Marine Service Pro Elite: California's highest-rated Yamaha Outboards Service Center
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Engine Demand
The typical loads placed on your outboard are much heavier than on your car. This means your outboard is working much harder than your car’s engine. Yamalube marine engine oils contain specific anti-wear additives for this.
Engine speed
Your outboard operates at a much higher RPM than your car’s engine. It must rev higher to create higher speeds, rather than just changing gears like your car. That’s tough on your oil, and can literally shear (or split) the molecules in ordinary automotive oil. Yamalube has special shear-stable polymers to combat this and provide constant lubrication.
Operating temperature
Outboards are cooled using raw water, which is often cool to very cold. On the other hand, saltwater will begin to crystallize if its temperature is raised above 170° F, potentially causing blockage in the cooling passages and leading to engine overheat and possible damage. Because of these two factors, your outboard operates full-time at a temperature much different than your car and requires very different qualities in its lubricating oil.
Operating environment
Your outboard is constantly ingesting humid air directly off the water’s surface in order to operate. This air also gets inside combustion chambers through open valves when it’s not in use. And in a saltwater environment, that air is even more corrosive. Yamalube oils are formulated with special anti-corrosion agents to help combat and prevent the corrosive effects of this environment.