Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Howdy- we have a new 2011 Yamaha 150 4-stroke on our Manitou tritoon and after the 20 hours I will need to change the engine oil and drive oil,right now we are at 9 hours .. should I go with Amsoil synthetic or Yamaha synthetic?... I've been using Amsoil synthetic in our cars for years and in our previous boat with Mercruiser engine. I have a 3-year factory warranty on the Yamaha engine and I'm guessing using Amsoil will void my warranty if I have any warranty issues within the first 3 years. I really prefer synthetic oils over mineral.

Thanks in advance for u'r thoughts.

Cheers,
Robert

IMO use Yammalube as long as warranty is in effect

lakerunner696 wrote:IMO use Yammalube as long as warranty is in effect

X2

If they recommend their oil, then by all means, I'd use what they require or recommend. Afterall, that's how they test their motors, and they aren't going to tell you to put an inferior oil in their motor. Now the down side to this is that the Yamaha oil may cost more than others, but if you're debating between Amsoil and Yammy, I'll guess the Yammy is probably cheaper.

Yep, stay with it until the warranty is up. I won't battle over oil, just keep is changed on time and you'll be fine. I use a sythetic blend in mine.

Two things:

1. Using another motor oil other than Yamaha brand will not void your Yamaha warranty as long as the oil you use adheres to the API requirements set by the motors manufacturer. Marine AMSOIL far exceeds the Yamaha's API requirements if you read your owners manual. In order for any motor manufacturer to require there own oil to maintain it's warranty, the company would have to include all oil changes in with the price of the motor. There are some High end sports car companies that do just that.

2. Yamaha doesn't manufacturer oil nor does it own any refineries. It use to be made by Citgo years ago but by now it's probably made by one of the other big oil companys like Torco, Exxon Mobile and alike. This begs the question; If, for example, Torco makes Yamaha's oil for them using some kind of special receipe given to them by Yamaha and Yamaha says it's oil is the best, why would you think Torco wouldn't sell the same stuff under their lable and why wouldn't it be just a good? Hmmmmmm.

many thanks.. Hey Slingshot what brand oil do you use?

AMSOIL

I run penzoil in everything I own, never had an issue. Just stay within manufacturer specs.

Slingshot, I started a new thread earlier about what kind/type of oil to put in my 225 Yammy. You helped answer a question, especially since the selling dealer said they use Mercury 4 stroke oil in every Yamaha 4 stroke they service.
Thanks,

Howdy- I just had my 20 hour service done.. my dealer talked me into going with Yamaha full synthetic oil,it comes in a gold bottle and 5 bottles cost me $78 bones,yikes!! for my Yamaha 150HP 4-stroke. Yamaha USA and a Yamaha Rep,both said the Amsoil didn't meet their standards.. which is probably BS but since my motor is new and under warranty I didn't argue. The tech who changed the engine oil and lower gear lube said he has heard of Amsoil gear lube causing problems with Yamaha outboards,something to do with too much air getting into the lube and not doing it's job and toasting the lower unit.
I've used Amsoil for years in our old boat a 1998 Ebbtide with Mercruiser I/O with great results,plus in all of our vehicles.

Cheers,
Robert

Was a mechanic for over 50 years, have been dealing with the oil spec's all those years, kept changing getting better all the time. But the old wives tales persisted and still do. If the oil meets the spec's of the API it gets the rating on the can. If your engine maker asks for SJ or any other rating and you use it then you've done your part. Just keep your receipts and keep good records. I use Mobil One in my Yamaha 90 HP 4 stroke since new in 05. I use mostly Penns oil in my car and truck as I like to change it every 5K. But I have used other brands depending on price and availability. I always make sure it's the correct API rating. Yamaha oil is for the Bill Gates crowd!

I guess that's it. Check the API requirements, and use any oil that meets their code that you have faith in. Just be thankful you just have to change the oil one time per year in most cases.

My WalMart has been carrying Yamaha oil at a discount--versus buying it at our local boat dealership. They also carry oil filters for Yamaha outboards and Waverunners--same filter in some cases.

I had to buy Shell 30 weight oil for lawnmowers yesterday at OReillys @ $3.69 per quart. Some of the fancier names of dino motor oil was $4.69. It's enough to make me ground my SuperDuty diesel except for hauling--using 15 qts. of 15W-40 Rotella every 5000 miles.

bamaman, you ought to be good for every 10000 miles on an oil change. ive had a cummins and 2 powerstrokes with no oil related problems. couple hundred thou. miles on each one before i sold them.

I think the most important thing with oil is that you change it on time, at least once a year. I end up doing mine 3-4 times a year because of hours on the motor but just sitting can be worse than running. The new crankcases are more sealed than they were in the olden days but you can still get contamination in there, particularly if you are on salt water.

I have been running HD30 in mine since day one but it never really gets that cold here so I did not see the usefulness of a multigrade. Same with my cars.

The outboard thermostats are usually 120 degrees and the ambient air is typically over 80 or I wouldn't be in the boat.
Under that black motor cover it is at least 10 degrees warmer when I start the boat. I am not even sure how much a multigrade would change with a 30 degree delta. They are really designed for cars that run well over 200 degrees these days. My outboard never gets much over 140. If I see 150 I am looking for a cooling problem. Just chugging around it is just making the stat.

I think the best bet, no matter what type of vehicle you're using ( boat, truck, car, RV ) is to do a Used Oil Analysis on it. I have done this on almost every vehicle I've had for the past 8 years, about once a year or so, and it will tell you right away if you can extend your oil change intervals, or leave them where they're at by telling you the viscosity, and fuel dilution. Well worth the $30 to Blackstone Labs to ensure the oil you're using is protecting like it should.

Guys on the Traverse forum that I'm on do this consistantly, and share it with others to see which oils, in which climates work best. This way, one person doesn't have to try them all to see if they're good or not for them. The unfortunate part of this is, my oil of choice ( Mobil 1 full synthetic ) doesn't perform well, historically, in the DI engine of the Traverse. Not sure about mine yet, as I won't do a UOA until 5,000 miles.

Regardless, you 4 stroke guys could do this on the boat motors to see if the Yammy oil is ACTUALLY protecting the engine better than the Penz, Amsoil, Mobil 1, etc.