I am currently looking for another GW and have heard alot about the Yamaha dry exhaust corrosion problem on the F225 & F250 motors through the years of 2000 - 2005. If I find a 2006 GW with a 2006 Yamaha, does any one know what exact Mfgr date on the motor where it would be safe to buy? Meaning the date with the corrosion fix? Usually there are 2005 motor mfgr dates on a 2006 boat. It is very difficult to find exact info on this conversion. Thanks in advance.
Yamaha dry exhaust corrosion problem
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Fishtales
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Hi,
I would say model years 2005 and earlier are the ones to be concerned about. There is a tag on the motor mount that details the month and year of manufacture.
It is very easy to scope the motors, all you have to do is drop the lowers. They stick a camera on a stick up the mid section of the motor and inspect the exhaust, the mid section coated housings and the plate between the power head and the exhaust. I did this for 3 years in a row during winterization. The pictures showed what I'd call slight progressive damage. I decided after 8 years and ~600 hours to do the work, as the pictures showed corrosion. I had 7/2005 dated F250s motors and had both torn down and the mid sections torn down and the damage was far less than the camera shots led me to believe. I think this has to do with the conditions the pics were taken. It is a tight dark place and the corrosion looked worse than it actually was. A total guess on my part, but I think I could have easily gotten 4 or more years. There was corrosion and some salt deposits where the coating was no longer there, but not massive amounts.
Since the engines were torn down and I had all the parts in hand, I did the job. I also replaced the oil pumps, speedy crank, internal anodes and a bunch of other recommended work by Sim Yamaha and others. It wasn't cheap, but they were complete (piece of mind) and they ran great last year (first year of use).
I'm told Yamaha has a heat map of the failures. Where they map the location and frequency of corrosion and it is concentrated in water with high temperatures - Carolinas and more so Florida. I didn't see the map as I'm told only Yamaha and their dealers that ask see it.
What to do? Get them scoped. Look for more than shiny spots - look for demonstrated evidence of metal being corroded. Nobody seems to know how aggressive it gets once the coating is compromised. All you can really do is scope them every year and compare pics.
Good luck. PM me if you have questions and I may be able to dig up some pics to send via email.
I would say model years 2005 and earlier are the ones to be concerned about. There is a tag on the motor mount that details the month and year of manufacture.
It is very easy to scope the motors, all you have to do is drop the lowers. They stick a camera on a stick up the mid section of the motor and inspect the exhaust, the mid section coated housings and the plate between the power head and the exhaust. I did this for 3 years in a row during winterization. The pictures showed what I'd call slight progressive damage. I decided after 8 years and ~600 hours to do the work, as the pictures showed corrosion. I had 7/2005 dated F250s motors and had both torn down and the mid sections torn down and the damage was far less than the camera shots led me to believe. I think this has to do with the conditions the pics were taken. It is a tight dark place and the corrosion looked worse than it actually was. A total guess on my part, but I think I could have easily gotten 4 or more years. There was corrosion and some salt deposits where the coating was no longer there, but not massive amounts.
Since the engines were torn down and I had all the parts in hand, I did the job. I also replaced the oil pumps, speedy crank, internal anodes and a bunch of other recommended work by Sim Yamaha and others. It wasn't cheap, but they were complete (piece of mind) and they ran great last year (first year of use).
I'm told Yamaha has a heat map of the failures. Where they map the location and frequency of corrosion and it is concentrated in water with high temperatures - Carolinas and more so Florida. I didn't see the map as I'm told only Yamaha and their dealers that ask see it.
What to do? Get them scoped. Look for more than shiny spots - look for demonstrated evidence of metal being corroded. Nobody seems to know how aggressive it gets once the coating is compromised. All you can really do is scope them every year and compare pics.
Good luck. PM me if you have questions and I may be able to dig up some pics to send via email.
I'd agree with fishtales on the midsection leg scoping.
I'd also recommend having thermostats pulled and inspected for corrosion/evidence of flushing behavior performed by previous owners.
Bob.
I'd also recommend having thermostats pulled and inspected for corrosion/evidence of flushing behavior performed by previous owners.
Bob.
From my experience with a friends motor, the corrosion is fairly obvious if you pull the lower unit and look into the exhaust with a light. I just did water pump, thermostats and anodes (checked) on my 08 with 1000 hours. All looks good. T-Stats were salted in there pretty well though.
A reputable Yamaha mechanic will be familiar with this issue and will guide you accordingly. This problem has been discussed more than you could ever want to know. There are all kinds of theories about flushing, salt or fresh water, blah blah, but the real problem is Yamaha's mistake.
There is a great thread on THT in the Boating section where a guy (very mechanical) photographed the entire repair process. It certainly gives you an idea what to look for.
Daman858 said:
Yes, the topic has been discussed everywhere, but YAMAHA has never published ANYTHING about it. They have kept quiet about the problem and have their gang of lawyers keeping it out of class action status. Yamaha has screwed all their customers during this problem. I just don't want to be one of them!
I have seen motors where the corrosion also occurs on the inside of the oil pan. When the pan corrodes and gets a leak, water flows into the oil and that often results in a serious (catastophic) failure. The problem with the oil pan issue is that you can't tell the extent of the issue by scoping the exhaust. You only see if after pulling the power head.
I don't know why some motors have the problem and others don't but personally, I would be hesitant buying motors prior to 2007. That said, I have been told by surveyors but have not personally seen that corrosion on later model motors also occurs.
Another surveyor that I deal with said that if you buy a boat with the 225s or 250s to assume that eventually you will have the problem. Of course he is protecting himself by being over cautious.
Yamaha has not really addressed the issue probably for fear of the financial repercussions but I would respect the company more if they at least offered a way for owners and possible owners to determine if a specific serial number motor had the newer alloys vs the ones that seem susceptible to corrosion.
I don't know why some motors have the problem and others don't but personally, I would be hesitant buying motors prior to 2007. That said, I have been told by surveyors but have not personally seen that corrosion on later model motors also occurs.
Another surveyor that I deal with said that if you buy a boat with the 225s or 250s to assume that eventually you will have the problem. Of course he is protecting himself by being over cautious.
Yamaha has not really addressed the issue probably for fear of the financial repercussions but I would respect the company more if they at least offered a way for owners and possible owners to determine if a specific serial number motor had the newer alloys vs the ones that seem susceptible to corrosion.
Here is the post. It shows the corrosion on the exhaust and oil pan. Scary stuff.
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-for ... epair.html
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-for ... epair.html
I took pictures with a cell phone with flash after dropping the lower units. This was the worst one. $4000 later (for two motors) it was fixed.
good luck
good luck
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I just purchased a 2002 sailfish and I spent 400 on engine survey and it was the best 400 I ever spent both motors were corroded and was able to get owner to pay for repairs or I was backing out and all went well. And I have also heard of this problem from a Yamaha tech that said this problem goes later than every body thinks he has changed exhaust on 2008 250 last year with 550 hours. So I f it has a Yamaha 4 stroke get it surveyed by a Yamaha tech and have it scoped.
That looks like my buddies 225 did when we changed the water pump. No fancy scope needed to check that. Interesting comment on the 2008 F250. I've not heard that before. In fact the opposite, engines with 3-4000 hours that are still running perfect.
This is a well known and published problem with theses engines. If you are considering a boat with suspect engines that have not had the midsections replaced then part of the deal should address this. The price of the boat will need to reflect the cost of the repairs or the seller should update the midsections before the sale. If you walk away from the deal because the seller will not address the midsections chances are that seller will have the same problem with the next person in line to buy the boat.