2011 250 SHO Info, maintenance, tips, etc.

[SebastJO]

So I'm New to Yamaha and really to the Yamaha portion of BBC I guess.. Sorry if I do not post something correctly. Coming from Mercury 2 stroke to Yamaha 4 is going to be a little different for me. Anyway, Don Weed is the "guru" so to speak over on that page that I have followed and put all of my trust in over the years, because I feel like he flat knows his stuff on Mercury DFI motors. That being said, who is "that person" on the Yamaha SHO? There were always specific instructions over there that I went by as far as what fluids to run in my fuel, what fuel to run, what oil to run, what lower unit oil to run, exactly what maintenance needs to be done and when it needs to be done, to keep my motor running at optimal performance. etc. etc. I haven't seen that stuff in the sticky posts at the top of the page yet here and just trying to run it all down and figure out who's who, figure out the best place to get parts and things like that. Thanks in advance. Been looking forward to the opportunity of running one of these motors for a while now and it's finally happening. Excited about getting it on the water, but I've always been the person that wants to be running a fine tuned motor too. I'm not the put gas in it and go 'till it blows type of guy. Just need some help figuring out what to do, what to run, and how to maintain, and I'm also going to be breaking in a brand new powerhead (getting replaced under Yamaha recall(no issues with the motor to date 180 hours on original powerhead)) if anybody has any extra guidance on that.

[bgibson]

Run 89 octane gas and Yamaha Ring free. Not much maintenance to the SHO besides crankcase oil and filter changes and gear case oil changes every 100 hours. Use Yamaha brand lubricants, they are easy to get made for your engine and reasonably priced.. I do all my maintenance at the end of November when I put my boat up for the winter. The only other thing I can think of maintenance wise is changing the under cowling fuel filter annually as well. I have a Skeeter so I also have a bilge mounted fuel filter I change at the same time I do all the other stuff.

[bgibson]

One thing in your case is that with breaking in a new powerhead you should change the crankcase oil and filter after the first 20 hours of use to remove break in debris.

[SebastJO]

Thanks a lot for the input. I don't put mine up for the winter. I fish it all year in KY, but generally about the time I do maintenance as well. I have a new to me 2011 21FX skeeter. I just want to make sure all filters are changed as they should be and fluids are ran to exact specifications. Where is the best place to buy a cheap oil pump? Or am I better off to drain the oil from the mid and make sure it all gets out?

[cbr900racer22]

SimsYamaha dot com has all you need. My dad pumps his and I drain mine.

[SebastJO]

Thanks!

[tablerockslinger]

Congrats on getting a "new" SHO! Treat it right, like it sounds like you will, and it'll be the best motor. I'm a certified Yamaha tech myself and always happy to help out. That said I promise I don't know it all but if I don't know it someone will or I can talk to my Yamaha rep and get the answer. Definitely always run Yamaha products. I tell my customers to add ring free and fuel conditioner on every tank of fuel and seems to be working well. 89 or 91 octane will be good, preferably ethanol free. For your break in period run conventional Yamaha 10-30 and watch the oil level. Break in is the most important on these SHO's. Always let your motor warm up before taking off and cool down some before just shutting it off. In the lower unit you'll run Yamaha HD gear lube. After break in you'll need to do a 20 hr service and change oil and filter. I like to run conventional oil through it atleast one more time just to make sure the rings are set. Once you change to synthetic oil they need to be set. Than maintenance is done every 100 hrs. When we do 100 hr service we change the oil and filter, gear lube, all fuel filters, water pump impeller, and spark plugs. Keep that done and it'll be running strong! Are you gonna do the service yourself or you have a shop your taking it to?

[SebastJO]

Thanks for the info! If higher octane is the right choice, I'll go higher octane. lol. Probably be doing it myself honestly.... Time permitting. I'm no expert, but I've felt like in the last few years that the more I can see/do/troubleshoot/learn/etc, the better off I'll be in the long run and/or 60 miles away from the dock. The oil change seems like it's going to be fairly simple, lower unit gear lube is simple, and I couldn't imagine plugs being a big deal. Haven't done a water impeller on a yamaha, but I'd assume not much different than Mercury? Fluids... Is the best/cheapest place to buy everything on the SIM Yamaha site? The break in is definitely something that I'm concerned with, I want it to be done EXACTLY right. Everybody seems to have a different opinion on exactly what to do there. I'd love to see this in black and white and I don't have that. Is that info out there anywhere, per YAMAHA? Thank you all again for all of the input. Seems like it's going to push my 21FX fantastic from what I seen out of the old power head during a little test run last week.

[D-wayne]

I know the 2010 models got new powerheads under recall as mine was done Spring 2017. Are the 2011 models under the same recall?

[SebastJO]

Yes. Mine is being replaced right now.

[ZO6]

So I'm New to Yamaha and really to the Yamaha portion of BBC I guess.. Sorry if I do not post something correctly. Coming from Mercury 2 stroke to Yamaha 4 is going to be a little different for me. Anyway, Don Weed is the "guru" so to speak over on that page that I have followed and put all of my trust in over the years, because I feel like he flat knows his stuff on Mercury DFI motors. That being said, who is "that person" on the Yamaha SHO? There were always specific instructions over there that I went by as far as what fluids to run in my fuel, what fuel to run, what oil to run, what lower unit oil to run, exactly what maintenance needs to be done and when it needs to be done, to keep my motor running at optimal performance. etc. etc. I haven't seen that stuff in the sticky posts at the top of the page yet here and just trying to run it all down and figure out who's who, figure out the best place to get parts and things like that. Thanks in advance. Been looking forward to the opportunity of running one of these motors for a while now and it's finally happening. Excited about getting it on the water, but I've always been the person that wants to be running a fine tuned motor too. I'm not the put gas in it and go 'till it blows type of guy. Just need some help figuring out what to do, what to run, and how to maintain, and I'm also going to be breaking in a brand new powerhead (getting replaced under Yamaha recall(no issues with the motor to date 180 hours on original powerhead)) if anybody has any extra guidance on that.

I switched from a Merc 250 XS about a year 1/2 ago to the SHO. Sort of felt the same information void. I had the service manual for the Merc so I bought the service manual - LIT-18616-03-64 for my SHO from Sim Yamaha. Much of the info you want is in section 1 pg.5. I find it to be worth the money and refer to it frequently.
I have been very happy with my SHO and did add the psi sensor. Can't believe it wasn't already on it. Also make thermostat inspection part of your annual routine especially if you run in salt water. Stuck a little open, the engine will make oil and not reach optimum temp. Mine runs about 140 degrees. Good luck!

[BULLYFISH]

This is insane no where in the manual does he tell people use ring free that is for 2 stroke motors l guess people like spend extra money every time they put gas in there tanks you can’t teach stupid

[kk4iz]

I have been very happy with my SHO and did add the psi sensor. Can't believe it wasn't already on it. Also make thermostat inspection part of your annual routine especially if you run in salt water. Stuck a little open, the engine will make oil and not reach optimum temp. Mine runs about 140 degrees. Good luck![/QUOTE]

water or oil psi sensor?????

[CJ1]

This is insane no where in the manual does he tell people use ring free that is for 2 stroke motors l guess people like spend extra money every time they put gas in there tanks you can’t teach stupid

I don't run it in our 4 strokes, but you tell me how it is going to hurt anything? As far as helping, clean combustion chambers and valves along with a fuel treatment is not a bad thing. Stupid? Pretty strong words in this case. Especially if you are wrong. Cj

[kk4iz]

I don't run it in our 4 strokes, but you tell me how it is going to hurt anything? As far as helping, clean combustion chambers and valves along with a fuel treatment is not a bad thing. Stupid? Pretty strong words in this case. Especially if you are wrong. Cj

I run SeaFoam in all my equipment diesel and gas, cars, trucks,tractors,lawn mower and all small motor. I'll spend a little on SeaFoam and Sra-bal in every tank instead of a big repair bill down the road.

[Want2fish3]

Ok now I’m worried...I recently purchased a 2012 Skeeter FX21 with a SHO that shows manufacturing date of 09/11. Is this something I need to be worried about? The previous owner said nothing about a power head replacement.

[kk4iz]

check with your dealer or with more than one. They can check and see if it has the update

[Want2fish3]

Thanks kk4iz!

[Want2fish3]

So according to Yamaha I was not inside the recall/service advisory window. Hopefully, mine will be ok! Thanks for the replies guys and sorry about hijacking the thread.

[D-wayne]

This is insane no where in the manual does he tell people use ring free that is for 2 stroke motors l guess people like spend extra money every time they put gas in there tanks you can’t teach stupid

No where in Yamaha SHO literature does it talk about the SHO making oil...
They boast about the lazer etched cylinder walls but nothing else.
Any debris in the combination chamber will allow the fuel to bypass the rings and mix with crankcase oil.
Another point that Yamaha has never discussed.
Personally I found the use of conventional oil works better for the SHO (go figure). The inclusion of the fuel additive help prevent E10 water absorbsion, Ring Free is very concentrated so a little goes a long way to keep cylinders clean and water out.
For a new owner nervous about the SHO my advice would be to take it easy at start-up and shut-down. Give it a few minutes to warm up and a minute to cool down a bit(the cooler the water the more time I give at both ends). Inbetween the SHO likes to get run. Saying that I spend a lot of time at low speeds mapping out the lakes with a bit of full run time mixed in.
Maintenance wise.
Change fuel filters once a year
Change motor oil and filter once or twice a year
Change lower unit oil once a year
Have prop sized to get the boat up on plain quickly as well to have RPM reach 5800 to 6100 at full throttle.
And personally I switched all spark plugs switched to NGK iridium in all my vehicles with great results.

Hope this gives you a piece of mind so you can enjoy your boat and just get out and fish.