1.8L SVHO: First DIY Spark plug & Oil Change Experience & Tips

[YamaHog]

Over the weekend I performed my first DIY maintenance on my 2020 195S, and I figured I'd share my experience and process for any new owners out there and include a comprehensive list of items needed. The information and videos in the FAQ here on the site are helpful, but there are a few things I ran into when performing the maintenance on my boat that I wanted to mention here. The general process is pretty much the same for the MR-1 engines on the other 190 series boats as the 1.8L SVHO on the 195S, so I encourage you to watch the videos in the FAQ section as good visual aid.

My first season (last year), I took the boat to the dealer for the 10 hr service and paid about $350. I decided to do the maintenance myself this year and ordered an oil change kit & some new spark plugs from Partszilla.com. After this summer, my boat is now at 71 hrs.

MATERIALS NEEDED LIST

Spark Plug Replacement

- 4 x NGK Spark Plugs (Part # LFR7A)​

- 10 mm socket​

- Spark Plug Gap Gauge (grab one at the checkout counter of your favorite auto parts store)​

- Anti-seize (optional, Read other threads here on using this on the plugs and make your own personal decision whether or not to use it. )​

- 5/8 Size Magnetic Spark Plug Socket (I bought this one: OEM Tools 5/8 Magnetic Spark Plug Socket)​

- 10" Ratchet Extension (to reach the spark plugs as they are deeply recessed under the coils)​

- Ratchet (or Torque Wrench) - Be sure you have the correct driver size for your socket and extension. I used a 3/8 ratchet to change my plugs.​

Oil & Filter Replacement

- 1 x Yamaha WATERCRAFT II Oil Change Kit (Part # LUB-WTRCG-KT-10) - The kit includes 4 x 1 quart bottles of Yamalube 10W-40, a cardboard funnel, and an oil filter.​

- 4 x NGK Spark Plugs (Part # LFR7A)​

- Oil Filter Wrench/Strap Wrench ( I used this one: Performance Tool Strap Wrenches)​

- Manual or Electric Oil Extractor Pump (I used this one: EWK 6L Vaccuum Oil Extractor)​

- Nitrile Gloves​

- Trash Bags​

- Puppy Training Pads (or something absorbent to place in the bottom of the engine bay while changing the oil filter)​

REPLACING THE SPARK PLUGS (Step-by-step)

I started off by changing the spark plugs like so:

1.) Remove the engine cover by loosening the two screws that hold it in place. Lift off the engine cover and put in a locker or somewhere safe out of the way.​

2.) Use the 10 mm socket to remove the two screws from each of the four spark plug coils on top of the engine.​

3.) Lift out each spark plug coil, and lay them over to the left side of the engine, exposing the spark plugs. (be sure to keep the plug wires/coils in the correct order)​

4.) Use the 10" extension on your ratchet and the magnetic spark plug socket to loosen each spark plug. Unscrew the plug the rest of the way by hand using the socket on the extension only (minus ratchet), and remove the plugs one at a time. Be careful to make sure no debris falls into the open spark plug holes.​

5.) Open each of your new spark plugs and use the spark plug gap gauge to ensure they are properly gapped. (0.8 - 0.9 mm per the Yamaha Service Manual)​

6.) If you choose to use anti-seize, apply a small amount to the threads of each plug. (after a lot of reading, I personally chose to use anti-seize)​

7.) Install the new spark plugs one at a time, hand-tightening only.​

8.) After all plugs are hand-tight, use your ratchet to tighten them an additional 1/2 turn. If you are using a torque wrench, the Yamaha Service Manual calls for the plugs to be torqued to 18 lb-ft.​

9.) Re-install all of the plug coils, taking care to put each one back on the same plug you removed it from. Re-install the 2 x 10 mm screws on each coil.​

CHANGING THE OIL (Step-by-step)

**Important - Preparing to extract the old oil**

Before extracting the oil, you need to run the boat for about 10 - 15 mins to warm the engine and oil up to normal operating temperature. This will make the oil extraction process go faster and ensure you able to extract as much oil as possible (you'll never get all 4 quarts out). Connect your engine flush hose and flush your engine as you normally would, but allow the boat to run for at least 10 mins on the hose. After the engine has warmed up, shut off the flush hose, kill the engine, and disconnect the flush hose. Now it's time to extract the oil!

Extracting the Old Oil & Replacing the Oil Filter

1.) Remove the oil dipstick and set aside. Take the hard plastic tube end of your Oil extractor and feed it into the dipstick tube until it hits the bottom.​

2.) With the extractor tank sitting inside the boat, give the extractor a good 20 or so pumps until it starts to vacuum oil into the extractor tank (I sat the extractor inside of a garbage bag, just to be safe from any leaking oil). It may take 15 - 20 minutes to extract all of the oil, and you may have to come back and do some additional pumping to keep the extraction going. This is a good time to grab a beer or a sandwich.​

3.) Once all of the oil has been extracted (I pulled out just over 3.5 quarts), you are ready to replace the oil filter.​

4.) Place a few puppy training pads (or something better) in the engine bay underneath the currently installed oil filter.​

5.) Use an oil filter wrench or strap wrench to loosen the old oil filter, and unscrew the rest of the way by hand to remove it. (Tip: have an open trash bag ready in the engine bay to place the removed oil filter in as it will be full of oil.)​

6.) Rub a little oil on the gasket of the new oil filter, and install it in place of the old one, hand-tightening it. Once hand-tight, use your filter wrench to snug it down a little, but do not over-tighten.​

​

After removing the old oil, a quick look at the markers on my oil extractor tank told me that I extracted approximately 3.5 liters/quarts (since 1 Liter = 1.057 quarts) of oil, so 3.5 quarts should be about what I need to add when filling the new oil. (Each rib on the extractor tank equals 1 liter.) Below is a picture of what I removed.​

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Adding the New Oil

1.) Ensure that the boat is as is level as possible on the trailer, and then unscrew the oil filler cap on the top left rear of the engine.​

2.) Tear off the top of the cardboard funnel included in the oil change kit, fold it open, and insert it into the oil filler hole.​

3.) Pour in the same amount of fresh oil as the amount that you extracted. In my case, I poured in 3 full quarts, and then slowly poured in about 1/2 of the 4th quart (using the marker on the side of the 1 quart oil container to stop at just about 16 oz.) Try to get as close as you can to filling what you took out, but without going over.​

4.) Seal up what's left of the 4th quart of fresh oil (in my case 16 oz.), and throw it in the boat somewhere along with a clean rag. You'll need this the next time you have the boat in the water to "top-off" your oil if necessary.​

5.) Screw the engine oil filler cap back on tightly, and if you haven't already, re-install the oil dipstick in the dipstick tube. You can now also check your oil level with the dipstick. With the fresh cold oil, it should be somewhere between the upper and lower marks on the dipstick, likely closer to the lower mark.​

6.) Re-install the engine cover and tighten the two screws on it to ensure it is securely attached.​

​

Checking the Oil Level & Topping Off on the Water

The next time you put the boat in the water, tied up at the dock before you head out, check your oil level with the dipstick with the boat level in the water and top off your oil as needed from the remaining quart you left in the boat (using the dipstick to check the oil level after adding a few oz at a time).


A FEW TIPS AND THINGS I LEARNED

• After removing the old oil, I wanted to get an idea as to how accurate the ribbed markers were on the oil extractor tank, so I attached the pour spout to the extractor tank and poured the old oil into one of the empty 1 quart oil bottles, using the oz measurements on the side of the 1 quart bottle. I had an empty 3 quart, 4oz Rain-X car wash bottle, and I transferred the old oil into this container as I measured it out. The oil did measure out at just over 3.5 quarts, so the extractor tank markers do appear to be accurate.

Here's the oil I extracted:

• When changing the spark plugs, I did not have a magnetic spark plug socket and wished I did! Two plugs I was able to remove easily, but the other two I couldn't get out. I ended up having to use a pair of right-angle needle nose pliers to reach down into the holes and grab the top of the plugs.
• When changing the oil filter, even with the puppy training pads under the filter I still had some oil drip down into the bottom of the engine bay by the bilge pump. To clean this out, I put a few small drops of blue Dawn dishwashing liquid down by the bilge, and ran some water into the bottom of the engine bay, taking care to not fill it too much, and letting the bilge pump pump the water out. This seemed to work well.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know of any corrections or things I may have missed.

 

[bubbasuwannee]

Nice write up! I plan on doing a lot of my own service going forward after paying the dealer for our 1st service.

 

[Dave burke]

Very helpful and detailed write up. Perfect for somebody who is a beginning DIYer.

 

[David Martin]

Great job on the write up......did you have any pictures of you used plugs just like to see how rich Yamaha runs the injectors on the engines.

 

[YamaHog]

Great job on the write up......did you have any pictures of you used plugs just like to see how rich Yamaha runs the injectors on the engines.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of the old plugs.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Mine aren’t supercharged but just regular 1.8 after 100 hours.

 

[David Martin]

Those look good for 100 hour. Not nearly as rich as mine. Thanks

 

[kgower]

Good info, detailed.

 

[YamaHog]

Those look good for 100 hour. Not nearly as rich as mine. Thanks

My plugs weren't quite as clean as those in @adrianp89 's picture above but at 71 hours they weren't extremely dirty. They looked similar to the ones pictured but a little bit more orangey-brown, not black at all though.

 

[tdonoughue]

Very good writeup, as others have said.

Another point on which reasonable minds may differ: My practice is to remove one coil pack and then spark plug at a time, replace it all, then do the next. Your note about not switching the packs is spot-on. I try to dummy-proof my process by doing only one at a time. Then there is no question where that pack goes--it goes in the only open spot there is... Then I move to the next one. Admittedly, this takes a little longer as I need to switch tools more often.

Doesn't it feel good to save $300, tho?

 

[sunbyrned]

I read this over twice and didn’t catch any reference to beer. Did I miss that part?

 

[rad1026]

No mention of fogging either. I know a lot of people do it especially in the moist climates. I have lived in the southwest where it is really dry most of the year, so I don't fog.

 

[YamaHog]

Very good writeup, as others have said.

Another point on which reasonable minds may differ: My practice is to remove one coil pack and then spark plug at a time, replace it all, then do the next. Your note about not switching the packs is spot-on. I try to dummy-proof my process by doing only one at a time. Then there is no question where that pack goes--it goes in the only open spot there is... Then I move to the next one. Admittedly, this takes a little longer as I need to switch tools more often.

Doesn't it feel good to save $300, tho?

I actually did replace my plugs one at a time. However, I removed all of the coil packs at once first, and then did one plug swap at a time. I had planned to remove one coil plug at a time, but the way the plug wires were organized on my engine, it would be extremely hard to get the coils out of order, so I just loosened and removed them all to begin with. I think you caught me be lazy on the write-up, it was easier to write up that step the way I did.

 

[YamaHog]

I read this over twice and didn’t catch any reference to beer. Did I miss that part?

@sunbyrned , that beer is in step 2 of the oil change.

Extracting the Old Oil & Replacing the Oil Filter

1.) Remove the oil dipstick and set aside. Take the hard plastic tube end of your Oil extractor and feed it into the dipstick tube until it hits the bottom.
2.) With the extractor tank sitting inside the boat, give the extractor a good 20 or so pumps until it starts to vacuum oil into the extractor tank (I sat the extractor inside of a garbage bag, just to be safe from any leaking oil). It may take 15 - 20 minutes to extract all of the oil, and you may have to come back and do some additional pumping to keep the extraction going. This is a good time to grab a beer or a sandwich.
3.) Once all of the oil has been extracted (I pulled out just over 3.5 quarts), you are ready to replace the oil filter.

 

[YamaHog]

No mention of fogging either. I know a lot of people do it especially in the moist climates. I have lived in the southwest where it is really dry most of the year, so I don't fog.

So far I haven't fogged my engine, but I'm located in Arkansas and the boat is stored in my garage (or soon will be). I've read it's really only necessary up north where it gets very cold and wet in the winter.

 

[sunbyrned]

@sunbyrned , that beer is in step 2 of the oil change.

Extracting the Old Oil & Replacing the Oil Filter

1.) Remove the oil dipstick and set aside. Take the hard plastic tube end of your Oil extractor and feed it into the dipstick tube until it hits the bottom.
2.) With the extractor tank sitting inside the boat, give the extractor a good 20 or so pumps until it starts to vacuum oil into the extractor tank (I sat the extractor inside of a garbage bag, just to be safe from any leaking oil). It may take 15 - 20 minutes to extract all of the oil, and you may have to come back and do some additional pumping to keep the extraction going. This is a good time to grab a beer or a sandwich.
3.) Once all of the oil has been extracted (I pulled out just over 3.5 quarts), you are ready to replace the oil filter.

Damn! You’re right! Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[gabewhite]

changed my plugs after about 65ish hours. Black but dry. Any ideas? I do a lot of slower cruising and idling, thinking that could be the cause

 

[David Martin]

Fuel injectors are dirty or corroded this is how my plugs look before and after injector cleaning and I replaced all my filter screens in the injector. You will also have a higher than normal ring wear metals in the oil running rich as it washes down the cylinder walls. My rich plugs before the injector cleaner and after. Also Blackstone oil analyst a higher than normal ring were metals in oil before cleaning and after cleaning the metal was low normal.

Second plug photo after injector cleaning I purchased the new filter screens and injector pulsar on ebay for under 40 bucks well worth it as the injectors are 200 bucks each and the engine wear will cause damage if left to long.

 

[Farny]

Question- how do you reset maintenance alarm?

 

[mike230kv]

I'm about to do the same service.