First routine maintenance attempt

[Bill D]

Tonight I attempted my first oil / spark plug change and it brought up a few questions.

1.) I was only able to extract a little over 3L of oil from each engine. I've read where a lot of guys say they get close to the 4 quarts it specifies. However, when I remove the oil filter, there is a good bit in the filter (and enough spilled onto the pee-pad). I replaced 3 quarts, similar to what I extracted. Should I account for the extra in the filter and spillage? My plan was to go out and run for about 15 minutes and check the dipstick on the water to determine if I need to add more. It's better to be a little low than add too much right?

2.) The port engine sounded "rougher" than the starboard. I changed the spark plugs as both a precaution because the boat is new to me, and in hopes to help the engine sound healthier. When I pulled the plugs, I checked the gap and they were all (both engines) at the factory .11mm. I've checked manuals and forums and anything I can for a correct gap and the consensus is .8-.9mm. So, what gap do you guys use for the 1.8L engines, and can any damage be done running the wrong gap size? BTW, It sounds much better with fresh oil and plugs.

Thanks in advance for the great advice.

 

[MikeyL]

Tonight I attempted my first oil / spark plug change and it brought up a few questions.

1.) I was only able to extract a little over 3L of oil from each engine. I've read where a lot of guys say they get close to the 4 quarts it specifies. However, when I remove the oil filter, there is a good bit in the filter (and enough spilled onto the pee-pad). I replaced 3 quarts, similar to what I extracted. Should I account for the extra in the filter and spillage? My plan was to go out and run for about 15 minutes and check the dipstick on the water to determine if I need to add more. It's better to be a little low than add too much right ? Thanks in advance for the great advice.

SMART members are always good !@
The alternative from "guessing," being in a hurry, or simply being stupid is something called "Blow by."
What that means is EXCESS oil from the crankcase is picked up and blown all over your air filters.
Air Filters from Yamaha are approx $125.00 plus sales tax plus gas to go get them EACH ! ... Or about $300.00
Ya did REAL GOOD< Son ! Have a great weekend ! Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

[Glassman]

@Bill D Don't fret over the amount you get out. You are pretty close all things considered.

Do account for the oil in the filter - it will be a guess, but you'll come close. You don't have to run 15 minutes. Start 'em and let them run a couple of minutes tops. Shut down and wait a bit to let the oil settle, then measure again.

I always do my oil change on the water. In the morning after I leave the dock. The engines are warm enough so that the oil flows well and it's nice and quiet and I can enjoy my coffee and whatever treats we bring along.

I honestly have never checked the gap on my boat plugs - I put them in straight out of the box and they run great. Now, if I ever had symptoms that caused me to wonder, I'd probably check the gap.
You said you checked them out of the engine, what were the new ones?

 

[MikeyL]

@Bill D Don't fret over the amount you get out. You are pretty close all things considered.
Do account for the oil in the filter - it will be a guess, but you'll come close. You don't have to run 15 minutes. Start 'em and let them run a couple of minutes tops. Shut down and wait a bit to let the oil settle, then measure again.

@Glassman IS correct and I appreciate him correcting me on the 15 minutes part.
Having said that, the PHUNNY part is the vision of him sitting there, eating 22 candy bars while he checks his oil.
<..."enjoy my coffee and whatever treats we bring">
LOL !

 

[Glassman]

Mike, there you go wrecking my diet again!

More like Strudel:

 

[txav8r]

Hi Bill, most of the noise your hearing is the connection between the engine and the pump, not the internal engine. That connection is not solid and has flexibility in it, so it is the slop you hear. The noise is muffled when in the water vs on the trailer, but it is still there to a degree. The difference in noise from one engine to another is always confusing, but the transfer from engine to pump is loose so they can all sound slightly different and mine do as well, both of my boats did and do.

As to what you get out of them...well, it never ceases to amaze me the difference reported from one member to another. I got just over 3 quarts out of each of my engines last week...1.8L engines, that included the oil filter. I put back about 3.5 quarts each because they were showing the bottom of the acceptable range on the dipstick. The 1.8L engines are a wet sump vs dry sump like the MR-1 engine. So you do get more than half the oil out. And the heroics involved to check the level and adjust is much more direct on the 1.8L and you don't have to check hot the way the MR-1 is, but you do need to circulate it and let it settle. Whatever your dipstick reads, just keep it between the two ranges and don't overfill or run low.

 

[Geiger41]

I was in Tuscaloosa last year for the Iron Bowl...I would have showed you how to do that stuff !! Will be in Auburn this year for it also

 

[McMark]

I got a little over 3 qt out of each of mine also not counting the filters. Put in 3 qt, ran the engines, then tweaked the fill to just touch the bottom of the full mark when level.

 

[Bill D]

Thanks for all the reply's! Keep in mind, I'm knew to the boat game and an electrician, so the motors I know how to work on are full of copper and don't have so many parts.

@Glassman
I replaced the plugs with the part # identified in the owners manual "LFR6A"... except I splurged for the irdiums so it became LFR6AIX-11. I can assume that the -11 part refers to the gap, since mine were 1.1mm factory and they matched what I took out of the motor. I may be way overthinking the whole thing, but .2mm is nearly 20% difference. So I gapped them down to the spec. I couldn't find anything "LFR6AIX-9", and didn't think much of it since there were tons of videos showing how to change the gap on spark plugs. To the oil, I figured close was close enough and I could always top it off on the water. I usually check everything over the first time we stop after getting away from the dock, just to make sure I didn't forget something important... like the cleanout plugs or the drain plug.
I would like to do this service on the water, but being the first time I thought it best to do it near my toolbox. And now I want strudel. Haha.

@txav8r
I agree, I have read posts where users say they have gotten anywhere from 2 quarts to the full 4. I was just happy that I was somewhere in the middle! Thanks for identifying the noises and reassuring that it wasn't abnormal.

@MikeyL
There is no way I want to spend $300 on freaking air filters! I will be very mindful of not overfilling the oil res. Thanks!

 

[Bill D]

@geiger41
I just moved to Tuscaloosa for work last summer. The Iron Bowl was an awesome experience. If I had the boat then I would have definitely taken you up on that offer!

 

[Geiger41]

gotta be aftermarket air filters for half the price somewhere

 

[Geiger41]

@geiger41
I just moved to Tuscaloosa for work last summer. The Iron Bowl was an awesome experience. If I had the boat then I would have definitely taken you up on that offer!

Well the 2016 will be here before we know it. Im sure ill be making the trip from NJ to T-town. Maybe then !!!

 

[Glassman]

gotta be aftermarket air filters for half the price somewhere

Not quite half, but I've seen them for $60 - $75 for my boat. I'm not sure how much they run for the newer boats, but $125 doesn't surprise me one bit.

Truth be told, I haven't run air filters on my engines in a number of years 5 - 6 probably. It started when I accidently overfilled one engine....I was not happy (neither was that engine) and I had several days of boating ahead of us so I simply took it out. I never put it back in and the next time I did the oil change I just took the other one out. I had planned on getting new ones from Riva - they look like K&N filters and are $99.95.

No loss of RPM not a big deal - in fact I think it went up. Once there was a dust storm blowing over the river and I shut down completely until it passed. No sense tempting fate.

Please realize I am not recommending that anyone else do this - I don't want to be blamed for anyone else's problems should they suck something up. But all of my old boats only had a spark arrestor screen and no filter. So there ya go.

 

[tdonoughue]

Found this that confirms your theory of the 11 relating to the stock gap for the plugs:

http://ngk-sparkplugs.com/lfr6a11-p-2809.html

You did right regapping them. Your user manual should be followed, not the plug info. Mine (a year off yours) says .8-.9mm, so I suspect that you were exactly correct. Plus, if it runs well...

As a side note, I don't use iridium plugs in mine. I change them once a year, usually putting less than 20 hours on them, so the extra cost of iridium for the long life they provide would really be wasted on me. If you go with iridium, you would have the option to just pull them and inspect them annually (without changing them). However, I would strongly recommend that you still pull them. That way you can ensure they are not frozen to the block and can re-do the anti-seize on them.

 

[txav8r]

Be advised that the LFR6A is the correct spark plug for a 1.8L motor. The -11 is incorrectly gapped and if gapped correctly, the electrode arm can break at the weld...IN YOUR ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD!!! If you want to use iridiums, find the correct cross reference to the standard LFR6A. I have this information direct from NGK.

 

[beachbum]

I'm a little nervous now... 1st time changing plugs this season... completed the work with the -11 the DEALER sold me as the correct plug for the sx190 ... Now I'm discovering here that the plug is NOT correct and fear damage. In another thread (LFR6A -11 gap) @txav8r you stated "Anyway, if you installed the -11 in the past, even I wouldn't change them off schedule, I would wait until time and then use the correct LFR6A."... To be safe... should I swap out the -11 for the correct plug or wait?

 

[txav8r]

@beachbum , is JT time for your scheduled maintenance? If not, you might as well wait until your annual service. You know the risk, the atl coild break off if gapped correctly for that engine. If you didn't gap them, your fine. The risk is when they are bent so far, it stresses the arm too much. The call is yours. I have not heard of an arm breaking, I am just repeating what NGK told me. The -11 is a wider gap and I have even been told some dealers don't gap them and they say they run fine. I don't know where the truth lies...it isn't the correct plug is all I can say, and if I had them installed and hadn't gaoped them, I would live with it. If I had gapped them, I would be inclined to change them to correct the possible issue. What do you think you will do?

 

[beachbum]

Thanks for your reply txav8r... your advise is always valuable for everyone here. I did in fact gap the -11 plugs to .035 per owner's manual... engine fired up fine in driveway... just splashed her yesterday and ran 30 minutes up river and into our lake to my mooring. The boat was running really well from my limited ONE boat experience (my boat... never been on another) Hey ... when I read about concerns... I want to know I won't have any issues from stuff I have done... hell... don't want any spark plug pieces breaking off on me... so... now to find the correct plugs and reinstall correct plug. Other post suggested .032 gap.. manual says .031 to .035.

 

[txav8r]

You will find that all you can do is select a gap tool and check them. I had a .032 and I had a metric wheel that I just set between the two gaps. They give you the tolerance because it is impossible with normal means, to set exact. Any gap between .031 and .035, but try to set them all the same.

 

[Geiger41]

Just took this pic from the service manual for my 2013 212X.