Maintenance Made  Easy

Corrosion Prevention

While your Yamaha Watercraft dealer can help you with, or even do, most of your general and preventative maintenance, corrosion mitigation is something you can only do yourself-and time is of the essence

Regardless of where you boat, corrosion attacks both the inside and the outside of your WaveRunner-every day, all the time. Some forms you can see, some you can't, and it can take only a short time for the damage to begin. Even those boating in freshwater have corrosion-mitigation duties to attend to. Why, even rainwater can have corrosive effects that can be damaging to your WaveRunner. So it's vital to be diligent in your anti-corrosion defense. Your dealer can help provide the right products to help prevent some forms of corrosion, but their regular and diligent use is strictly up to you.

The following are answers to common questions about how to mitigate the presence and damage of corrosion.

Where do I need to concentrate my fight against corrosion?

Corrosion can happen pretty much anywhere on or in your WaveRunner: inside, in your fuel system or in the internal cooling water passages, and on the outside, in various electrical connections and exposed metal components. But don't worry, you have a lot of allies on your side, and we're here to help by teaching you where to look and what to look for.

What's so important about flushing my WaveRunner engine? I boat exclusively in freshwater, do I still need to?

Your Yamaha WaveRunner is raw-water cooled, meaning it uses the water it's operating on as cooling water. All water, fresh or salt, contains contaminants that will eventually build up in the cooling passages over time. Additionally, saltwater is naturally corrosive and any remaining in those cooling water passages after use are left there to do its worst, unabated. Saltwater can also experience crystallization when exposed to heat above 170 degrees, which causes deposits to form and potentially restrict cooling water passages. For these reasons, it's a must that you flush your engine thoroughly with fresh, clean water after every use.

What causes it and what can I do about it?

Dry corrosion occurs in areas not in direct contact with water-exhaust systems, for example. The outside of most exhaust system components is cooled by raw water to prevent overheating. When today's ethanol-enhanced fuel is burned, it creates by-products known as sulfate salts. These salts are highly corrosive, especially when exposed to very hot temperatures. If the WaveRunner's cooling water passages are not kept clean by regular flushing (the exhaust area in this example), hot spots can form on the interior of the exhaust components, concentrating the sulfate salts' corrosive effects. In effect, it's corrosion from the inside out. That's why flushing your engine with fresh, clean water for 15 minutes after each trip is a vital part of preventing even dry corrosion. It helps the cooling system run at maximum efficiency by keeping the cooling water passages clean and clear, which helps minimize the heat inside the engine, making it less susceptible to dry corrosion.

How can I fight corrosion on the outside of my WaveRunner?

It's a good practice to set up a regular schedule and stick to it. There are quick and simple things you should do after every use if you boat in saltwater, and periodically if freshwater is your game. These include visual inspections you should do every time. If you're unsure about what to do and when, your authorized Yamaha Watercraft dealer can help.

Rinse it. Don't spare the hose when returning from a trip, particularly in saltwater. Rinse the entire outside of the engine with clean water. Give the outside of the WaveRunner a once over with some mild soap like Yamalube Wash and Wax Concentrate and a soft cloth. (Do not use a liquid dish soap, as it can strip off important protectants. Go ahead and wash the whole boat and trailer. Wiping it down with a good quality chamois afterward helps keep it all looking sharp.

Note: If salt build-up has become a problem, or your WaveRunner's engine has somehow been directly in contact with saltwater, it's okay to gently rinse portions of the engine with clean, fresh water to remove salt and other nastiness. Just use a hose on low pressure-not a spray attachment-and don't rinse around the air intake area. Rinse out the inside of the cowling, too. Make absolutely sure both engine and the seat are completely air dry before reinstalling the seat.

Spray it. Liberally spray the entire dry powerhead with a protectant like Yamashield.™ It's a lubricant, a water displacement agent and a corrosion preventative all rolled into one. A high-quality silicone spray works well here, too. Spray all external powerhead surfaces and the electrical connections to help keep them corrosion-free, and the rubber cowling sealing gaskets to help keep them supple and effective at sealing out harmful water.

Check it. Do a quick visual inspection of your WaveRunner every time you use them. Look for anything out of the ordinary and investigate if need be.

Keep a special eye on:

Electrical systems: Check the battery terminals. If corrosion appears on either, Yamalube® Battery

Terminal Cleaner & Protector will do the trick. Spray it on to clean the affected areas (heavily corroded connections will first need to be disconnected and thoroughly cleaned). When it dries, it leaves a protective waxy film that will help keep corrosion from re-forming.

Interval Maintenance

Some maintenance steps, like visual inspections, are best done every day, while others, such as oil changes, are set up at certain intervals.

Getting Started.

The most accurate and specific maintenance interval information for your particular WaveRunner will be found in your owner's manual. We've also included a basic chart (at left) to help give you an overview of what needs doing, and when (indicated by yellow boxes). To determine when service is due, keep your eye on your hour meter. If you don't have an hour meter, it's easy and inexpensive to install one. Or, many Yamaha gauges already have this functionality built in, allowing you to set reminders at various intervals, and helping to keep you on schedule.

You've heard the expression "choose wisely." When it comes to choosing an engine oil and filter to protect your Yamaha, this couldn't be more true. Using the correct oil and filter at the recommended intervals is the single most important thing you can do for your WaveRunner.

Checking & Choosing Your Oil

Checking your oil level.
The oil level check procedure for your Yamaha four-stroke WaveRunner is a bit different than the procedure for your car. It's easy to get an accurate reading if you follow this procedure:
What oil should I use?

Your Yamaha WaveRunner is vastly different from your automotive engine; so avoid regular automotive engine oils. Use a motor oil specifically formulated for the rigors of the marine environment, like Yamalube® 4M for four-stroke WaveRunners.

Let's Look at a Few Reasons Why:

• Engine load. The typical loads placed on your WaveRunner are much heavier than on your automobile, having to overcome a much greater amount of drag to create performance. This means your WaveRunner is working much harder than your automobile's engine. Yamalube 4M and 2M marine engine oils contain specific anti-wear additives to account for this.
• Engine speed. Your WaveRunner operates at a much higher RPM than your automobile's engine. It must rev higher to create higher speeds, rather than just changing gears like your car. That means your WaveRunner may run all day long at 4500-6000 RPM, rather than the 2500 RPM your car reaches at highway speeds. That's tough on your oil, and can literally shear (or split) the molecules in ordinary automotive oil, reducing lubricity. Yamalube 4M and 2M have special shear-stable polymers to combat this and provide superior lubrication at all times.
• Operating temperature. WaveRunners are cooled using raw water, which is often cool to very cold. On the other hand, saltwater will begin to crystallize if its temperature is raised above 170° F, potentially causing blockage in the cooling passages and leading to engine overheat and possible damage. Because of these two factors, your WaveRunner operates full-time at a temperature much lower than your automobile, and requires very different qualities in its lubricating oil. Yamalube marine oils have detergents, dispersants and viscosity index improvers to meet these marine-specific challenges head-on.
• Operating environment. Your WaveRunner is constantly near water, sucking in very humid air directly off the water's surface in order to operate. This humid air also gets inside combustion chambers through open valves when it's not in use. And in a saltwater environment, that air is even more corrosive. It's one of the harshest environments imaginable for an engine. Yamalube 4M and 2M are purposely formulated with special anti-corrosion agents to help combat and prevent the corrosive effects of this environment.
  Yamalube WaveRunner engine oils provide specific protection other oils don't, using a proprietary blend of marine-specific anti-wear additives, shear-stable polymers, corrosion inhibitors, detergents, dispersants and viscosity index improvers. In short, they're far superior to automotive engine oils in their strength of protection, durability and corrosion resistance.

Want proof?

Marine engine oils are so different in their requirements that special levels of certification exist: FC-W® (four stroke) and TC-W3® (two stroke). These represent the minimum standards of the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA®) for marine engines. With their high quality and advanced formulations, all Yamalube 4W and 2W oils meet or surpass all of these requirements. Using Yamalube is best for your Yamaha WaveRunner, but whatever oil you choose, make sure it is the correct type and viscosity and that it carries either the NMMA® FC-W® or TC-W3® label.

Aren't all oil filters pretty much the same?

Outwardly, perhaps. But it's what's on the inside that counts most. Yamaha oil filters are manufactured specifically to protect Yamaha engines, using only the finest components and construction methods available. This includes a special filter media and metal filter media bases (instead of cardboard), to help them achieve a level of durability and filtration far superior than most "off-the-shelf" oil filters. From the quality of the materials used to their high-quality construction, they simply outperform and out-protect most aftermarket alternatives.

What Yamalube oils are right for my WaveRunner?

Yamalube 4W Reformulated to better protect your investment from the harsh effects of cold starts, hours of trolling and high-load, high-speed operation, its special anti-corrosive additives are particularly suited for the harsh marine environment.

Yamalube 2W Yamaha-formulated and NMMA®-approved, it provides outstanding protection for two-stroke, water-cooled WaveRunners, with its special blend of additives that help combat ring stick, corrosion, varnish and wear. It's a standard by which other two-stroke oils are judged.

Can I change my own oil?

Absolutely, but you don't have to. If you'd rather leave it to your Yamaha WaterCraft dealer, they will be happy to take care of it for you in their specially trained and properly equipped service department. That also means you won't have to dispose of the used oil yourself. But if you prefer to do it yourself, your Yamaha WaterCraft dealer can set you up with a Genuine Yamalube Oil Change Kit, specific to your Yamaha WaveRunner. It includes the right type and amount of Yamalube marine oil, a Genuine Yamaha oil filter and a drain gasket. Everything you'll need to do the job right.