Yamaha 150hp maintenance/winterizing question

joanello

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My 2022 Bennington and Yamaha motor are 2 months old. The motor has 20 hours. I live in NE TN. What, if any maintenance must I preform on my motor, or can I wait until next year at this time?
 
Hi Joanello
I would change the oil; 20 hours isn't much but there could be condensation from normal use in the crankcase and then sitting for several months would not be ideal. Thats just my opinion :)

And Welcome!
 
If I use the boat once per month during from December to March would you still change the oil? Thank you KC24
 
Good question, maybe someone with more maintenance background will jump in here
 
I am big on doing a 20 hour maintenance on a new motor (unless it‘s recommended to wait longer by the manufacturer). It’s an opportunity to look things over, flush out any potential containments or what not with oil change, etc. Oftentimes it’s necessary to maintain warranty.

Admittedly, I have the dealership/service department do it, but whether yourself or by someone else I highly recommend it for motor longevity and health.

After that, the manufacturers usually recommend seasonally, or every 100 miles. Depending on what comes first. Personally, I’d use that as a guideline if you are in an area where you will not be needing to winterize it at all. Otherwise, you’d do these things “seasonally” at winterization.
 
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Your Yamaha definitely has a 20-hour service interval, for many reasons including warranty make sure it's done and documented.

As far as running the motor and winterization, I'll run my boat all winter as long as the river isn't iced over - cats are chewing deep into January and the big girls will bite even in Feb and March. So I don't perform any winterization per se, but you'll want to take some winter precautions for sure. Basic routine maintenance is the most important. I also keep my lower unit submerged underwater in case there is water in the gearcase (prevents it from freezing and cracking the case).
 
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