Oil for 2015 SHO

[davepjr71]

What oil are you guys running in your SHO? Yamaha, Mobile 1?

[sugelle]

I use Yamaha Brand

[John Hagins]

I use Yamaha Brand

+1☺

[skennedy]

Yamaha Reg. Oil non synthetic . That is what my Yamaha mech . Instructed me to do . Made very little oil and rings were seated At 20 hrs it has not made a drop now sense . I'm right at 50 hrs now .

[SmlRanger]

Royal purple marine

[Musky Mike]

Royal purple marine

Royal Purple High Performance Marine (HPM) has been replaced with High Performance Street (HPS). HPS has a better anti-wear/detergent/dispersant additive package with more Moly, ZDDP and Calcium.

http://royalpurpledirect.com/product...oke-motor-oil/

[scj]

Yamalube 4M 10w-30. It's non-synthetic as per suggested by a Yamaha rep.

Heat is what breaks down oil and I rarely ever see my oil 140 degrees......

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

This is a good thread for me. I have a new to me 250 SHO with about 60 hours on the new style powerhead. I've only put 4 hours on it since I purchased it and in that time it hasn't made any oil. The previous owner said he broke it in right and it never made oil when he had it. Anyway I have 2 years of YES warranty with it but I want to take the best care of it I can. I had planned to put Yamaha synthetic oil in it at the end of the fall but the point about these engines never getting hot enough to break the oil down makes sense to me. Is the synthetic oil better or just overkill and most importantly in my way of thinking do you think an engine that doesn't make oil running the conventional oil would start making it if changed to synthetic? Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Stratos21XL]

I dont think the synthetic is a must have...my first SHO was a gen 1 and it never had a drop of synthetic oil in it. Sold that boat and bought a new boat in 2014 with another SHO and its never had a drop of synthetic in it either. Never had any mechanical failures on either motor. I just use the regular Yamaha 4 stroke oil.

[Frikster]

This is a good question, why does the tech guys say no synthetic oil, i also wanted to use some but was told not to, anyone have a idea why not?

[davepjr71]

Thanks guys. I'm hearing guys on another site state it's ok to use Mobile One. I read that Mobile One is okay for the smaller outboards but to stick with Yamaha or similar for the high performance like the SHO. FC-W minimum.

[berudd]

I have never seen a single piece of third-party information that said one specific why I was any better than any of the others. Do you really want to risk your investment on what you heard a guy say on the Internet? Sure, stories of bound about how somebody has run an engine for 10,000 hours on $.98 a quart oil that they picked up at the 7-Eleven but that's just some dude. I feel it's safest to just go with the manufacturers oil. Am I convinced it's the absolute best product? No, but I'm sure it's up to the task since it has the manufactures name on it. Basically, I just know it's not inferior. I don't really get all the wringing of hands that surrounds oil for outboards. If the people that designed and built your engine recommend a specific oil just use it and worry more about fishing.

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

I have never seen a single piece of third-party information that said one specific why I was any better than any of the others. Do you really want to risk your investment on what you heard a guy say on the Internet? Sure, stories of bound about how somebody has run an engine for 10,000 hours on $.98 a quart oil that they picked up at the 7-Eleven but that's just some dude. I feel it's safest to just go with the manufacturers oil. Am I convinced it's the absolute best product? No, but I'm sure it's up to the task since it has the manufactures name on it. Basically, I just know it's not inferior. I don't really get all the wringing of hands that surrounds oil for outboards. If the people that designed and built your engine recommend a specific oil just use it and worry more about fishing.

Thanks for your reply but I think you may be missing my question -- I want to take really good care of my engine - I don't mind spending the money, you're right - it is foolish in my opinion to save a few bucks on oil and trash an $18K engine. What I'm confused about is that Yamaha makes and markets a full synthetic oil yet many of their techs seem to say that it isn't the best choice for our engines. I'm also especially interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with an engine that wasn't making oil using the conventional oil who changed to the synthetic. Did they start having oil making issues or not. I've read that the synthetic oil may actually be too slick and allow the rings not to seat properly. Anyone have any information. Thanks for your's and all the replies:-)

[berudd]

Thanks for your reply but I think you may be missing my question -- I want to take really good care of my engine - I don't mind spending the money, you're right - it is foolish in my opinion to save a few bucks on oil and trash an $18K engine. What I'm confused about is that Yamaha makes and markets a full synthetic oil yet many of their techs seem to say that it isn't the best choice for our engines. I'm also especially interested in hearing from anyone who has experience with an engine that wasn't making oil using the conventional oil who changed to the synthetic. Did they start having oil making issues or not. I've read that the synthetic oil may actually be too slick and allow the rings not to seat properly. Anyone have any information. Thanks for your's and all the replies:-)

Yeah, I hear ya. But what I am also saying is if Yamaha recommends and oil, and on the website the say Yamalube 4M, I just wouldn't go looking on the internet for different advice. I don't know if they recommend a different oil for break-in or not but I'd read the manual to see what they say. Of course, a little Googling just revealed there may be two flavors of Yamalube 4M, a conventional and a full synthetic. And the say the synthetic is great of the SHO (http://maintenance.yamahaoutboards.com/engine-oil-lube/).

If you have found a tech that contradicts what Yamaha says, personally, I'd be pretty cautious about following that advice. You'll have to make a decision as to if you really feel they know more about this than Yamaha does. The kind of feedback you'll get is going to be anecdotal and compared to the number of SHOs out there only represent a very small sample. That doesn't mean that what you'll hear back is wrong necessarily but it would be data that can't be viewed with a high confidence level. Someone might say yeah I switch to synthetic and it made oil but that doesn't mean the change cause the problem. And what if you get an equal number of responses that say they made the change and it didn't make oil? That's pretty much what i was getting at. You might get responses but they are just going to be a handful of individual experiences and therefor inconclusive.

[phild]

Yeah, I hear ya. But what I am also saying is if Yamaha recommends and oil, and on the website the say Yamalube 4M, I just wouldn't go looking on the internet for different advice. I don't know if they recommend a different oil for break-in or not but I'd read the manual to see what they say. Of course, a little Googling just revealed there may be two flavors of Yamalube 4M, a conventional and a full synthetic. And the say the synthetic is great of the SHO (http://maintenance.yamahaoutboards.com/engine-oil-lube/).

If you have found a tech that contradicts what Yamaha says, personally, I'd be pretty cautious about following that advice. You'll have to make a decision as to if you really feel they know more about this than Yamaha does. The kind of feedback you'll get is going to be anecdotal and compared to the number of SHOs out there only represent a very small sample. That doesn't mean that what you'll hear back is wrong necessarily but it would be data that can't be viewed with a high confidence level. Someone might say yeah I switch to synthetic and it made oil but that doesn't mean the change cause the problem. And what if you get an equal number of responses that say they made the change and it didn't make oil? That's pretty much what i was getting at. You might get responses but they are just going to be a handful of individual experiences and therefor inconclusive.

I agree with Bruce on this. I have been to testing facilities (not necessarily outboard or Yamaha for that matter) and there is a lot of money spent on R&D and testing. I know this may be a silly comparison but, when you look on a box of food that tells you what temp and how long to cook in an oven or microwave - do we follow those instructions or jump on the Internet to find a better solution?? I'm not trying to be facetious, but it seems if the manufacturer has certain specs, it would be based on their R&D and testing.

Just my $.02

[ChooChooSnakeMan]

Yeah, I hear ya. But what I am also saying is if Yamaha recommends and oil, and on the website the say Yamalube 4M, I just wouldn't go looking on the internet for different advice. I don't know if they recommend a different oil for break-in or not but I'd read the manual to see what they say. Of course, a little Googling just revealed there may be two flavors of Yamalube 4M, a conventional and a full synthetic. And the say the synthetic is great of the SHO (http://maintenance.yamahaoutboards.com/engine-oil-lube/).

If you have found a tech that contradicts what Yamaha says, personally, I'd be pretty cautious about following that advice. You'll have to make a decision as to if you really feel they know more about this than Yamaha does. The kind of feedback you'll get is going to be anecdotal and compared to the number of SHOs out there only represent a very small sample. That doesn't mean that what you'll hear back is wrong necessarily but it would be data that can't be viewed with a high confidence level. Someone might say yeah I switch to synthetic and it made oil but that doesn't mean the change cause the problem. And what if you get an equal number of responses that say they made the change and it didn't make oil? That's pretty much what i was getting at. You might get responses but they are just going to be a handful of individual experiences and therefor inconclusive.

Thanks for the link - as you say it specifically says the full synthetic Yamaha branded 4 stroke oil to be perfect for our SHOs but then you have these testimonies of Yamaha mechanics who say to not run the synthetic oil. It is confusing at best. Like I stated my only goal is to take the best care of my engine as I can because on average I keep a boat for 15 years. My Skeeter FX21 and 250 SHO will likely be my last ride. My engine doesn't make oil and I don't want to change to the synthetic if it will screw things up. On the other hand if it wouldn't cause it to start making oil but would be better (longer life, less wear, maybe better performance) then I'd gladly spend the extra $$ for the synthetic oil. I'm hoping to hear from some of the folks who broke their SHO in on the conventional oil and then changed to the synthetic. Did they notice better performance (higher rpm with the same prop set up) or did they start making oil. Thanks for all the replies.

[Stratos21XL]

Stay with the standard Yamaha 4 stroke oil and run non-ethanol gas. You do NOT need to run synthetic oil in that motor.

However, if spending a couple dollars more a quart gives you piece of mind then by all means do so. Yamaha gives you a choice between synthetic and and non-synthetic and I dont think they would offer two different types of oil if either would cause damage to the engine. Its like everyone telling me I dont need to run ring free and fuel conditioner in my gas...but guess what...I do and will continue to do so.

I do this because it says to in the owners manual and I also have a really good mechanic and dealer that tells me it wont hurt to do so.

Last and final synopsis...I also do all of this because IF something ever does happen to my engine, neither my dealer nor Yamaha can can come back and say...it failed because you didnt use the recommended oil or fuel additives.

[skennedy]

The average fisherman puts less way less than 100 hrs a year on there motors. I fish about 6to8 tournaments a year and average around 60 hrs a year . Plus fun fishing ,practice and family fun . 60 hrs is not a lot of time on an oil .yamahas manual states 100hrs or once a year . If your putting more than average hours on her might be a good choice then to step it up to the next level of protection . To the guys that are running off brand motor oil good luck . I ran Mercurys for 32 years and never popped a motor .all of them had high hours when I traded them in I always ran the manufactures oil and products. I will be doing the same with the Yamaha.

[berudd]

Thanks for the link - as you say it specifically says the full synthetic Yamaha branded 4 stroke oil to be perfect for our SHOs but then you have these testimonies of Yamaha mechanics who say to not run the synthetic oil. It is confusing at best. Like I stated my only goal is to take the best care of my engine as I can because on average I keep a boat for 15 years. My Skeeter FX21 and 250 SHO will likely be my last ride. My engine doesn't make oil and I don't want to change to the synthetic if it will screw things up. On the other hand if it wouldn't cause it to start making oil but would be better (longer life, less wear, maybe better performance) then I'd gladly spend the extra $$ for the synthetic oil. I'm hoping to hear from some of the folks who broke their SHO in on the conventional oil and then changed to the synthetic. Did they notice better performance (higher rpm with the same prop set up) or did they start making oil. Thanks for all the replies.

So, who has seen more motors. Yamaha or the mechanics you talked to? I'm not saying the people at Yamaha are infallible but they it is in their best interest to give advice that makes their product perform the best and last the longest. I don't mean to be derogatory but there are a lot of outboard mechanics out there that basically good old boys that know how to fix motors. They don't always know what goes into designing them. Yes, some do and some are highly trained on these engines but most, in my experience, are not. From what I know of the making oil thing its related to the rings not seating properly during break-in. And I'm sure their concerns about synthetic oil come from using it during break-in, even if they don't realize that's where the concern originated. If there outboards are anything like the 4-stroke Yamaha MX bikes I rode, new cylinders have a cross-hatch pattern that helps seat the rings. Improper break-in results in that wearing down before the rings are properly seated. Rings that don't seat let to much gasoline get by them and that's home you "make oil". With a new 4-stoke MX bike, and I am talk MX race bikes, not the old Honda XR 80 someone had as a kid, to break them in you would let them come up to operating temp and ride them as hard as you were capable of. That seated the rings. From what I've heard of the SHO, they seem to require a similar process. If yours is good and broken in and does not make oil then I would suspect you would be fine with synthetic oil. On the other hand, if it ain't broke....

[davepjr71]

I have never seen a single piece of third-party information that said one specific why I was any better than any of the others. Do you really want to risk your investment on what you heard a guy say on the Internet? Sure, stories of bound about how somebody has run an engine for 10,000 hours on $.98 a quart oil that they picked up at the 7-Eleven but that's just some dude. I feel it's safest to just go with the manufacturers oil. Am I convinced it's the absolute best product? No, but I'm sure it's up to the task since it has the manufactures name on it. Basically, I just know it's not inferior. I don't really get all the wringing of hands that surrounds oil for outboards. If the people that designed and built your engine recommend a specific oil just use it and worry more about fishing.

I agree 100% with what you are stating. I could care less about what internet mechanics tell me about cheaper oil is fine. However, I'm interested in what the bass boat guys that have run the SHO for years know from experience and use.