94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

MILLSMAN

Seaman Apprentice
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Aug 25, 2011
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43
:( I did the unthinkable. Ran my Yamaha out of oil. There was plenty of oil in the boat reservoir but it did not pump into my motor reservoir. No alarms went off, the motor just suddenly dropped down to idle. I shut it off right away and added oil to the motor tank. It started up but was smoking very bad. I turned it off and got towed in. At home I started it up to flush (saltwater use)and it was smoking a lot again. Not making any clanging or banging noise, just smoke. I turned it off and it seemed to continue to smoke out of the upper exhaust ports like it was smoldering or something. The motor has about 1500 hours on it and I use it year round. More of course in the Summer than winter, but still pretty regular. I know there is a problem with the motor oil sensor but I know I can fix that. What I am asking is should I get a rebuilt Powerhead and swap it out or open up the motor to see what the specific problem is, or rebuild it from scratch by myself. I had the Powerhead off last year to replace the steering arm (greased all the problem bolts) so I know it will come off fairly easy. I will appreciate all suggestions from those of you better versed than I in the Yammy fields. Thanks
 

robert graham

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Apr 16, 2009
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Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

Well, it sounds like the motor never really seized up,just got tight and hot, so when your oiling system started pumping it smoked a lot. So I think the worst case could be some scoring or damage to the cylinder walls and pistons. Maybe a bore-scope inspection through each spark plug hole can give you an idea of any damage, without pulling the heads off. In any event better run a 50:1 premix fuel/oil mixture for now, until you establish that your autolube is working. If any damage is minimal then maybe you can continue to run the motor a while, then do compression check in each cylinder. Good luck and let us know what you find!
 

MILLSMAN

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Aug 25, 2011
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43
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

Thanks for your reply. When I started it up the second time at home, the motor was cooled off and it still smoked a lot. I just ran it for 15 seconds or so, but then after I turned it off it continued to like smolder like something was burning in a cylinder?
 

robert graham

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Apr 16, 2009
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6,908
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

A compression test on each cylinder may be the easiest, quickest way to check possible damage to your cylinders/pistons. Then a bore-scope, then a tear-down. Good Luck!
 

99yam40

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Sep 7, 2008
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8,851
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

1st thing I would do is see if the buzzer is the only thing that is not working or was it the float switch that did not work at all.
The switch will cause the RPM to be limited to around 2k and the alarm to sound.
Carbon in the cylinders and exhaust could cause oil to smoke for a little while when shut off maybe, but at least it looks like the oil pump is pumping if it is smoking.

Was the motor tank completely empty or just real low?
If it was completely out then you should have had to bleed out the air
 

ohioriverat

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 7, 2011
Messages
115
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

Was the motor tank completely empty or just real low?
If it was completely out then you should have had to bleed out the air

This right here, i have replaced a few oil injectors and they take a little while to pick up even when bleeding it. i would not tear it down without at least running compression tests!
 

MILLSMAN

Seaman Apprentice
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Aug 25, 2011
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43
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

The motor oil tank was completely out. I will give it a compression test today and report later. Both the buzzer and float switch failed.
 

MILLSMAN

Seaman Apprentice
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Aug 25, 2011
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43
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

The compression is as follows: 1=115, 2=85, 3=130, 4=10, 5=120, 6=115
All the plugs seemed "oily" like they were getting oil.

What is next - order a rebuilt Power head or tear down? I have rebuilt car engines before but never a big outboard.
 

99yam40

Fleet Admiral
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Sep 7, 2008
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8,851
Re: 94 200 hp yamaha ran out of oil

Sounds like you did some real damage to the motor.
No real way of telling what all is wrong without pulling it apart and seeing if you have crank and bearing problems or just cylinder and piston problems
 
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