150 HP 4 Stroke Counterbalance Gear Failure

Started the engine and alarm sounded. Dealer determined low oil pressure. They changed the filter and oil,restarted engine and found no oil pressure. They determined that the plastic counterbalance gear was shredded inside the crankcase and the gear pieces blocked the oil screen causing oil starvation. I have heard this is not an isolated case. Has anyone else heard about this problem?

[cyrillefrenchy]

hello
how many hours is the engine?

cyrillefrenchy
The engine has 850 hours on it. Up until this point it has probably been the best engine I have ever had.

[cyrillefrenchy]

hello
never heard about this, i have two and uses them for rentals, one is 1100 hours, the other one is only 100, so far no problem.
might be worth fixing it if works good, how long did you ran with no oil pressure?
cyrillefrenchy

[cyrillefrenchy]

where is this part located, could not find it on the diagrame
cyrillefrenchy

F150 Counterblance Unit issues

Yes, it's a known issue. I personally know of 3 people that had to replace their balancer unit by 300 hours or so. It's beyond my understanding why Yamaha has not recalled the early F150's to have new counter balance units installed. The Counter Balance unit have been modified (different material) that tells ya something.

Sadly, some early F150 owners (2004-2005) are experiencing total engine failures from clogged up oil strainers. Others catch it and replace the unit before their engine is destroyed. It's about $1,000 to repair. Some very low hour engines have experience the failure also (150-200 hours). You did great to get so many hours before having the problem. My engine is at 250 hours and i'm waiting for the balancers to go. I just hope it doesn't happen when I am crossing the gulf stream this summer. I've spoken with Yamaha about it, they are in complete denial that there is an issue.

I have a 2006 Yamaha F150 which I got new when I bought my '06 Lund Fisherman - I baby this thing like most us do!

Last season I noticed a squeak/squeal coming from the motor. Took it into my local authorized Yamaha dealer and told them about it. They tried to duplicate it without success, in all fairness to them I did not know at the time how to make it happen every time. At that time they advised I had only 26 hours on the motor - I'm a *****er and use my Yamaha 9.9 high thrust electric start all the time .They advised if it keeps happening to make note when it happens and if I can duplicate it almost every time out to bring it back. I went out several more times I managed to nailed down exactly when it happens.

Brought the boat out of storage last week and took'er in and told them the story - they thought it might have something to do with the counter balancers but wasn't sure as what threw him off was the fact my motor had such low hours. They took it in and did exactly what I told them to do based on when I noticed it - it was always after a run in around 20+ mph then I'd idle thru the pier heads as it's a "no wake" zone - that's when I'd hear and notice it. Always started up and idled out no problem in the morning.
Got a call late the next day saying it's exactly what they thought - the counter balancers and they're making a warranty claim and my boat should be ready mid next week (now this week) and my F150 has just under 29 hours on it!

I am lucky I am still under warranty and my dealer has been a pleasure to deal with!

My motor has been great aside from this incidence but it's being taken care of so no hassle and I'm not missing out on that much fishing!

Cheers G.

Latest update. The dealer was nice enough to lend me an older engine, so at least my wife can use the boat to take our daughter to school. I called the distributor and spoke to the owner. It was a waste of time. If I had to deal with them I would never purchase another Yamaha. I spoke to and emailed in detail all the facts to customer service in Japan. They seemed concerned and said the distributor would be in contact with me. It has been almost 4 months and the distributor has yet to inspect the engine for possible damage to the crankshaft or camshafts and they were contacted directly by Japan over two weeks ago!

[cyrillefrenchy]

hello
sorry to hear that, i am surprised, i own a f90, the lower unit failed 1 month after the warranty was over ( chunks of metal in the oil and bad grinding noise), the boat have been use for rentals and the engine is 516 hours for 13 month old (only 1 year warranty for commericial use ).asked the local dealer for warranty claim (did not bought the engine to them) and they say: no probleme, we will take care of you.... and they did... after inspection, brand new lower unit in the box 3 days later, installed dit myself... thank you yamaha.
i whish you the same
cyrillefrenchy

Well I am sad to say that the squealing from the counter balancing shaft is back

I now have close to 40hrs on the motor as all my fishing is *****ing which involves my yamaha 9.9 HT.

It's going in end of this week for second replacement. I am starting to get a little concerned now as I am nearing the end of my original warranty in spring of '09.

I am going to be writting Yamaha of my concern and the fact I am having the counter balancing shaft replaced for the second time and how is issue going to be handled in the future on I'm off warranty.

Cheers G.

Mine had a catastrophic failure at fif**** hours in service. It was manufactured in 2005 but I paid the full 2007 price on a new 2007 Ranger. Boy was I pissed. I figured with only fif**** hours and a week before my first payment I should have gotten a new 2007 motor, not. I got a powerhead replacement under warranty. The way I see it I lost over $7000 in value. I paid over $14 and there were never run 2005 150's with factory new powerheads available for $7,000.
I don't place all the blame on yamaha, though. Even though they did follow the no model year thing. I blame Ranger, and my dealer for pricing it as a new 2007 package. I didn't see the manufacture year date until a few days after the purchase, dummy me.
Anyway, I have issue with ranger and the dealer for bailing on me and not offering any help to replace the motor or give me cash back.
All water under the bridge now. It runs good and I'll get beyond it some day. One thing for sure though; It'll be a cold day in hell before I buy another ranger boat or yamaha motor that doesn't match the hull year model.

[james838@aol.com]

150 4stroke balancer 2005 motor, 350 hours.

I am just having my dealer replace my balancer. The motor has been making squealing noises after being run for over about 20 minutes at over 3200 RPM for about two years (I rarely exceed 4200). Started it up yesterday, and it just didn't sound right, took it out for a slow ride with the family, and on the way back heard some crunching noises - sounded expensive. Idled back to the slip and brought it to the dealer this morning. He listened, asked a few questions and gave me the news. The squealing when the motor is hot is typical, although for me that has been going on for about two seasons. I might have mentioned it when dropping off at the end of the season, but I might not have. Or the dealer might not have run into the problem before. I'm sure glad that the oil filter hasn't been clogged or that something else really expensive hasn't gone wrong as a result of this.

[paraman]

F150 Balancer question (first post)

Is the F150 balancer issue related to motors prior to 2005 or newer. What is the best way to find out if you need replacement or not.
Thanks for your comments,
paraman

[wgraham]

I have a 2007 f150 with 28 hours on it and on my last trip out the counter balancer bearing went out and the dealer is replacing the power head.

[Kruss984]

Yamaha 150 four stroke Failure

I have a 2007 Scout Costa 190 with an fl150txr Yamaha .At 1045 hrs I came off of plane after a wot run and noticed a shake or vibration in my motor .i was close to the ramp and on my way in and when I docked I ran it up in neutral and it was still there.I had read online about the counterbalance drive gear failure so I took it to Seagate marine in Stuart Fl and asked Carl if I had a problem with mine.When I picked up the boat he charged me for de-car boning the engine and assured me I had no failure.20 hours later my low oil pressure indicator sounded and the led bar lit.When I got home I removed the oil pressure switch and took the oil pressure.It was in fact low,12psi cold idle and 35 @ 1500.I removed the oil filter,cut it open and found green fiber looking stuff in the filter.I removed the counterbalance assembly (which only took about 20 minutes)and found that the plastic drive gear had failed.I removed the powerhead,then removed the lower unit casing which houses the oil sump.It was quite clogged.Next is to purchase a new counterbalance assy.,oil pump and pressure regulator ,and gaskets,and give it a try.No sign of metal in the sump so I"m hoping that the low oil pressure did not hurt anything.Of course it would have been better to do it 20 hrs.earlier!Maybe Carl at Seagate marine will feel bad enough to give me a discount on my parts.Knowing how easy the fix is before failure I don't understand why Yamaha didn't recall these.They sure left a bad taste in my mouth.I am definitely not happy with their "Not so Bulletproof 150 Four Stroke"