Another Yamaha SHO Blown Powerhead

I am Running a 2013 Skeeter ZX200 with 200 SHO, the BASS Nation Championship model. The last time out was the beginning of April. I had just ran about 4 miles, set off plane, and idled for a minute or so to get to where i was fishing. After a few minutes fishing, I crank the engine to move again and boom. The engine starts billowing smoke from the exhaust and a rattling noise. I Shut down the engine and get back to the ramp on the trolling motor. Once there I take off the cowling and notice oil marks on the inside of the cowling over the air intake. I Pull the oil dipstick and exactly what I had figured, there was water pouring out with the oil. Do you want to talk about a sight that will make you sick.

I scheduled an appointment with a local Yamaha service center and they ran diagnostics and performed the house test. Water was pouring out of the cylinder. They also said the the boat was running hot and tripping overheat codes for 40+ hours. I have performed the Yamaha service work at home based on all of their service schedules since I bought the boat at the end of 2017. Not once did I ever have an alarm that went off signaling a problem. There was never a loss of power or any type of indicator that there was an issue. There was always significant water pressure at the gauge, and a steady stream coming out of the motor (I check constantly upon startup, before taking off, during a run and once set down off pad). From the time I bought the boat it wasn't a tournament boat and I knew the previous owner, and he did not abuse the boat either. The boat was always garage kept and maintained extremely well.

It is so very frustrating spending more money on the boat than I felt comfortable spending, but because it was the SHO I decided it was going to be worth it. I figured the peace of mind from running the most "dependable" engine on the market. I love Skeeter and Yamaha, but this has me in a bad position still owing a decent chunk of money on it. The cost for a new Yamaha powerhead was quoted about 15k and a new 200 SHO is looking about 23k.

What was bought to raise my daughter up on fishing, is now a nightmare that I have to see everyday sitting in my garage.

Thanks for reading. I have been putting this on the back burner but now I have to do something with the boat. I cant keep paying on something and not be able to use it.

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Unfortunately, it happens.

At least you have your daughter and family.

Yes that is a sad deal. So did they know why no alarm and why it was over heating?

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Originally Posted by rid 05 198

Yes that is a sad deal. So did they know why no alarm and why it was over heating?

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No, they did not give any reasoning behind it. After this happened I was doing a little bit of reading on here with others having the same problem with the earlier model years for the SHO. I unfortunately was unable to get any type of verification of sorts on the reasonings.

Im not mad that it happened. Im mad that any safety system in place to prevent this failed. i.e. no alarm, no over heat light,

Although why it overheated is a priority the alarm not functioning would be my number one concern

has your motor been flashed ? there was one in our area that was flashed an it got so hot that it melted the plastic parts on the inside of the cowling yamaha denied claim because it was run hot . the customer got not heat warning on it either.

Probably more than most will be wanting to do, but the over temperature warning system can be tested.

Might not be a bad thing to do periodically.

Also, an engine temperature gauge can be added.

No, the ECM was never flashed. Since I moved, I wasn't fishing tournaments anymore so the gain of speed wasn't a necessity.

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Originally Posted by MichAngler

Although why it overheated is a priority the alarm not functioning would be my number one concern

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That is what I was trying to find answers for. The alarm worked when I would try to start the engine without the kill switch engaged so I figured the motor would be tied into that.

I don’t know much about them but a new Suzuki SS 200 looks like it can be found for not much more than your new powerhead price. I just saw a Skeeter with a 250 Suzuki on the back of it today at the lake. I believe they come with a good warranty as well.

Couldn't you use the NMEA 2K to show engine temp on your graph?

Some graphs allow you to set a limit and warn you when its getting hot

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Originally Posted by MichAngler

Couldn't you use the NMEA 2K to show engine temp on your graph?

Some graphs allow you to set a limit and warn you when its getting hot

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I'm not sure if it is compatable with the 900 series of Humminbird that is at the console, but if so, then yes I absolutely could have. In hindsight I wish that I had. I wasn't to worried about doing any integration on them because I was planning to upgrade all of the electronics over the summer (obviously that never occurred).

My brother had the same issue with his 2011 that had less than 120 hours in 2019. No alarms but he was told it overheated. It was always serviced at the dealer. I told him to call Yamaha and they replaced the power head. It’s worth a shot.

That's why you never buy the first generation of any new outboard. First Gen Optimax had issues, first gen HDPI had issues, first gen SHO had issues and first gen Merc 4 strokes had issues. They all got them pretty well worked out in 3-4 years.

I don't know... Auto's over heat and it takes out the head gasket. 2-strokes heat up and you can fry an egg on them...

I spoke with a rep from Yamaha the other day in regards to this Engine. Understandably the gentleman acted like there is not a known issue. I asked if there were any service bulletins that my serial number fell into. He confirmed that there was, but since I was not the original owner and the bulletin was issued to the original owner I was not privy to the information. It is a confirmation that there is a known issue from the factory with it. I understand that it is out of warranty, but it doesnt change how disappointed I am with Yamaha given the problems that their product has. I have read and talked to a ton of folks who have experienced the very same thing.

DO BETTER YAMAHA

Having owned several Yamaha engines with varying degree of reliability, this is the final one for me. Its time to move past Yamaha and find something that I can depend on (yes I know all brands can have problems).

What is the engine serial number?

In fairness to Yamaha (and Mercury, Suzuki, Honda, Tohatsu, Evinrude, etc.) the warranty covers known issues and unknown issues. For a finite period of time. But once the warranty is over, it is over. Known issue or not.

I don't know of any motor maker that is going to fix a motor that is 10 years out of warranty.

Unless your outboard has an extensive repair history I think 11 years is a decent chunk of time before something happened. It sucks but its part of owning a boat. I've had a couple of motors from other brands blow so I get it. Its frustrating.

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Originally Posted by bassfisher444

That's why you never buy the first generation of any new outboard. First Gen Optimax had issues, first gen HDPI had issues, first gen SHO had issues and first gen Merc 4 strokes had issues. They all got them pretty well worked out in 3-4 years.

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His motor is 11 years old. Its not like its year one of the SHO. That motor ran and lasted 11 years.

If you want something reliable, get a Suzuki

On The Hull Truth right now a Suzuki owner is bitching about his 4 year old blown Suzuki.

So it goes.

If you read over multiple boating websites you'll find that powerhead failures are not limited to one specific brand. Unfortunately, Yamaha had an issue in the early 4.2L years which seems to be at the top of these discussions. The 4.2L is the same powerhead that the Off Shore models run and many of these outboards have ridiculously high hours. We bass boaters are known for running our engines at the limit, which in my opinion is hard on any engine.

it is a miracle outboards run as long as they do the way some folks treat them if you get 10 years out of one you have to consider it a win . in the real world if you buy a 3 or4 year old car or truck an the motor goes down you just have it repaired or replaced only in the marine world some folks think they should have unlimited repairs made. when you see an outboard company put a 10 year warranty on their product they didnt even stay in business after that.

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Originally Posted by ssmithboats

it is a miracle outboards run as long as they do the way some folks treat them if you get 10 years out of one you have to consider it a win . in the real world if you buy a 3 or4 year old car or truck an the motor goes down you just have it repaired or replaced only in the marine world some folks think they should have unlimited repairs made. when you see an outboard company put a 10 year warranty on their product they didnt even stay in business after that.

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Any good outboard or vehicle engine should last well over 10 years. My Optimax is 14 years old and still running great, the engines in my vehicles are over 20 years old and still running great.

Vehicle engine run at a higher temp which good. However there operating rpm these days are around 2000 rpm. Most people with bass boats don't run at cruising speeds 3000 to say 4500. The run a lot at wot, approximately 6000 rpm. Plus the the engine water temp maybe at 140 but it isn't at 140 thru and thru. Crank idle a minute then 6000 rpm for a few minutes then off, repeat, off repeat, off. That's a lot of rotating mass that's run at less than optimal for a lot of its life. From what I've been told be mechanics and read, bass boats are the major component of outboard engine failures. Not saying others don't fail but he failure rates in bass boats are higher because of the way they are operated overall. Anything mechanical can and will fail at some point, some earlier than others.

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Originally Posted by BroWhoop

Vehicle engine run at a higher temp which good. However there operating rpm these days are around 2000 rpm. Most people with bass boats don't run at cruising speeds 3000 to say 4500. The run a lot at wot, approximately 6000 rpm. Plus the the engine water temp maybe at 140 but it isn't at 140 thru and thru. Crank idle a minute then 6000 rpm for a few minutes then off, repeat, off repeat, off. That's a lot of rotating mass that's run at less than optimal for a lot of its life. From what I've been told be mechanics and read, bass boats are the major component of outboard engine failures. Not saying others don't fail but he failure rates in bass boats are higher because of the way they are operated overall. Anything mechanical can and will fail at some point, some earlier than others.

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Outboards are designed to run wide open, that's why the thermostats are all set around 140 and they have an unlimited cooling supply. If you ran any vehicle motor wide open at redline it would overheat in a very short period, if you don't run an outboard wide open at a high RPM enough it will either get carbon buildup from not being ran hard enough or oil dilution if it's a 4 stroke. Outboards also make relatively low hp for their displacment compared to engines used in modern vehicles which also helps them last longer running wide open.

I had a Gen 1 SHO blow a power head without any alarms. It was just out of warranty when it happened but Yamaha fixed it free.

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Originally Posted by bassfisher444

Outboards are designed to run wide open, that's why the thermostats are all set around 140 and they have an unlimited cooling supply. If you ran any vehicle motor wide open at redline it would overheat in a very short period, if you don't run an outboard wide open at a high RPM enough it will either get carbon buildup from not being ran hard enough or oil dilution if it's a 4 stroke. Outboards also make relatively low hp for their displacment compared to engines used in modern vehicles which also helps them last longer running wide open.

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Outboard thermostats aren't 140 degrees because of running wide open, they are that temp to limit corrosion and mineral separation in the cooling system.

In my opinion the vast majority of SHO failures are due to lack of service and lack of warm up/cool down.

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Originally Posted by BULLYFISH

If you want something reliable, get a Suzuki

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I own a Suzuki. It's just a standard 200. I think it's reliable. ALL outboards are operated at a very high RPM tange relatively to our cars and trucks. Saturday I ran back to weigh-in at 6000 RPM for 26 minutes.

ALL outboards can be divided into two categories, 1. those that have blown up and 2. those that will blow up.

This Yamaha owner is unfortunately in category 1 financially and emotionally damaged. I feel for him, I replaced my blown up Suzuki with a new one three years ago.

Reliable? Yes, but not compared to my Chevy. Some day mine will blow up too.

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Originally Posted by billnorman1

I own a Suzuki. It's just a standard 200. I think it's reliable. ALL outboards are operated at a very high RPM tange relatively to our cars and trucks. Saturday I ran back to weigh-in at 6000 RPM for 26 minutes.

ALL outboards can be divided into two categories, 1. those that have blown up and 2. those that will blow up.

This Yamaha owner is unfortunately in category 1 financially and emotionally damaged. I feel for him, I replaced my blown up Suzuki with a new one three years ago.

Reliable? Yes, but not compared to my Chevy. Some day mine will blow up too.

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Not trying to cause trouble but what is the theory that all outboards will blow? A four stroke outboard power head is pretty much like a four/six/eight cylinder auto power head. The big difference is your vehicle has a transmission and you're not usually going from 0 to 50 as often or running at 6000 rpm for 26 minutes in your car or truck. Don't go from 0 to 50 as much or run at 6000 rpm for extended periods and I would think the life span of the outboard would greatly increase. I live in a community with lakes and many of the boats on that lake idle around for years and years and never have their outboards blow. I'm on my third Yamaha SHO and all three of them had over 300 hours at 3 years at mostly 3500-4500 rpms and they are still running fine. I sold a 2012 boat with a 175 HPDI on it and that motor is still running great. As I posted above my brother had an 8 or more year old SHO with less than 150 hours on it. The heads cracked and Yamaha replaced it out of warranty. Of course he had to stay on them but eventually they replace it because they knew it was a defect not abuse. Don't abuse the motor and perform regular maintenance and unless there is a defect you should expect many years of use but that's my opinion.

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Originally Posted by woppercatcher

Not trying to cause trouble but what is the theory that all outboards will blow? A four stroke outboard power head is pretty much like a four/six/eight cylinder auto power head. The big difference is your vehicle has a transmission and you're not usually going from 0 to 50 as often or running at 6000 rpm for 26 minutes in your car or truck...............................

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I will rephrase it then. All bass boat motors seem to eventually blow. As I made my choice which brand to buy new, I hope I made the choice of which one will outlast me, I'm 81. But I know, it will blow up some day, I hope I blow up first LOL.

Claim it on insurance. That's why you have it. Maybe when running in the a bag or trash covered the water intake causing an overheat? That would be a qualified accident.

the insurance cos have heard those tired stories before they dont go for that anymore they do offer a plan to pay if your motor does blow up an out of warranty most of the time you have to ask for it . it doesnt cost much an is great for unforseen motor failures.

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Originally Posted by ssmithboats

the insurance cos have heard those tired stories before they dont go for that anymore they do offer a plan to pay if your motor does blow up an out of warranty most of the time you have to ask for it . it doesnt cost much an is great for unforseen motor failures.

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They covered my blown yamaha last year. And they covered one in 2017 as well. Basic coverage with allstate no extras. So they do it.

i just blew mine. coffee creamer oil now. 2016 sho with 293 hours

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Originally Posted by Phoenix 920 Pro XP

i just blew mine. coffee creamer oil now. 2016 sho with 293 hours

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More details if you can.

For the Op:
I hate that this happened, and that you don’t seem to have any reasonable options out of a bad deal.
The only thing I can offer is if you consider rebuilding the power head, you should look at Hydra Tech Marine in Nixa Missouri. They do breakin on their rebuilds on a Dyno and they seem to specialize In Yamaha’s.
http://hydrotecmarine.com/services/

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Originally Posted by rid 05 198

More details if you can.

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dealer said a cracked powerhead. yamaha said they arent covering it since its too far out of warranty

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Originally Posted by woppercatcher

Not trying to cause trouble but what is the theory that all outboards will blow? A four stroke outboard power head is pretty much like a four/six/eight cylinder auto power head. The big difference is your vehicle has a transmission and you're not usually going from 0 to 50 as often or running at 6000 rpm for 26 minutes in your car or truck. Don't go from 0 to 50 as much or run at 6000 rpm for extended periods and I would think the life span of the outboard would greatly increase. I live in a community with lakes and many of the boats on that lake idle around for years and years and never have their outboards blow. I'm on my third Yamaha SHO and all three of them had over 300 hours at 3 years at mostly 3500-4500 rpms and they are still running fine. I sold a 2012 boat with a 175 HPDI on it and that motor is still running great. As I posted above my brother had an 8 or more year old SHO with less than 150 hours on it. The heads cracked and Yamaha replaced it out of warranty. Of course he had to stay on them but eventually they replace it because they knew it was a defect not abuse. Don't abuse the motor and perform regular maintenance and unless there is a defect you should expect many years of use but that's my opinion.

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They are not close to the same. Auto engine has a horizontal crankshaft , outboard has a vertical crank.

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Originally Posted by Horton

Claim it on insurance. That's why you have it. Maybe when running in the a bag or trash covered the water intake causing an overheat? That would be a qualified accident.

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We have insurance to cover us for the right reasons. That “plastic bag over the intake” story has circulated for decades now, I’d be surprised if any decent adjuster would fall for it. Brutally honest, if anyone can’t afford the potential loss in what they undertake, they should get the right coverage to protect against these losses, ie extended warranties, or “mechanical breakdown” coverage. I actually had mechanical breakdown coverage on my ‘07 HPDI, long after the factory 5 year expired, and until I sold it a couple of years ago.