I don't really have a date in mind. Just sometime when it's not so hot and humid! We always welcome fellow jetboaters to come visit, but unless you were set on coming to Alabama, the maintenance needed by our boats is so simple I think you would be disappointed in making a trip for an hour worth of work. But as long as the weather is nice, we'll get you out on the water.
There are some very good write ups on here, but here's the skinny version. I think the first time it cost me around $300 to buy all the stuff, but I expect my next set of maintenance to be less than $100. The biggest initial purchase is the evacuator.
Standard Maintenance Items
- Oil Change
- Spark Plug Inspection / Change
- Lubrication
Things you'll need
- Vacuum pump (this is the one I have).
- Oil, filters and a funnel. I bought two of the Yamaha oil change kits from Partzilla (mostly because it was so easy to buy the whole kit)
- You'll also need a grease gun and marine grease. There are several opinions on exactly what type of grease, but any marine grease should be ok.
- Spark plugs. I bought these. Some folks have opted for more expensive Iridium plugs. That's what I originally changed mine out for, however I don't think they're worth the money. It seems everyone's "go-to" fix is to change plugs when something acts funny. For about $30 per engine, it's easy enough to swap the plugs regularly.
- Spark Plug Socket. I'm pretty sure (like 95%) it's a 5/8". You'll need a ratchet and extension too if you don't have one. You can buy a decent set pretty cheap from Lowes or something too.
- Anti-Seize to put on the threads of the new spark plugs. Again, there is some debate to this, but everyone I know does it.
- Oil filter wrench - You can buy one of these, or if you have a big pair of tongue-and-groove pliers, that'll work too. Just be careful not to squeeze too hard.
- Puppy pee pads (You'll want these to put in the bottom of the engine compartment when you pull the oil filters.
Oil Change
The worst part of the oil change is having patience for the evacuator to do its thing. You'll want the boat close to level for the oil change. If you don't have a level spot, it seems slightly tilted forward lets you get more oil out. Regardless of how level you think the boat is, check the oil level after your next run and be prepared to top it off on the water.
Start by running the engine, one at a time, on the hose. Run for about 5 minutes or so to heat up the oil. (If you haven't run on the hose before, it's engine on, water on, water off, engine off.) Once the oil is warm, pull the dipstick and stick the pump hose in until you feel resistance. It goes in a pretty good amount. Then pump the handle on the evacuator until you see the oil start to siphon out. Now go get a beer or two, because this takes a while. If I had to guess, 15 minutes for each engine wouldn't be out of the question. While evacuating one engine, you can be warming up the other. But the noise will make your beer less enjoyable. After all the oil is sucked out, note the amount you removed. This will be the amount you put back in. You don't want to put in too much for risk of damaging the air filters (which are like $100 each!). Take the cap off the top of the engine and put down your puppy pee pad, it's time to remove the filter. The filter will still be full of oil and it will leak out, so don't worry. Use the filter wrench or pliers to unscrew the old filter and have a bucket or something handy to put it in. Take the new filter and rub oil on the new gasket to lube it up. Seat the gasket on the filter and screw it on. I only hand-tighten the new filter as tightly as I can. You can use the wrench, but be careful not to damage the filter. (It doesn't have to be super tight) Now, add enough oil to match what you pulled out and a little extra to account for the oil that was in the old filter. Repeat the process for the other engine.
Spark Plugs
The spark plugs sound scary to a lot of people, but it really is one of the easiest parts. Just start by removing the black cover on top of the engine. There are 2 phillips head screws that hold it on. Just flop it over out of the way. There will be 4 square black things underneath. Each one is held by 2 screws (I believe they are 5/16", but they could be 3/8") Remove the screws and pull the whole thing out. I don't even disconnect the wires, you'll be able to remove it and hang it out of the way while attached. Now you'll be able to access the spark plug. Use your spark plug socket and extension to remove the old plugs. Just be careful not to wrench too crazy hard on the old ones. If they are stuck you want to break it loose, not break it off. Remove the plugs, and replace. Before putting the new ones in, put a good coating of anti-seize on the threads of the spark plug. Replace the black square tube things and then the cover and you're done!
Grease
I'm not 100% sure about this part on your boat. You will either have a black hose going to the back of the engine compartment to grease the bearings or you will have a fitting on top of the bearing assembly. Either way, the grease is just there to protect the seal, not the bearing. If you have the hose, give a couple squeezes until it feels hard, if you don't, try to get a squirt in the zerk and be on your way.
I also put a little grease around the ends of the steering and reverse gate cables. There should be little black boots where the cables open to the water. Move those and rub some grease in there. In this case, the grease is there to act as a water barrier, not a lubricant. Some guys lube the whole cable and have done good write ups on that process. I haven't had any trouble with mine, and have never tried to lube the entire cable, so I can't speak to that process.
Some guys have recommended going farther with inspection / greasing, but this is my first year with the boat so I haven't done that yet. I will likely try to remove the cones and inspect / grease the bearing this winter.
Well, that wasn't so skinny after all, but I promise the majority of the work is very very easy. Like I say, you're always welcome to come see it live. I'll probably look to do everything before the beginning of next year. Sometime in early March or so.
I'm sure I missed something in this summation, but I know others will jump in and help me out.
