

[saltyfeather]

Re: Making oil bulletin

The boat is back from the dealer and they replaced the stats on both motors. They say they ran the **** out of it and there are no signs of the making oil issue. As for running WOT we will be running offshore for TUNA quite often, this should burn whatever moisture and fuel that builds in the crankcase along with the fuel in the gas tank !<br />I'll make it a point to run WOT at the end of each day. <br />Thanks guys for the great input.<br /><br />I'm sure I'll be back on one of these forums for some help in the near future, after all it is a boat.