Oil Change on MR-1 (How to perform a Complete Drain)

[Scottintexas]

Scott, I removed the drain plug as well.

Sorry I missed that line,

yes, you can run the engine on 2.5 qts, you may get a low oil warning,

I'd add 2.5qt, fun it for 10 seconds, let it sit and keep adding 1/2qts until it showed up on the dipstick, then run it on the water, check and bring it close to Full.

 

[Bruce]

Scott, I removed the drain plug as well.

Most do not remove the drain plug. The 2 to 3 quart change is sufficient.

 

[DUSTOFF]

I want ALL that old oil gone! What a PIA that process was. JFC. Smartened up and got my wife to help with the 2nd engine. Went much better.
Tried to be really careful with dog pee pads but still managed to make a hell of a mess.
The suction pump bulb thing I bought years ago didn't work worth a shit. I tested it beforehand with water, but it really didn't like to suck all that oil in. Very slow. Too slow for the overflow in the jury-rigged milk jug bottoms.
I ended up pouring 3 quarts out of the bulb into an empty oil jug. Probably at least another quart or two in the pee pads and in the bottom of the boat that I had to clean up with paper towels.
I put a grand total of, well, that entire 5 qt jug into the engines. I ran them for 10 seconds or so about halfway through so oil would get into the filter and drop the level. The level is now at the tip of each dipstick. I'll get her out on the water and run it for a few minutes before I (carefully) top it off.

Changed the plugs too.

An hour project turned into an all day clusterf*ck.

 

[Brandon_SC]

@CrankyGypsy and @Scottintexas
Any leads on where you are sourcing the drain plug washers now? The only M8 washers I have found are 13mm outside diameter instead of 15mm. The set I have are US standard sizes. 80 Piece Copper Washer Assortment
I am curious to what others are using here in this application.
Thanks in advance.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

these are the ones I bought: Amazon.com: Bolt Motorcycle Hardware (DPWM8.15-10) M8 x 15mm Drain Plug Washer, (Pack of 10): Automotive

 

[Newmaniak]

I want ALL that old oil gone! What a PIA that process was. JFC. Smartened up and got my wife to help with the 2nd engine. Went much better.
Tried to be really careful with dog pee pads but still managed to make a hell of a mess.
The suction pump bulb thing I bought years ago didn't work worth a shit. I tested it beforehand with water, but it really didn't like to suck all that oil in. Very slow. Too slow for the overflow in the jury-rigged milk jug bottoms.
I ended up pouring 3 quarts out of the bulb into an empty oil jug. Probably at least another quart or two in the pee pads and in the bottom of the boat that I had to clean up with paper towels.
I put a grand total of, well, that entire 5 qt jug into the engines. I ran them for 10 seconds or so about halfway through so oil would get into the filter and drop the level. The level is now at the tip of each dipstick. I'll get her out on the water and run it for a few minutes before I (carefully) top it off.

Changed the plugs too.

An hour project turned into an all day clusterf*ck.

This is the best pump that I have come across

Pela 6.0 Liter Marine Oil Change Pump

 

[Jason Smith]

Always had an issue getting more than 1.5qts out through the fill cap, which to me isn't enough (33% of the total oil). So thank you for this write up. I did my oil/filter today and did something between what you did, since I never did find the drain valve on mine. After pulling as much as I could from the top, I backed off the oil filter a few turns and let the engine run for 20 seconds. I got about 3.5qts total out from each engine letting the oil pump do the work. Not sure if I would do this again, but thought I would mention it. After refill, the oil on the dipstick looks really clean.

 

[Sfriesen]

Thanks for the write up, this will come in handy

 

[jtwrace]

I backed off the oil filter a few turns and let the engine run for 20 seconds.

And you've also starved critical parts of your engine and induced premature wear since they didn't have oil.

 

[Liveto99]

No load not any water resistance on the propeller, probably no damage. We have purposely blown engines engines for fun before the cars go to the junk yard, they last a bit With no load on them, and that’s running them WOT to see them blow a rod or have something fail..... wish we had cell phones with video 30 years ago I think we did a lot cool stuff. Then again we got away with a lot because there was no video proof.

 

[zipper]

I use this method to do oil changes. Borrowed the wife's make-up mirror, made a catch can to capture the oil from the oil cooler.
Picture below shown is while doing the second engine.


After doing both engines you will have a full extractor.

 

[marvster]

So just picked up an oil change kit. The filter on both motors and what I've used for a while was the 5GH-13440-70 oil filter. Today I get the oil kit (oil plus filter) from Riva and pull out a 5GH-13440-60 filter only to notice its just a bit shorter than what was on there. The box says the kit is for 03-06 23 series boats. Anyone know what this is about? What should be on an 2005 SX230 HO? Does it matter? The old filter didn't fit in the new filter's box....

 

[Bruce]

@marvster, up to and including 2006 there were HO and non HO engines in 230s. Do you know which engines you have?

I use the K&N KN-204-1 filter on my 2007 with HO engines.

 

[Babin Farms]

Height doesn’t matter much, just more or less filter area. Check the micron rating, flow rate, thread pitch & burst pressure in both filters. I know of at least 4 WIX filters we can use on the HO engines.

 

[marvster]

So mine is a 2005 HO. The kit I bought says its for 2005 - 2009 HO sx230 series boats per the attached pics. Seems correct but odd that it lists the -60 while the kits I got last year from Riva were -70....It fits fine (thread and seal) so I just think the -60 will have less filtering capacity...Filer doesn't state any specs in English (just Japanese I believe)...Any concerns with leaving as-is? Or should I try and find the -70?

 

[Babin Farms]

So mine is a 2005 HO. The kit I bought says its for 2005 - 2009 HO sx230 series boats per the attached pics. Seems correct but odd that it lists the -60 while the kits I got last year from Riva were -70....It fits fine (thread and seal) so I just think the -60 will have less filtering capacity...Filer doesn't state any specs in English (just Japanese I believe)...Any concerns with leaving as-is? Or should I try and find the -70?

Totally your call. If you don’t put a ton of hours on and change it annually I would believe you’d be fine but do what you think is best.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

(referencing a 2005 AR230HO)

what you need to do two engines:
- 10w40 (amount depends on how much you want to take out. the max you will need is 9 qts)
- 2 oil filters (i use Mobile 1 M1-110)
- 2 crush washers (no longer available from Yamaha - "M8 Plug Washer" ID: 8mm - OD: 15mm)
- vac pump (ex: Pela Extractor) or modified shop vac* and hoses
- engine flush adapter with water hose
- oil filter wrench
- funnel
- gallon milk jug
- 12mm socket with extension and wrench
- torque wrench (set to 13 ft-lbs) a smaller, in-lbs will get into the tighter port side
- paper towels

* took my shop vac, pulled the hose off, cut about 3 ft of old garden hose at the male end, put it into the vac adapter and used duct tape to seal it:

View attachment 13306

i recommend doing the starboard motor first since it leaves you more room to practice for the tighter port engine. attach the flush adpater, start the motor, turn the water on, and let it run for 6-8 mins. turn off the water and then turn off the engine.

OIL COOLER: the garden hose does a great job getting the large cooler area (about 2.5 qts). to get another quart, you'll need a smaller hose. i placed a straight coat hanger inside the hose to make aiming it easier then taped a gear oil tip to it. insert the hose down into the cooler and use a flashlight to guide it through the quarter-sized opening. then butt the gear oil tip to the end of the garden hose to get oil out of the pump area. once "emptied," i personally start the engine again for 8-10 seconds (i think you could also do this by cycling the motor with the lanyard pulled). this cycles more oil to where the smaller hose can get to it for removing 3.5 qts out of the top.

View attachment 13307

with the smaller hose, i was able to get to the screen. i managed to pick up a large piece of crud here in March 2017. my best guess it is red Loctite:

View attachment 53097

OIL FILTER: take the milk jug and cut the bottom off of it. make it so it is about .75" to 1" deep. place this under the filter. remove the filter and catch the oil in the jug bottom. on the port side, i wedged a towel under the case to stabilize the jug bottom. i used the small vac hose to pull any oil left in the filter area:

View attachment 13312

DRAIN: you can now go a step further to get the rest out of it by using the drain bolt. the bolt is #3 in the following diagram and it requires a 12mm socket. it is on the stern-side, at the bottom of the motor and has a brass crush washer. it is fairly obvious relative to the other possibilities and very easy to find with a mirror:

View attachment 13305

wedge the jug bottom underneath the drain bolt and place the vac hose so it can prevent overflow. now turn the bolt out with the socket and extension. it is torqued to only 13 ft-lbs, so it comes out very easily. note the plastic, black coupler shroud in the next pic - i realigned the powertrain early 2015 and never put them back on. i like the improved access:

View attachment 13308
View attachment 13309
View attachment 13310

IMPORTANT: make sure the old crush washer comes off. i've had it stick to the engine quite a few times and had to use my fingernail to get it to let go. other times it has been stuck to the drain bolt.

mirror showing the drain (updated with more recent pic. also note the shroud is gone):

View attachment 53085

there's not going to be much left unless you opted not to cycle the pump for 8-10 secs. but have the vac ready to prevent overflow. you'll want to vac the jug bottom out before you try to get it out of the engine bay. throughout this whole method, i maybe spilled a couple drops. the drain is going to flow and then drip for a while. once you're satisfied, clean the drain hole with a paper towel and install the drain bolt with a new crush washer. you will be able to use a torque wrench on the starboard side, but not the port (unless using a smaller in-lbs model). again, it's only 13 ft-lbs (note: the manual also has this listed as 14 ft-lbs, depending on the page), so need to crank on it if you don't have a torque wrench that fits.

REFILL: with the new filter installed, it's time to replace what you took out. i use an old Mobil 1 5-gallon jug with the quart markers to gauge what i removed. when in doubt, put in less. the engine will be fine being a little under full, but risks damage if overfilled. if you include the drain bolt step, you can get nearly all of it out. capacity is 4.5 qts, so my strategy is to replace about 4 qts and run it a few mins to warm it back up then see where i stand. i try for about 85% to the full mark - then i'll top it off on the next outing with the boat leveled in the water.

OIL LEVEL: obviously, you want to get the level somewhere between the lower and upper marks on the dipstick. the consensus on the forum seems to be to aim closer for the lower mark on the dipstick if the engine is cold -OR- aim for the upper mark if the engine is warmed to operating temperatures.

oil brands: i doubt anyone makes a "bad" oil nowadays. i think it ends up coming down to personal taste. i used to use Castrol when i was younger. then i started using Mobil 1, switched to Royal Purple, and then started using Mobil 1 again a few years back. some will argue that Mobil 1 quality isn't what it used to be ...well, it has kept all of my engines very happy. change your oil regularly and they will all do an excellent job. i am using Mobil 1 High Mileage. why? just because ...plus it reconditions seals and is formulated for hotter weather.

synthetic, semi-synthetic, or conventional: developing a very slow oil leak on the bottom of an MR-1 engine is not uncommon and possibly originates from the pan gasket. one theory is that a previous owner may have used conventional oil, which wets and swells the gasket over time. the later use of synthetic by the new owner eventually dries out the gasket, possibly causing any swells to crack. i believe the theory to be false ...or at least it is false nowadays due to the eventual additives in synthetic oils to prevent this issue. you may be able to slow the dripping by switching back to conventional, but you can't stop the leak...

https://jetboaters.net/threads/slow-oil-leak-from-mr-1.7769/

filter brands: there are some i stay away from (FRAM). the main difference in the Yamaha, that no other appears to have, is that it utilizes a fleece element - this is no longer the case as they have changed manufacturers. i personally use Purolator, Mobil 1, or Bosch in my vehicles.

10w30 or 10w40: Yamaha discontinued distributing Yamahalube 10w30 for few years and advised to use 10w40 in it's place, so either one is fine.

drain plug: some will dispute the necessity of draining all of the oil. to that i say, good for you - your life must be much easier than my neurotic one! haha. i'm very anal about this sort of thing. these are R-1 motors - i used to own a sportbike shop and every single R-1 has a plug for a complete drain, so this feels right to me. i also happened to have a busted coolant line spray my starboard air filter, allowing salt water into the crankcase. some Sea Foam and a complete drain made me feel much better about this catastrophe. and i have no idea what the prior owner was running, so now i know i am 100% synthetic in both engines. peace of mind goes a long way. and just because the manual says to do it one way, doesn't make it law ...the manual is a guide, not a rule book. if it weren't for people doing things the manufacturer recommends not doing (or forum nannies lecturing us about), there wouldn't be nearly as much knowledge available. we all learn from mistakes and triumphs, so be daring ...and take pics then tell us about it.

@CrankyGypsy .....FWIW IMO awesome write-up! One question - is there any reason - special to Yamaha engines - that once you had that lower engine block drain plug out that you didn't install a brass fitting and attach a drain hose leading to a remote plug at the top of the engine? On all of my I/O engines I installed brass drain fittings (cross cut to get every drip of oil out - not THAT'S anal lol) attached a purpose manufactured heat/oil resistant hose and ran it/them(for duals) to a 12v pump. If a tight fit one could use a 90 degree brass fitting.