Greasing Intermediate Bearings - New Recommended Interval by Yamaha

[Seattle-Wind]

We have a brand new '19 Yamaha AR190 and it appears that Yamaha has changed the service recommendation for greasing the intermediate bearing, per the owners manual. I've always read that this is a 10 hour service, but the owners manual says to grease the intermediate bearings every 100 hours or 12 months (see photos) and it's not listed as a 10 hour service item. Does the boat come with greased intermediate bearings now whereas they used to come dry or with minimal grease?

Also, it appears that the boat now has a zirk fitting on top of the engine with a hose leading to the zirk fitting on top of the housing itself (see photos), rather than only a zirk fitting on top of the housing. I've read that pumping grease into the zirk can lead to busted seals and instead I should unscrew the zirk fitting on the housing and syringe in some grease. Does anyone have comments or confirmation on that procedure?

 

[ripler]

I grease mine every year. I found the easiest way to do it is to pump the grease into the zerk fitting until the rubber hose gets hard, then I push in the ball on top of the grease fitting to relieve any pressure, I'll do this until the grease stops flowing from the fitting.

 

[Seattle-Wind]

Bringing this thread back to the top, hoping someone can chime in. The boat now has 10 hours on it, so I want to grease the intermediate bearings this weekend. I'm going to unscrew the zirk fitting and use the dental syringe option to safely administer the grease. How much grease should I use in ML? Does anyone know if the boat comes with grease from the factory?

 

[4x15mph]

Bringing this thread back to the top, hoping someone can chime in. The boat now has 10 hours on it, so I want to grease the intermediate bearings this weekend. I'm going to unscrew the zirk fitting and use the dental syringe option to safely administer the grease. How much grease should I use in ML? Does anyone know if the boat comes with grease from the factory?

I would not do it at 10 hours IMO. I have replaced 3 Int. Housing assemblies on my first Yamaha. I called a reputable dealer and they told me that over filling is a big problem and cause for the assemblies leaking. Another problem is that the grease in the hose gets old and then you are pumping that grease into the bearing. They told me they remove those hoses and only grease using the zerk fitting.

AT 100 hours, I will bring my boat in for a bearing greasing. Lesson learned

 

[itsdgm]

It looks like they went back to what was on my vintage boat. When I first got the boat, I disconnected the hose at the intermediate housing, pumped grease into the line until fresh grease came out, resecured it to the housing with two zip ties, then pumped a couple more times to send fresh grease into the housing while feeling the hose to make sure it didn’t get too much pressure.
But results may vary. Since then, I’ve pumped a bit of grease into the zerc at the start of each season.

 

[jEt_jAk]

I pump directly into the zerk. No idea how much to do so I just do a couple of pumps.

 

[Seattle-Wind]

Thanks for the replies. So is it safe to assume that Yamaha now greases the intermediate bearings from the factory and that's why it's no longer listed on the 10 hour maintenance in the owners manual?

 

[Gym]

It's easy enough to find out if it's greased from the factory by pulling the hose off at the intermediate bearing to see if the hose has grease or if it's dry. I can't imagine they would leave any greased part dry though.

 

[Ozark]

@Seattle-Wind did you ever get a solid answer on this? The OEM service manual doesnt even specify an amount of lubricant to use.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

We have a brand new '19 Yamaha AR190 and it appears that Yamaha has changed the service recommendation for greasing the intermediate bearing, per the owners manual. I've always read that this is a 10 hour service, but the owners manual says to grease the intermediate bearings every 100 hours or 12 months (see photos) and it's not listed as a 10 hour service item. Does the boat come with greased intermediate bearings now whereas they used to come dry or with minimal grease?

Also, it appears that the boat now has a zirk fitting on top of the engine with a hose leading to the zirk fitting on top of the housing itself (see photos), rather than only a zirk fitting on top of the housing. I've read that pumping grease into the zirk can lead to busted seals and instead I should unscrew the zirk fitting on the housing and syringe in some grease. Does anyone have comments or confirmation on that procedure?

@Seattle-Wind ..... I have a 2020 SX195 and the manual states that it must be greased at 10 hours. This was confirmed by Yamaha USA and Yamaha Canada.

 

[Crob83]

I agree with @jEt_jAk above comment. I just do a few pumps when I change my oil and plugs. 2-3 pumps to be exact...lol.

 

[212s]

My 2020 owner's manual says:

● Bearing housings
Grease the bearing housing through the grease
nipple.
NOTICE! ______________________
Fill the grease slowly and carefully, because it
can damage the hose and the joints.
The first service should be done after 10 hours
or 1 month by a Yamaha Boat Dealer. Fill the
bearing housing with water-resistant grease
through the grease nipple
Grease capacity:
33.0–35.0 cc (1.11–1.18 oz)
After first service: Every 100 hours or 6 months
(you may do this yourself).
Grease capacity:
6.0–8.0 cc (0.20–0.27 oz)

 

[Seattle-Wind]

@Seattle-Wind did you ever get a solid answer on this? The OEM service manual doesnt even specify an amount of lubricant to use.

@Ozark, not really. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the topic, including servicing managers. My 2019 AR190 owners manual was contradicting. One place in the owners manual said to do it at 10 hours and another said to do it at 100 hours. My local dealer wouldn't add any grease at the 10 hour mark when I asked, said it wasn't necessary and could cause issues.

To avoid blowing out the seals, I tried the method of removing the tube and zirk fitting and pumping grease directly into the casing opening with a syringe. However, it appeared there was a lot of pressure and I wasn't able to add much grease without it coming back out of the hole (only managed to get about a quarter of an ounce of grease in). I'm going to try and add some more in a few weeks when I get the boat out of storage and I'll report back.

 

[Noko]

I would not do it at 10 hours IMO. I have replaced 3 Int. Housing assemblies on my first Yamaha. I called a reputable dealer and they told me that over filling is a big problem and cause for the assemblies leaking. Another problem is that the grease in the hose gets old and then you are pumping that grease into the bearing. They told me they remove those hoses and only grease using the zerk fitting.

AT 100 hours, I will bring my boat in for a bearing greasing. Lesson learned

Thanks for the good info. I'll definitely be getting rid of the hose.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Haaa finally someone realizes that greasing the intermediate bearings can can destroy the housing, so next they will realize using gear lube in with the grease is even better for the driveshaft bearings and the pump bearings.

 

[SamN44]

Thanks for the good info. I'll definitely be getting rid of the hose.

I wouldn't mess with the hose. I added grease at 10 hours until the hose seemed tight. I really have to question the credentials of a person who says grease 'gets old'. It's literally million year old dino juice.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

@Seattle-Wind .....imo you got bad advice from your service manager. The idea of putting the VERY small amount (as specified by Yamaha) of grease into the tube is that it will migrate down the tube as needed. It is NOT supposed to be forced-in under pressure. As for the difference between the instructions in the body of the manual and the checklist at the back - Yamaha USA and Yamaha Canada both said go with the main manual advice regarding the bearing case grease. It was also pointed-out to me by the Yamaha representative at Yamaha USA that someone forgot to put a check mark in the Maintenance Checklist to change the oil filter with the oil at the 10 hour and the 50 hour marks - which any sane boater knows you should do. The representative said maybe the manual's author "assumed" no one would just change the oil and not the filter and did not need to be told or it was just an omission. The manual for my 2020 SX195 devotes a entire PAGE (137) to greasing the intermediate bearing. I would take that advice over a "missed" check mark at the back of the book. I must say that I am really surprised by the often conflicting advice and lack of knowledge by Yamaha representatives and dealers regarding, maintenance, supplies, options accessories etc. In the decades that I owned Mercury/Mercruiser products I got consistent and authoritative advice whether it was from dealers or the various factory locations. Yamaha needs to conduct some workshops! Friends that own Yamaha motorcycles say this is not a problem so maybe there needs to be a shake-up at Yamaha Marine?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

@Ozark, not really. Everyone seems to have a different opinion on the topic, including servicing managers. My 2019 AR190 owners manual was contradicting. One place in the owners manual said to do it at 10 hours and another said to do it at 100 hours. My local dealer wouldn't add any grease at the 10 hour mark when I asked, said it wasn't necessary and could cause issues.

To avoid blowing out the seals, I tried the method of removing the tube and zirk fitting and pumping grease directly into the casing opening with a syringe. However, it appeared there was a lot of pressure and I wasn't able to add much grease without it coming back out of the hole (only managed to get about a quarter of an ounce of grease in). I'm going to try and add some more in a few weeks when I get the boat out of storage and I'll report back.

Respectfully submitted,

Your manual like mine has the same instructions on greasing the intermediate bearing housing. The instructions on page 117 are not contradictory they are additional instructions. My issue was that the manual states that the dealer should grease these housings at the 10 hour mark, then you the owner can do this process later. I called Yamaha corporate about this and was told that I could do this task, and to just be sure and document that I performed this task as well as other maintenance and to have the receipts for any materials I used to maintain the warranty. I’d be very interested to hear what Yamaha corporate has to say about your dealer saying greasing these housings at 10 hours was not necessary.

It is my understanding this greasing process is to fill a void as much as it is to lubricate. If the area is full of grease then water is not going to be able to fill this area.

IMHO, the only way you would damage the intermediate housing seals is if you over grease these housings.

When I did mine at 10 hours I measured out how much grease each pump of my grease gun (.5 cc) put out then proceeded to fill the housings per the manual (66-70 pumps), while being cognizant of any change in effort it took to operate the grease gun. By measuring out the amount of grease per pump I knew when I was getting close.

When you are greasing these you will feel the grease gun handle get more resistance when pumping when the housing is full-stop at this point. If you were to keep forcing grease into the housing at this point this is where you can cause damage. There is a video in the FAQ where this guy greases these housings until grease pushes out of the gasket surfaces, which is very wrong.

Just do your homework and take your time and you’ll be fine.

 

[EricE]

It is interesting there is such debate about something that is in all the manuals. It's too bad they make it somewhat confusing by putting the information in a weird spot and not in the maintenance section where it should be.
I did my jetski myself and never had an issue over the 7 years I owned it. For our boat (2020 212s), the dealer did it for the 10 hour service.
They have been handling Yamahas for years and said they just follow the Yamaha commendations.
If you do it yourself, you just need to be careful, luckily the 10 hour service was part of my purchase so I didn't have to deal with it.

 

[RobbieO]

Great discussion. What type of grease did you end up using?