Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Mercury Marine tells me the first required service on my 60HP BF is 100 hours. They said dealers sometimes require a 20 hour service but Mercury does not.

Isn't what Mercury requires the only thing that matters? The dealer isn't warranting the motor.

Do I get a 20hr service or no? It costs $180 and I think it is a rip off. Change oil, reset timing and change spark plugs seems to be all they do.

Help, I don't want to hurt my engine, but I don't want to throw money out either.

Wow, a 100 hrs before the first oil change seems a long time. I'm assuming it's a 4-stroke since you're talking about oil change.

I would go by what Mercury says, but I would double check with them and the manual first.

Maybe someone with access to the manuals will chime in here.

My Mercury is a 3.0 i/o.
However it states the first maintance is at 20 hours.
Thats the engine breakin time.
Then after that, its every 100 hours.

I did my own oil and gear lube change at 20 hours to save the money.

Same as Walt. 100 hours seems WAY high for an oil change. I do mine every 50 hours.

The first service is important to the life of the engine so I would do the 20 hour and then 100.....but then most new cars say to change the oil every 7,000 miles. I change my car's oil every 3-4,000 and never have any trouble and I put 25K miles a year on a car.
You can look at this way.. serviceing the motor early is cheaper than rebuilding a blown one.

Every service is important regarding your boat. I would change the oil for sure, check the plugs and then follow mercurys service schedule myself, if its running good, it should be good on timing unless they are checking for either stretch on the timing belt (if it has a belt) or wear on the chain (if it has a chain), I dont know how they time those.

Here is a link to mercs site with thier service and warranty info on this page...

http://www.mercurymarine.com/serviceand ... /index.php

All else fails call them at one of these numbers on this page...

http://www.mercurymarine.com/utility/contact/index.php

This is from the Mercury Marine website, under the section on Service and Maintenance for a 60hp efi 4stroke BigFoot:

Inspection And Maintenance Schedule
BEFORE EACH USE
• Check engine oil level. See Fuel & Oil ‑ Checking and Adding Engine
Oil.
• Check that lanyard stop switch stops the engine.
• Visually inspect the fuel system for deterioration or leaks.
• Check outboard for tightness on transom.
• Check steering system for binding or loose components.
MAINTENANCE
65
• Visually check steering link rod fasteners for proper tightness. See
Steering Link Rod Fasteners.
• Check propeller blades for damage.
AFTER EACH USE
• Flush out the outboard cooling system if operating in salt or polluted
water. See Flushing the Cooling System.
• Wash off all salt deposits and flush out the exhaust outlet of the
propeller and gearcase with fresh water if operating in salt water.
EVERY 100 HOURS OF USE OR ONCE YEARLY,
WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST
• Lubricate all lubrication points. Lubricate more frequently when used
in salt water. See Lubrication Points.
• Change engine oil and replace the oil filter. The oil should be changed
more often when the engine is operated under adverse conditions
such as extended trolling. See Changing Engine Oil.
• Replace spark plugs at first 100 hours or first year. After that, inspect
spark plugs every 100 hours or once yearly. Replace spark plugs as
needed. See Spark Plug Inspection and Replacement.
• Inspect thermostat visually for corrosion and broken spring. Make sure
thermostat closes completely at room temperature.1.
• Check engine fuel filter for contaminants. See Fuel System.
• Check engine timing setup.1.
• Check corrosion control anodes. Check more frequently when used
in salt water. See Corrosion Control Anodes.
• Drain and replace gear case lubricant. See Gearcase Lubrication.
• Lubricate splines on the drive shaft.1.
• Check and adjust valve clearance, if necessary.1.
• Check power trim fluid. See Checking Power Trim Fluid.
• Inspect battery. See Battery Inspection.
• Check control cable adjustments.1.
• Inspect timing belt. See Timing Belt Inspection.
• Check tightness of bolts, nuts, and other fasteners.
EVERY 300 HOURS OF USE OR THREE YEARS
• Replace water pump impeller (more often if overheating occurs or
reduced water pressure is noted).1.
1. These items should be serviced by an authorized dealer.


Nothing is mentioned about 20 hr service.
Hope this helps.

Well Mercury has a great manual except I can't find anything ANYWHERE on their damn web site explaining break-in procedure.

We all know it is probably 20-25 for break-in oil change, but Merc makes that difficult to locate.

Parasympathetic wrote:Well Mercury has a great manual except I can't find anything ANYWHERE on their damn web site explaining break-in procedure.

We all know it is probably 20-25 for break-in oil change, but Merc makes that difficult to locate.

I went to GOOGLE......numerous posts on BREAK-IN

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=me ... tnG=Search

Bill

Yep, but none related to 4-stroke that I could find.