Yamaha Outboard Engine & Boating Accessories

Yamaha Marine Motor and Boating Products Resources and Information

PartsVu.com is happy to offer a broad selection of Yamaha outboard engine and boating accessories to match the exact specifications of your Yamaha outboard motor. If you have questions about performing maintenance on your outboard, chances are you’ll find the answers in our blog. 

Looking for more components and products to service your Yamaha outboard engine? Feel free to shop our complete selection of Yamaha outboard parts. 

We also regularly release new helpful resources like: 

• Yamaha Outboard Engine Schematics
• Yamaha Outboard Maintenance Parts Charts
• Yamaha Outboard Specs & Capacities Chart

Yamaha Outboard Engine & Boating Accessories FAQs

What outboard engine tools should I have onboard?

Even if you don’t do your own maintenance, all boaters need some basic boat tools in their marine tool kits to help them out of a jam. Of course, if you plan to do your own maintenance or a portion of your own maintenance, you’ll need to be a bit better equipped.

So which boat tools should you have onboard? The following are our recommendations and the reasons behind them. Of course, the tools you should have onboard are significantly dictated by the type of boating you do. As a practical matter, a near-shore, freshwater boater needs fewer tools than an off-shore boater. While a problem close to the shore can be an annoyance, a problem off-shore might be a whole different matter.

• Yamaha Fuel filter wrench—good idea to have on board if you get enough water or debris in your fuel system that a fuel filter change becomes necessary.
• Adjustable band filter wrench—you may need to change your fuel/water separating filter if you have water in your system or if you got some bad gas at the marina. US marinas nearly always sell high-quality filtered gasoline, but marines in the Bahamas are notorious for selling contaminated gasoline.
• Prop nut wrench—carrying this wrench only makes sense if you carry a spare prop. Many boaters carry a spare inexpensive aluminum prop in case they spin a hub or bend a blade so severely that it wobbles.
• Deck fill key/deck plate key/spanner wrench—these universal tools are designed to open all types and sizes of deck fill lids and shackles. Many of these tools also include bonus tools like bottle openers. Perfect for a cold one after fishing.

• Yamaha toolkit—if you have room on your boat, all-purpose toolkits can come in handy. Just keep in mind, Yamaha outboards will use all metric tools, while Mercury Marine uses a combination of metric and standard.
• Pliers—channel lock, standard, and needle nose
• Leatherman–a very helpful all-purpose tool.
• Rigging knife
• Serrated knife—for cutting rope, your all-purpose tool might include a serrated blade.
• Flashlight

• Emergency plug set—in case a leak manifests while you are out on the water.
• Battery booster pack
• Battery terminal cleaner
• Zip ties—because we all know that you can fix almost everything with zip ties and duck tape.
• Duck tape

What causes Yamaha outboards to break down?

Over the years, we’ve heard some boat owners ask “Why are boats so unreliable?” The truth is, Yamaha outboard engines are incredibly reliable but require regular maintenance to stay reliable. This maintenance must occur at recommended service intervals.

Boat owners committed to regular maintenance will also often ask, “How many hours will a Yamaha outboard last?” While Yamaha makes a diverse line of outboard motors, most models will last 1,500 – 3,000 hours depending on how often it is maintained, stored, and used. Considering that the average boater racks up 50 hours of usage per season, owners can expect many years of use. This said, we commonly hear of Yamaha motors lasting well beyond 3,000 hours.

One of the most common ways your Yamaha outboard motor will break down is a fuel system failure. Whether you’re experiencing an intermittent bog down, poor performance, or complete engine failure, your fuel system is a common culprit.

A common mistake newer boat owners make is that they dry start their Yamaha outboard motor. A continually flowing water supply cools an outboard engine—without a supply of water to cool it, an outboard motor will overheat. Additionally, the Yamaha impeller, which is lubricated by the water, will begin to warp due to the heat and friction, further exacerbating the problem.

How do I perform my own maintenance on my Yamaha outboard engine? 

If you don’t have a lot of experience wrenching on boats, that’s okay. All you need is a little initiative and patience, and soon you’ll be on your way to building your wrenching skills and checking off some of those maintenance projects.

Before starting your project, it’s a good idea to consult some resources. Consulting resources gives you a good idea of what you need for your project and what’s involved. Resources can help guide you through your project’s processes and requirements because there is nothing worse than starting a project but unable to finish it because you don’t have the correct tools, parts, fluids, or components. Don’t let this happen to you—consult useful resources, discover what you need, and learn what to expect from the project.

The fact that you are reading this blog indicates that you already have the skills to build necessary wrenching resources. There are some great resources right here, like bundled maintenance packages that include all the parts you need to winterize your boat or rebuild your water pump. Maintenance kits make things easy by including everything you need rather than trying to find all the components on your own. 

Another great resource is the exploded Yamaha Outboard Engine Schematics for most motors and sub-assemblies. These diagrams are helpful in demonstrating the orientation and sequences of parts in assemblies. It’s an at-a-glance view of how everything fits together. They are great for identifying parts and part numbers, or when you take something apart and aren’t sure how it goes back together. 

As you build your wrenching skills and confidence, you will move beyond routine maintenance and into troubleshooting and more complicated procedures. While there may be some great videos available to get you started, there is not always a guarantee you will find precisely what you are looking for. Its times like this when there is no substitute for a good repair manual for your specific outboard motor.

What causes outboard engine vibration?

One of the primary causes of Yamaha outboard engine vibration is a damaged or compromised propeller. 

A characteristic sign that your propeller is the source of your problem is if throttling to higher RPMs intensifies the vibration. 

First, check each of your props to ensure that each is in relatively good condition – any bends or damage can cause vibrations from the uneven propulsion. If you find damage, you’ll need to repair or replace it.

Yamaha propellers tangled with seaweed and fishing line can also restrict the propeller’s ability to rotate evenly, causing unwanted vibrations. If you boat in shallow waters or heavily trafficked waterways, you will need to monitor your propeller even more regularly.

During your inspections, be sure to look at your Yamaha propeller shaft for damage. Use a wrench to tighten the steering pivot and mounting bolt if either is loose, which may be the source of the excessive outboard vibrations. Once again, if you find damage or believe that the shaft is misaligned, you may need to visit your marine mechanic.

One of the most common types of Yamaha outboard engine vibration may come from loose engine mounts. As you throttle up, reverse, and idle, the bolts that mount your engine(s) may come loose during prolonged operation, creating an intermittent vibration – as well as steering issues (i.e., steering towards starboard or port when the wheel is straight). 

To rectify this vibration, mounting bolts should be torqued to the degree specified for your engine. Carefully use a torque wrench to perform this task accurately and to ensure equal torquing across all mounts.