After your engine has been well run in, you'll have to establish a maintenance routine that starts with systematic inspections every time you use your boat. These inspections won't take long but could spell the difference between life and death for your engine—download repair manuals for outboard engines on repairloader.
Daily Inspections and Outboard Engines Maintenance
Daily checks or inspections should include a fast look at just a few important things. First, ensure that your oil tank (if you have one) is filled up. If you have a four-stroke engine, make sure to check the crankcase-oil level and fill it if required. Check your owner's repair manuals for outboard engines to decide if your dipstick should be screwed in or left unthreaded when you inspect the oil level. Failure to do so could cause you a false reading and lead to underfilling or overfilling your engine's crankcase, this can cause hitches.
Inspect that you have adequate fuel for your planned trip and that the fuel-tank vent is open.
With the engine tilted up, inspect for much oil buildup close to your propeller...it could simple mean that a seal in your lower gearcase has weakened. (Note: Some oil film buildup is okay in many situations; look for changes in the quantity of buildup. If it looks to be increasing, check the lower unit's oil level as discussed in the owner's repair manuals for outboard engines) If the seal has failed, take the engine to an engine repair shop straight away to prevent expensive gear-unit damage.
Check for fishing line enfolded around the propeller hub area. If you pay no attention to it, the line can wrap tightly around the propshaft and cause the aforesaid gearcase seal failure.
If your engine is not through-bolted to your boat's transom, make sure the screw locks are tight and secure. Several engines have ended on the bottom of the sea through the carelessness of this simple check. Download repair manuals for outboard engines now on repairloader for more information on how to maintain your outboard engine.
Breathe around for any sign of fuel leakage, and if you see any, repair it.
Once the engine is working, make sure to inspect the "telltale," or "tracer," spray, or exhaust discharge to be sure the water pump is functioning.
If all these things are in order, you're set to go. There's just one more thing:
If you pull your boat on a trailer and operate it in saltwater, make sure you flush the cooling system daily with fresh water.
Monthly Inspection of Outboard Maintenance
Monthly, in addition to the routine daily inspections or checks, it's a good idea to take away the engine cover and look for any corrosion buildup near cylinder heads and thermostat housings that could point out leaky gaskets. Also, check for corrosion at wire terminal connections... clean and tighten them as needed, and then make use of one of the proprietary anti-corrosion sprays available at a dealership on all opened electrical connections and unpainted metal items of your outboard.
Make sure that throttle and gear-shift controls function smoothly. Lubricate them as required. Know that you should never shift gears except your engine is working, so ensure the boat is securely made fasten to the dock before inspecting shift controls for a smooth run—download repair manuals for outboard engines to learn more.
Further, run the engine with the cover off and inspect that none of the bolt-on components (fuel pumps, coils, voltage regulators, and the like) have come loose from their mounts. Make sure cables, and all wires are securely clipped and led through harness mounts. Again, if your engine is fitted out with an engine mounted fuel strainer, inspect to see if any water has collected in it. It will be easy to observe, as the water will discrete from the fuel, drop to the bottom of the strainer, and be pretty clear in color compared to the fuel/oil mix above it. If you can see water, take away the strainer housing and drain out the water. Clean the screen element, making sure the O-ring is in place before threading the housing back in, reinstall, and re-check this assembly for fuel leaks after changing the strainer housing. Simply pump the fuel primer bulb until the filter/strainer fills with fuel and checks for leaking fuel. Use your repair manuals for outboard engines to learn more about this.
www.repairloader.com is a vast source of repair manuals for outboard engines where you can download manuals for outboard engines that are comprehensive in information on how best to maintain your outboard engines. Download repair manuals for outboard engines here today.