2 more questions: oil change, and hooking up water
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The oil comes out of the oil tank (where you fill it and where the dipstick is). You will have to fish around to find the lowest point. You should be able to remove around 2.5 quarts. Warm the engine up first to put more oil in the tank and suspend particulates.
The oil filter is no the port side of the motor toward the rear corner of the motor. It can be a beeatch to get off if it hasn't been changed in a while. You will have to reach down beside the motor to get it. It helps to have long skinny arms.
The water hook up is under the rear seat on the opposite side of the battery. There will be a pipe with a cap on the end. Remove the cap and you should have an adapter to fit on the hose that will do a 1/2 turn to lock into place. Be sure to start the engine BEFORE you start the water, and when you are done be sure to stop the water BEFORE you kill the engine. Otherwise you will flood the engine with water........potentially very bad.
I thought the owners manual showed these points, but maybe they left it out on the older models. You may want to download a manual from a newer model ski that shows this in more detail. My Yamaha Prompt - Owners Manual
The oil filter is no the port side of the motor toward the rear corner of the motor. It can be a beeatch to get off if it hasn't been changed in a while. You will have to reach down beside the motor to get it. It helps to have long skinny arms.
The water hook up is under the rear seat on the opposite side of the battery. There will be a pipe with a cap on the end. Remove the cap and you should have an adapter to fit on the hose that will do a 1/2 turn to lock into place. Be sure to start the engine BEFORE you start the water, and when you are done be sure to stop the water BEFORE you kill the engine. Otherwise you will flood the engine with water........potentially very bad.
I thought the owners manual showed these points, but maybe they left it out on the older models. You may want to download a manual from a newer model ski that shows this in more detail. My Yamaha Prompt - Owners Manual
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17 Posts
thanks for the reply! the ski is new to me, and I'm still trying to figure it out.
I found and downloaded the owners manual, and finally found where to hook up the water. My connector thing doesn't fit with the o-ring that's on there, I'm going to get a new o-ring for it.
Its been sitting for a while so I'm going to do fresh oil, filter and plugs before I run it. And I'll probably do fresh oil again after that.
I guess I'll have to double check, but do you guys do filter at every oil change? or just do the 2.5 qts? (owner's manual said 4.xx qts total with filter, is that right?)
Lets say I do oil and filter, will I need to suck the oil out of a different spot before I remove the filter so I don't spill oil everywhere?
Then when it comes time to fill it back up, if I've changed the filter do I still only add oil at the tank? will it make its way down?
I'm going to suck the fuel out of the tank too and get some fresh fuel in it.
I found and downloaded the owners manual, and finally found where to hook up the water. My connector thing doesn't fit with the o-ring that's on there, I'm going to get a new o-ring for it.
Its been sitting for a while so I'm going to do fresh oil, filter and plugs before I run it. And I'll probably do fresh oil again after that.
I guess I'll have to double check, but do you guys do filter at every oil change? or just do the 2.5 qts? (owner's manual said 4.xx qts total with filter, is that right?)
Lets say I do oil and filter, will I need to suck the oil out of a different spot before I remove the filter so I don't spill oil everywhere?
Then when it comes time to fill it back up, if I've changed the filter do I still only add oil at the tank? will it make its way down?
I'm going to suck the fuel out of the tank too and get some fresh fuel in it.
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The FX has a dry sump oil system. Not at all like a car, but some motorcycles have them. There is no oil pan that the oil sits in. Instead the oil is distrubited throughout the ski from the oil tank. The total oil that the ski holds is 4.5 quarts, but you will only be able to remove around 1/2 that amount, since much of it is distrubited around the engine and only about 1/2 inside the oil tank.
One of the biggest mistakes and probably the biggest cause of problems on this ski is overfilling the oil. You have to check the oil level only when the engine is hot (not like a car), and right after you have run it when it is distrubited throughout the engine. If you check the level cold you may not even see any oil on the dipstick (that is normal). What happens is that guys check with the engine cold or after it has sat too long and get the level looks too low, so they add oil when the level is actually correct. When the engine gets warm the excess oil is pushed up onto the air filter and fouls the spark plugs.
When you change the oil get in the habit of only putting back in the same amount you take out until you have verified the correct oil level with the engine hot. You want to shoot for a level 1/2 way between the low and high marks on the dipstick when the engine is hot. You may add a little bit to compensate for the filter. If you put in 4.5 quarts it will be WAY Overfilled. I recommend changing the filter with every oil change. They are fairly cheap and one problem that can happen is the oil filter rusting out if it sits there too long. I recommend the K&N filters which have a lug on the back and are much easier to remove if it gets stuck. Put a plastic bag over the oil filter after you get it loose, and then let it fall into the bag when it comes off. That will keep most of the oil from running down inside the hull. The only extraction point for the oil is from the oil tank. If you work the extraction tube around you can drop down into the low point of the tank and get the most oil out. It also helps if the engine is warm.
One of the biggest mistakes and probably the biggest cause of problems on this ski is overfilling the oil. You have to check the oil level only when the engine is hot (not like a car), and right after you have run it when it is distrubited throughout the engine. If you check the level cold you may not even see any oil on the dipstick (that is normal). What happens is that guys check with the engine cold or after it has sat too long and get the level looks too low, so they add oil when the level is actually correct. When the engine gets warm the excess oil is pushed up onto the air filter and fouls the spark plugs.
When you change the oil get in the habit of only putting back in the same amount you take out until you have verified the correct oil level with the engine hot. You want to shoot for a level 1/2 way between the low and high marks on the dipstick when the engine is hot. You may add a little bit to compensate for the filter. If you put in 4.5 quarts it will be WAY Overfilled. I recommend changing the filter with every oil change. They are fairly cheap and one problem that can happen is the oil filter rusting out if it sits there too long. I recommend the K&N filters which have a lug on the back and are much easier to remove if it gets stuck. Put a plastic bag over the oil filter after you get it loose, and then let it fall into the bag when it comes off. That will keep most of the oil from running down inside the hull. The only extraction point for the oil is from the oil tank. If you work the extraction tube around you can drop down into the low point of the tank and get the most oil out. It also helps if the engine is warm.
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25 Posts
Ernest,
Nice post - It took me several sets of spark plugs and a couple of soppy oil filters to figure this out. Hopefully this will help others before they spend money on plugs and filters.
Peter House
Nice post - It took me several sets of spark plugs and a couple of soppy oil filters to figure this out. Hopefully this will help others before they spend money on plugs and filters.
Peter House
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