Follow up on making oil & flushing
I just wanted to follow up on what I did to remedy my 06 Yamaha F150TXR making oil. After determining the oil slick coming from the prop exhaust was not lower unit related, I found that the engine was making oil, lots of it. I performed the following simple maintenance procedures (on both engines) then ran the boat once on a quick 1/2 hour check ride around the bay, WOT for about five minutes. The next trip was 40 miles, round trip, to some near shore structure, WOT 10 minutes going out then another 10 minutes coming back in. No more oil slick from the prop exhaust and no more blue smoke when idling or underway.
That's it. Engines sound good, and the running numbers are on point, so I'm hoping problem solved.
On a side note, due to low well water pressure at my dock, the engines won't pee on the hose adapter or muffs. Here's a blurb from the Yamaha Outboard FAQ page regarding flushing:
Q: I don’t see water coming out of the overboard indicator when flushing. Is that a problem?
A: The overboard indicator is for visual verification of water pressure under normal operation. If you are using the convenient flushing attachment feature without running the engine, it is not a problem. However, if you are running the engine while flushing using a flushing attachment like muffs, stop the engine if you do not see water coming out – the engine is not getting adequate water pressure for proper cooling. Correct the problem before continuing to avoid the possibility of serious engine damage.
Regardless of what Yamaha says, how can a proper flush happen if it's not peeing? I've looked at engine diagrams and schematics, but don't really see how that's possible. My thermostats were corroded when I pulled them and the coolant passages have mild salt build up. Maybe from the previous owners not flushing? I don't know, but since this boat is relatively new to me, I want to make sure I'm getting water pushed throughout the entire coolant passage system when flushing. I bought a 1/2 HP portable transfer utility pump from Home Depot for $140 which pumps at 50 psi. I can't find anything in writing where Yamaha puts a threshold on the max psi when flushing. Will 50 psi damage the water pump, seals or internal coolant passage hose connections? Any idea on the engine's cooling psi when running at normal operating speeds?
And thanks again for all the feedback I received which assisted in fixing the making oil issue. I really appreciate it.
I just wanted to follow up on what I did to remedy my 06 Yamaha F150TXR making oil. After determining the oil slick coming from the prop exhaust was not lower unit related, I found that the engine was making oil, lots of it. I performed the following simple maintenance procedures (on both engines) then ran the boat once on a quick 1/2 hour check ride around the bay, WOT for about five minutes. The next trip was 40 miles, round trip, to some near shore structure, WOT 10 minutes going out then another 10 minutes coming back in. No more oil slick from the prop exhaust and no more blue smoke when idling or underway.
- Change oil & filter
- Replace spark plugs (they were black & oily)
- Change thermostat/gasket
That's it. Engines sound good, and the running numbers are on point, so I'm hoping problem solved.
On a side note, due to low well water pressure at my dock, the engines won't pee on the hose adapter or muffs. Here's a blurb from the Yamaha Outboard FAQ page regarding flushing:
Q: I don’t see water coming out of the overboard indicator when flushing. Is that a problem?
A: The overboard indicator is for visual verification of water pressure under normal operation. If you are using the convenient flushing attachment feature without running the engine, it is not a problem. However, if you are running the engine while flushing using a flushing attachment like muffs, stop the engine if you do not see water coming out – the engine is not getting adequate water pressure for proper cooling. Correct the problem before continuing to avoid the possibility of serious engine damage.
Regardless of what Yamaha says, how can a proper flush happen if it's not peeing? I've looked at engine diagrams and schematics, but don't really see how that's possible. My thermostats were corroded when I pulled them and the coolant passages have mild salt build up. Maybe from the previous owners not flushing? I don't know, but since this boat is relatively new to me, I want to make sure I'm getting water pushed throughout the entire coolant passage system when flushing. I bought a 1/2 HP portable transfer utility pump from Home Depot for $140 which pumps at 50 psi. I can't find anything in writing where Yamaha puts a threshold on the max psi when flushing. Will 50 psi damage the water pump, seals or internal coolant passage hose connections? Any idea on the engine's cooling psi when running at normal operating speeds?
And thanks again for all the feedback I received which assisted in fixing the making oil issue. I really appreciate it.
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