# Yamaha 60 2-stroke oil reservoir or oil lines leak?



## JMZ400

I had a similar issue with my 05 50hp. I looked all around and found no leaks either. I bought it used so the oil injection was new to me and in an effort to make sure the tank was full I think I over filled it. I expected the tank to be more translucent and allow me to see the oil level easier, but I discovered I need to look from the backside along the block. Mine seems to have stopped leaking once I burned enough off. Hope this helps.


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## Backwater

They say the rubber funnel seal around the oil fill cap tends to leak, as well as the o-ring on the oil fill cap. So I helped him add 2 heavy duty zip ties to add to tightening that rubber funnel around the fill opening and we replaced the o-ring on the oil fill cap. So it should leak if it is full, but it still does.

So I decided to go with your threroy about a month ago and he ran it for weeks to lower the oil in the tank to half way down on the oil level in the tank (you can see the darker oil contrasting in the lighter tank, in the sunlight. Also just pulling the cap and looking down in it. So we cleaned it all around in the engine captivity and dried it really good. He keeps the outboat trimmed up just a bit while on the trailer to keep the skag from hitting anything, but not overly high, where the oil would come up to the oil fill cap, even when it's almost full. Bottom line is, he jet it sit for a week in storage and discovered it still leaking from somewhere. Pulled the tank yet again and there is a little trace of oil on the back side of the tank and lines felt a little wet, but still have not seen any spot where it is coming from. 

The tank is expensive and I hate to see him replace it cause it still looks so good. We pulled all the lines and nothing looks like its broken or cut. Ends of the lines show minor signs of stretching slightly beyond it's original I.D., but nothing significant.

Thinking about just replacing all those wire clamps with SS screw down clamps, to seal any leaks from those spots, if any. PITA, but can do it. Or, should we just get generic rubber hose and cut it to size for the oil lines or break the piggy bank and buy new molded hoses from Yamaha?

Also, does anyone else know if there is any other place outside of the tank, the oil lines and those connections where the oil lines plug into something, where it can also leak from?


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## Guest

Leaky recirc lines can cause oil film. Does this tank have the capped nipple on the bottom for draining? If so, I’d double check that also. A cracked reed can cause blow back through a carn and spray fuel/oil mixture around in the cowl causing an oily film too.


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## Guest

How much oil is he loosing?


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## DuckNut

The tank is plastic and almost 20 years old.

My guess is that it has degraded and formed a crack that you can't see.

Is there any way you can pressurize it and dunk under water?

Plug the oil lines somehow. Stretch a rubber sheet over the fill hole and stick a basketball inflating needle through the rubber and give it a few pumps.

Just thinking because I had a gas can that did the same thing and I never found the leak until the fuel warmed up and created internal pressure rather than ambient pressure or a vacuum.


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## Backwater

Boatbrains said:


> How much oil is he loosing?


No oil drain cap. Nothing looks foaming in the tank. We poured the oil back into his original 1 gal Yama Lube bottle and it looked clear and not foamy. The lines do look a little hard, tho I'm not sure if the material they made them with comes that way or not. The openings of a few lines look a little stretched out, but maybe because we had to pull on those hard to get them off.

Went to a shop to price out all lines, fittings and tank and found out there are 2 more lines where we can't see them that are associated with the system. So I run over to his house after he gets off of work so we can try to see if there was any leakage coming from there. I'm probably going to recommend he replace all the lines and put on SS screw type hose clamps in those critical connections to the parts on the motor (injector pump) and the bottom of the tank, to avoid future problems. 

Total parts cost with tax is around $200 for everything. Maybe it's worth it, especially since he's avoiding paying an OB mechanic to trace down and fix the problem, which will be about the same at least I'm sure. Only in this case, he's getting all new oil system (less the oil fill sensor tube).

No doubt, it would just be so much easier to put a few clamps on and call it a day. We've put 2 on areas which we thought were problems, but didn't solve the main problem.

Other than this issue, his motor runs like a sewing machine.


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## Backwater

DuckNut said:


> The tank is plastic and almost 20 years old.
> 
> My guess is that it has degraded and formed a crack that you can't see.
> 
> Is there any way you can pressurize it and dunk under water?
> 
> Plug the oil lines somehow. Stretch a rubber sheet over the fill hole and stick a basketball inflating needle through the rubber and give it a few pumps.
> 
> Just thinking because I had a gas can that did the same thing and I never found the leak until the fuel warmed up and created internal pressure rather than ambient pressure or a vacuum.


Yeah we've thought about that. But his boat stays in covered storage, so aside from using it, it's kept in a cool dry place when not actually in use. He's an older guy, so only uses it for a few hrs or 1/2 day tops, sprays it down after use and stows it in a carport.

I have a small 1/4" wooden dow that will fit the hoses that I can cut pieces off to plug up the hoses, then dunk the whole tank and hoses in a bucket of water to see if there is any air bubbles coming from it, or water getting in to any of the hoses or the tank itself. Might be worth doing just to find out the cause. Could also pressurize it with a little air compressor I have and try that.


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## Guest

How much oil is it leaking? Are you real sure it’s not dripping from the carbs? The gas would evaporate off rather fast leaving the oil behind.


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## Backwater

Its definately fresh oil somewhere before it goes into the carbs.


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## Backwater

Found the problem on my buddy's Yami 60. Somehow an oil line to the middle carb was partially disconnected and oil was leaking at the connection, but it was hard to find since it was running down behind the fitting and out of eye's sight. Going to test it hopefully this weekend.


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## JMZ400

Please update after you test.


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## Backwater

We have a question about the oil reservoir return line check valve that is on the line above tank (top right side of the tank). Unfortunately, my buddy forgot to make sure he installed the check valve with the flow arrow (indicated with an arrow etched onto the outside of the little in-line aluminum valve). If any of you with a 50 or 60 in that year range, please check it for me.

Also, before cranking, does anyone know if new oil lines to and from the oil pump were added from the new reservoir that was installed, would the pump loose it's prime or does it not need to be primed. If priming, then any idea how to do that?


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## Guest

Prime the pump to purge the lines! There is a screw on the pump “#2 phillilps” remove the link rod from pump and move to wide open oiling, remove lanyard and crank engine over until oil flows from bleed screw with no air then tighten screw. Crank over a little more then stop. Hook link rod back to oil pump, make a shop tank of 50:1 premix and run the motor on the premix until you are 100% positve that it’s consuming oil feom the oil tank! You should know within 5gallons premix.


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## Backwater

Boatbrains said:


> Prime the pump to purge the lines! There is a screw on the pump “#2 phillilps” remove the link rod from pump and move to wide open oiling, remove lanyard and crank engine over until oil flows from bleed screw with no air then tighten screw. Crank over a little more then stop. Hook link rod back to oil pump, make a shop tank of 50:1 premix and run the motor on the premix until you are 100% positve that it’s consuming oil feom the oil tank! You should know within 5gallons premix.


we'll try that. Do you have one that you can look at the in-line oil check valve to see what direction the arrow (flow indicator) is pointing?


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## jimsmicro

Put your mouth on it and blow, it's a simple check valve and will only flow in one direction.


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## Guest

Backwater said:


> we'll try that. Do you have one that you can look at the in-line oil check valve to see what direction the arrow (flow indicator) is pointing?


I don’t, but will see what I can dig up. Do you have a pic so I can see exactly what you’ve got?


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## Sroberts

Backwater said:


> Ok, I have a buddy who has an 2000 Yamaha 60hp 2-stroke with about 400hrs on it, with the oil reservoir under the cowling. It leaks the reservoir oil somewhere from either the tank or lines and I've helped him to take a look at the whole oil reservoir system, removed the tank, checked it and looked at the lines and line connections. They have those little wire spring clamps, which we've replaced a few with a few SS hose clamps. Still every time he uses it, it leaks more oil from somewhere. He even had a marine mechanic come and look it over and can't seem to find the problem. Even changed the o-rings on the fill cap, and clamp the rubber spill funnel at the cap. Still, she leaks while running or sitting, just a bit at a little dribble from somewhere undetermined.
> 
> Anyone had this issue before with them? We're to the point where we are about to replace the entire reservoir system, including all the lines and buy all new ss hose clamps instead of using those little dumb wire spring clamps. But Yamaha wants a pretty penny for it and not sure if that will solve anything. So I decided to post this up on this board before he gives Yamaha any money.
> 
> Your thoughts?


Usually the fill cap leaks when tilted


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## Sroberts

Usually the cap leaks when tilted up


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## Backwater

jimsmicro said:


> Put your mouth on it and blow, it's a simple check valve and will only flow in one direction.


Yes there is an flow arrow already etched on it. But he installed it without checking to see what direction the arrow is suppose to go.


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## Backwater

Sroberts said:


> Usually the cap leaks when tilted up


With the original tank, there looks like rubber 2 seal rings molded into the cap stem. There was enough space to install a rubber o-ring in-between the 2 molded rings and I figured it would stop any weeping/leaking of oil in case that was an issue when it's tilted up. Fortunately, we have a decent OB parts center close to where we both live. So he ran down and bought one and then tried to fit it back on the tank and the o-ring was too big, so he went back and got the thinnest one they had in that diameter, which installed, came even with the 2 rubber molded rings on the cap stem. But when pushing the cap back in the hole, that o-ring still wouldn't allow the cap stem to go in the hole of the tank. It appears that the molded rings in the cap stem compress and also have a flat edge to them. By appearance, they look fine. We just thought it would give it some extra assurance to make it leak proof. But it wouldn't work.

You would think those things would be completely leak proof is you stored it trimmed up or left it in the water with it trimmed up.

Anyway, we installed a new tank just to be sure there was no seepage along one of the molded plastic tank seems. But a new oil fill cap was not ordered since the little buggar after tax was around $70!  So he thought he would get the new tank installed and add in the original cap assembly and see if there was no seepage first before ordering that expensive cap assembly. Guess he didn't want to change it out if he didn't have to.

But before we can play around with that, this week somehow we are going to figure out which direction that flow arrow on that check valve is suppose to go, as well as trying to prime the oil pump, then hook up a pre-mixed fuel tank (3-5gals) which we have to borrow from someone. Then run it with the pre-mix and some Ring-Free long enough to make sure the oil pump is flowing in the carbs. After all that, then clean and wipe down any spillage from that process and run the boat for a while and check it after each use to make sure all is good. Lots of work.


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## Sroberts

Just typical of Yamaha and merc


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## Backwater

Sroberts said:


> Just typical of Yamaha and merc


I'm sure we will eventually find out if the oil cap is a problem, once everything else is resolved.


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