Yamaha 2 stroke oil alarm sys functional test

I wrote this procedure for another thread - for DIYers concerned with Yamaha oil system alarm and indication functionality.
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Very simple way to truly test alarms, here's one to test the tank on the motor - this you will not see in the manuals.

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Get a used container - like the one windshield washer / non-toxic antifreeze fluid comes in (I have plenty of these every year), cut off the upper 1/3, clean it out of all traces of fluid. Or a similar container just as flexible.

Scott towel heavily the area under the motor oil tank around the cowl (just in case).

See the clear drip tube on the bottom of the tank with the nylon wire tie?

Turn on ignition switch. Don't run motor.

Position the container under the tank, squeeze the container to get good coverage under the drip tube. You may way to use duck tape or rope it in place. You may want to cut the top of the container at an angle to better fit under there.

Make sure you have at least a gallon of oil in boat tank.

Now cut the wire tie off and do it without even making a nick in the vinyl tube (you can guess why).

Pay very careful of what's goint to happen next, look for water initially - water is clear and less viscous - it will not mix with oil.

Now pull down the clear drip tube and let the fluid run into the container, let it go free bore.

If you missed the initial start of the fluid for visual signs of water, too late - keep going !

As the oil drops below the lower line on tank, you should see fresh oil enter the tank rear upper - coming down the inside of the rear (towards behind boat) wall of tank. If you see no fresh oil entering - take note, and continue test.

The oil entering will be unable to keep up with oil draining, notice at what point in level the alarm sounds, if it does sound. If the oil drains out and no alarm, end test.

Re-attach drip tube. Add new wire tie. Turn off igntiion. Clean up the mess if you made one (practice makes perfect!)

If fresh oil doesn't enter tank, find out why.

If a few drops of water pop out of drip tube and / or nipple that's ok, not any more than that. You are supposed to do the annual drip tube thing, try to clean out drip tube when off - it gets green colored inside from the oil, you need another tube or something else to close of the tank nipple while you do this - I use a piece of 5/16" ( 1/4" ?) fuel hose with a bolt in free end.

If the alarm doesn't sound, you owe me a beer, and you keep the 6500 buck powerhead job and 3 week down time avoided.

If you want to test the boat oil tank too, you can keep going on same test, best to do this when boat oil tank is already near first alarm point otherwise the container will overflow, so use a second container - have it standing by to swap fast. If you have a helper can verfy the oil tank level indicators on panel gauge too.

Alternately to test boat oil tank w/o involving the motor oil tank, you can disconnect the motor oil tank fill line at the nipple and bend over into container directly. Don't forget a new wire tie when reconnnecting it.

All the oil you drained can be reused if not contaminated by water.

There are several alarms and indications in total, both for the boat tank and motor tank, make sure all work as explained in owners manual.

Each tme you start motor make sure warning horn works, if it doesn't sound when you start motor, get it checkout out right away. I would not leave dock if it was me.

Cost to do functional test = 0 bucks (unless counting one nylon wire tie!).

Any question, ask!

It is very possible when you do it your way, you actually are correcting a borderline sticky (intermittant) condition by disturbing the components, and not get a true result and sometime later it sticks again - at the wrong time. Any component, as wiring connnectors, circuit grounds, etc.

And it won't be a mess if the container is properly positioned.
No messier than changing the oil and filter on the car.
And just half an hour of time per motor.

The oiling system is one system lending itself to a system functional test (not just an individual component test). Not all do, i.e, I 'd not purposely overheat motor to see if the overtemp alarm works.

Nonetheless any test is better than waiting for a real condition to count on it working. If owners expect the high temp alarm to sound prior to meltdown on loss of lube, don't.

It's already been reported here at GG at least one motor wrecked from an intermittant level sensor.

I presume the comment on the procedure is about the YAMAHA procedure, not mine.

Otherwise - re-read the functional system test procedure again if you, like me, has a vested interest in avoiding a major expense and layup, no such interest on the part of the manufacturer.

Page 35 of the owners manual explains all the oil alarms and respective indicators on this one page.

There needs to be some responsibility for the operator to know what his tank level is via indicators, same for fuel and oil w/o need for sounding alarms.

Boats running out of gas because of operator error reflect irresponsible and unsafe action, same for oil level in remote tank.

No reason to have sounding alarm for low oil level in remote tank, however an idiot indication is right there on the gauge to read, in both multifinction digital tach and analog tach gauge. No less an idiot gauge than the fuel level gauge.

The motor tank has the low level sound alarm and rpm cut since it's all that matters in protecting the motor. Even if the remote tank is full, has nothing to do directly with the potential loss of all oil from the motor tank wrecking the motor.

Always scan your instruments routinely for abnornal conditions, don't wait for alarms to sound - that's not the design you bought.

seasick, I missed your first comment replying to it --

If you flip the switch and see oil entering the tank, yes filter and pump work, however that's not what turns on the pump normally - it's the float switches that also effect the gauge reading on panel.

The switch is there to take advantage of the reserve level oil in boat tank and to overfill motor tank for off season storage.

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I was thinking an alternate to my w/w fluid container for more capacity:

Get a 6 ft length of clear vinyl hose at the depot, 3/8 inch ID, nylon tie clamp it to motor oil tank nipple quick after pulling off drip tube, and already have hose run into clean container (used Yamalube container ?) placed on ground.

Then one can run the entire test inclusive of boat tank and also get a second container swapped readily.

Can't see possible water issue though with initial removal of drip tube.