I'm sure this has been discussed at length. Looking for the best procedure to insure this very expensive re-power is done correctly. Apparently Yamaha's procedure may not be the best, some are suggesting using Mercury's 4S break in.
TIA
I'm sure this has been discussed at length. Looking for the best procedure to insure this very expensive re-power is done correctly. Apparently Yamaha's procedure may not be the best, some are suggesting using Mercury's 4S break in.
TIA
What more can be said to that which has already been said? Many many times.
To what procedure are you leaning?
Last edited by yam911; 12-08-2023 at 01:21 PM.
Towrds this,Originally Posted by yam911
yam911
MemberJoin DateFeb 2018LocationKennesaw, GeorgiaPosts2,998
#3608-26-2021, 05:34 PM
To that shown below I would suggest running to the extent possible at high power settings (>3500 RPM) during the first ten hours. In other words, keep trolling and idling to a minimum. The way that it is written implies that one can idle the motor for hours 3 thru 10. Not particularly beneficial.
You have to get the motor hot to seat the rings. Let it idle to normal temps before you start. Keep trimmed down during the break in. You need to monitor engine temps if possible during the break in as well. I had a hard time getting the engine temps up so I raised the jackplate as needed.
Do what Yamaha says.
Yep. It’s in the owners manual. I just finished mine a few months ago. I spent the day doing it by the book.
Mercury Four stroke break in procedure was flawless for my 250 SHO. I made no oil using that method of break in. Using the Yamaha break in on the first 250 SHO outboard, I had oil making problems for over 120 hours!
If you were to write a break in procedure that would be the WORST way to seat rings. It would be to idle the engine for the first 2 hours. Hummm sound familiar? If not look at Yamaha's directions. OR a bunch of different ones who did it by Yamaha's book with making oil [fuel dilution] problem. Follow Mercury's procedure. Or just run it like most do without any issues. A easy break in is the worst, thats why I break in just about eveything I rebuild. CJ
2002 X19 200HP OX66 HO Vmax,HPDI lower, it lives, thanks Hydro Tec.
Yamaha doesn’t say “idle for two hours”!!! It says, “ 2000 rpm or 1/2 throttle, whichever is greater for the first hour” “plaining speed for the second hour””normal use for the next 8 hours with run time durations at max rpm less than 5 minutes at a time”.
Sorry but 2000rpm is idle as far as seating rings is concerned!!! and plaining speed at part throttle after you have idled it for a hour won't get it. The rings still see little to no load. But hey it is your engine. The ones who don't break it in "by Yamahas book" have way less problems. I know of 3 that were ran normally with no break in and no issues. Heck one guy doesn't even check his oil! Anyway arguing about it won't change the results. The oil "making" fuel dilution problem is a "Symptom" of the break in. Nothing more. The rings need cylinder pressure to push them against the wall, heat helps also. End of story. When you see engines broke in on a dyno in less than 5 min usually in less than 3 pulls. You can appreciate this whole 10 hour thing is a waste of valuable time and about the worst way you can do it. CJ
2002 X19 200HP OX66 HO Vmax,HPDI lower, it lives, thanks Hydro Tec.
Hell just run it like you stole it
Way better than babying it!! With a proper warm up and cool down a hard run is best. Off shore fishing boats get thousands of hours out of the same powerhead a bass boat gets 500 out of. Alot to do in how they are operated. Cj
2002 X19 200HP OX66 HO Vmax,HPDI lower, it lives, thanks Hydro Tec.
Well, I just ran my brand new 250 at 2000-2500 rpm for the first hour and 3000-3500 for the next, same as my last 3 that had 300 hours in 3 years when I sold them, so I guess I'm in trouble.
2024 Skeeter ZXR20
2024 Yamaha SHO 250
The commercial saltwater guys aren't breaking theirs in like they stole them, and they are putting more hours on them than you bass guys could only dream of. Not only that, but those engines are run in saltwater. I lived on the intercoastal for 5 years 2010-2015 and the only engines having issues there were the flats boats with surfacing prop setups. Keep in mind they routinely ran in 18' of water or less.
Since 2010 I have had 7 Yamaha outboards, a F150, a 250 SHO, 2 F300's. 3 9.9 kickers. None have been broken in like you stole them, and none make oil. My son has a 250 SHO and his wasn't broken in like you stole it, and also doesn't make oil. That's 8 Yamaha outboards broken in reasonably and none make oil.
Keep in mind that when they say 2000 rpm to half throttle, nobody is driving around at 2000 rpm as that is too much for idling around, and not enough to plane. So even your first two hours you are probably at 2800-3300 rpm or so. That is not idling around.
What someone does on a dyno pull is meaningless in comparison to what you want for an engine you hope to last a long time. To say that engine is broken in after a few hard dyno pulls is just nonsense. Even nascar engine builders will admit that their engines will have more power at the end of a long race such as a 500 mile one than when they start. Those engines all were run on a dyno first, then run in practice, then run for another 500 miles and yet they will still make more power at the end than the start.
If you do have an engine that makes oil after a normal break in, I would agree that I would run it hard for a bit to try and seat the rings better, but before doing that, I for sure would change the oil first.
It makes for a long day if you do it all at once like i did.
Ya, it's really only a couple hours though that really matters. Keep in mind to those that say run it like you stole it right off the bat, there is more than the powerhead breaking in, your lower unit is breaking in also.
Reminds me of many years back, I had just gotten a new bass boat days before a big tournament on a river system. I was a little worried about running the engine so hard at takeoff, but the partner that drew me was having nothing of it and we had about a 15 mile run to where we agreed to fish. He should have listened to me as I wanted to be a little more conservative running to our 1st spot. We got there all right, but on the way back for the weigh in with about 3 miles to go, I blew a hole through the side of the lower unit while running full rpm. The engine rpm's went through the roof. They ended up having to give me a whole new engine as there was no checking how hard I was running a new engine then. We both would have placed in the top ten but missed the weigh in.
Reply With Quote
