I would say, given the cost of oil and filters against the cost of a motor, it is well worth changing engine and gear oils at 20 hrs. I have always done this as well as dropping the leg, greasing the studs (as well as removing the water pump housing to clean a lubricate the bolts) , , , , makes life much easier at the 100 hr/annual service and IMHO sensible. My Merc 150 4S definitely says 3 months or 20 hrs as the first 'service'
I am not trying to stir up this oil change maintenance issue up but apparently different Mercury engines (year or model) have different maintenance requirements relative to oil changes and lower unit service.
I have a 2017 Mercury 115 Pro XS 4stroke. My manual simply states that the engine oil and lower unit lube needs to be changed at 100 hours or annually which ever comes first. To be certain I have not missed anything I emailed Mercury Technical Support this morning. Here is their reply:
"Thank you for your e-mail regarding your Mercury engine, serial # 2B442155. We appreciate the opportunity to respond to your concerns.
Oil and gear case lubrication changes are 100hrs or once annually. Whichever occurs first. There is no 20hr service needed.
We hope this information is helpful to you. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please contact our Customer Service department at 920-929-5040 between the hours of 7:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, CST.
Sincerely,
Mercury Outboard Customer Assistance"
So I will be changing my oil/lube accordingly.
Joe B
2017 Tracker PT 190 TX
2017 Mercury 115 Pro XS
Mercury Spitfire X7 19” prop
51 mph @ 6240 rpms (RPMs from Vessel View Mobile) : full fuel tank and fishing load by myself
4.2 second Hole Shot (measured using Vessel View Mobile)
Engine mounted in 3rd hole
Minn Kota Ulterra-Link w/built in MDI 80 lb thrust 60” shaft
Humminbird Helix 12si Gen1 chirp on console
Humminbird Helix 15si Gen4 cho on bow
Humminbird Mega360
Dotline two step transom boarding ladder
Tracker trailer bow boarding step
If you have a trailer, go ahead and do the maintenance. It is just a half hour job if you're fast with a wrench. No big deal.
After my first two oil changes, I switched over to Mobil 1 EP full synthetic oil--a superior motor oil. I am running a F150 Yamaha, and I figured out all Yamaha outboards use a Ford Focus 2.0 oil filter. My yearly cost to change fluids is far less than $50. And doing the maintenance is an enjoyable time.
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