Yamaha Fuel Filters and their maintenance

[Brian B]

Just curious if anyone has dealt with the filters on the Yamaha O/B or has discussed the maintenance of them with a Yamaha Tech. There are articles and videos online showing "mystery filters" in the injectors and HPDI pump, Yamaha recommends the VST filter be changed every 300 hours. Yamaha apparently does not show these mystery filters in the parts diagram or offer them as replacement parts from what I read, guess that's how they got their name. This all looks and sounds very expensive for a tech to service them. Complex for a DIY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Nhx2GtfJY

 

[baz]

I've talked about filters with my local Yamaha shop where I have maintenance service done on my F300 and 9.9HP kicker. They deal with the filters and I leave it to them to do the right thing. I believe RT installs the Yamaha 20 micron filter which is what Yamaha recommends.

 

[knotflying]

Cha-ching. Diesel is looking a bit better. 😀

 

[captstu]

The problem with diesel in South Florida is very very difficult to find maintenance people. They’re also boat yards that no longer permit diesel boats. The combination is driving us to look to replace our boat with an outboard powered boat of similar configuration.

Unfortunately Yamaha engines look to be beyond the do it yourself maintenance skills. So I guess we have to wait until the market drives manufactures to build boats engines in a way that can be maintained away from a qualified factory technician.

The last outboards iPad could be field stripped cleaned and reassembled in about two hours. I just finished watching several hours of YouTube video that explains all the reasons you had to have a Yamaha technician maintain their precious engines. There’s no reason for it.

One of the design criteria for the space station, home away from home expose the conditions worsened by boat, was to make it maintainable. The NASA team did not 100% succeed but the final design was dramatically better than the original designs. Hopefully the competing engineer manufactures will learn the lesson And the next generation of high-powered outboards will be easier for owners to access filters in the field.

 

[ixlr8]

My local Yamaha dealer says they charge $350 for end of season oil and oil filter changes, fuel filter changes, engine and lower unit, and winter prep. There are video's online that tell you how to do the job, oil and parts run between $75-$100. If a quality fuel pre filter is used the other internal filters are not an issue. I know several folks with Yamaha engines with over 2000 hrs that have never changed these 'internal mystery' filters. Given a choice of standing next to the engine with the 2 covers removed to work on the Yamaha, or upside down laying on an engine to do the same work on the diesel... I will take the Yamaha.

 

[baz]

I'm certainly with Jim on this issue of Yamaha vs. Diesel.

The internal fuel filters should be good for a long time if E0 gasoline is used along with the recommended 20 micron external filter. Using the E0 fuel is key in this regards.

I compare inboard Diesel vs. Outboard engines just as the airplane industry did back in the 50s and 60s when it was decided to move the engines from inside the wings to hang off and below the wings. The outboard engines hanging off the wing allowed a much cleaner wing and the engine was so much easier to maintain. 😱

 

[baz]

As an aside concerning having a boat with 150 gallons of gasoline onboard, consider when flying on a modern jet plane you're sitting close to 1000s of gallons of jet fuel. :lol: 😱

 

[knotflying]

I think the strategy of the boat engine manufacturers are the same as the auto industry. Make the engine so complex and sophisticated and eliminate all backyard mechanics. Granted the engines run better and components last longer, but when something needs to get done you pay dearly. I had to have my push button key fob programmed at a GM dealer. You can no longer do it yourself after 20011. $75.00!

 

[ixlr8]

I just had a long chat with the service manager at my local Yamaha dealer. He said all the filters are easy to change and can be done by any DIY person, except the one's in the injectors. He said Yamaha does not provide part numbers for the injector filters as they figure if the fuel system is so messed up as to need these filters changed... you have much bigger issues and to just change out the injectors. Also, as in most cases involving fuel injectors, special equipment is needed to disassemble/reassemble the injectors. In most installations there are 4 filters between the fuel tank and the injector filters so the injector filters should never have to be changed. They sell boats and motors but he said the bulk of his business is repowering boats, says he averages about 180 repowers per year, and he said he has never had a warranty claim/issue with the V6 Yamaha's. 🙂 He said the main issue he has with the Yamaha's, getting bad fuel, and to be very careful when getting fuel in the spring as the pumps have been fairly idle all winter and there is a very good chance of getting some water. He also talked me out of getting a kicker as I would rarely run it as the 300, once run in properly, would idle all day without a care. He also said the Yamaha's have been designed to run on E10 since 2009, so that is not the issue that some make it out to be, as long as the motor is run all year. He did say when he winterizes boats, boats that are going to sit for 4-6 months, he does put in E0 Avgas to minimize ethanol related issues in the spring.

 

[baz]

The general advice for diesel is to have the fuel tank full or nearly full during winter time to avoid water accumulations from condensation.

For gasoline is 'keeping fuel tank full during winter time' also good advice ? I ask as gasoline can get 'old' if left standing for many months.

 

[ixlr8]

The general advice for diesel is to have the fuel tank full or nearly full during winter time to avoid water accumulations from condensation.

For gasoline is 'keeping fuel tank full during winter time' also good advice ? I ask as gasoline can get 'old' if left standing for many months.

The recommendation is for full tanks of gas for the same reasons, leave no room for water to condense and collect. This is especially important for gas containing ethanol. If gas is to sit for a long time, especially if the gas contains ethanol, appropriate stabilizer additives are recommended.

 

[Brian B]

Interesting about the Avgas. E0 is not available here, on land or at marina's as far as I know. I wonder what TSA would say
about a boat trying to get into the airport for fuel. 😱 Everyone around here runs all makes of outboards on E10 without issue as long as stabilizers are used. There was a huge problem when E10 first came out as it loosened all the gunk in the bottom of older tanks and deteriorated older fuel lines.

 

[ixlr8]

E0 is not available here either, except for Avgas. Most airports won't sell Avgas except to put it in an airplane. There are a few smaller airports that will "look the other way" if you want to fill up a gas can, or two, with E0 Avgas. Otherwise all we can get is E10 junk.