How to Grease Your Outboard's Lubrication Points

Tilt the motor up enough to reach the bracket and engage the tilt support lever. Remove the lanyard and key and disconnect the battery. Rinse or wipe salt and dirt off the brackets so you can see the fittings.

Use your manual's diagram and a flashlight. Grease fittings (zerks) are small nipples with a ball in the tip. Yamaha's four-cylinder winterizing guide, for example, lists one on each side of the steering slide near the front of the engine, one on the steering column and one on the shift mechanism. Your engine may have more or fewer.

Wipe the tip of each fitting with a rag. Dirt on the fitting gets pushed straight into the joint.

If your boat has mechanical cable steering, the cable end slides through the tilt tube. Before greasing the tilt tube or cable fitting, turn the steering wheel so the cable end is fully pulled back into its housing. Greasing with it extended can trap grease and lock the cable. On hydraulic steering, follow the steering manual for the cylinder support rods.

Press the grease gun coupler straight onto the fitting and pump slowly. Stop when you see clean grease start to push out of the joint. That means old, dirty grease and water have been pushed out. Wipe away the excess.

Turn the motor lock to lock and tilt it up and down a little between pumps so grease spreads around the whole joint.

If grease oozes out around the coupler instead of going in, reseat the coupler squarely. If it still won't go in, the fitting may be clogged or the joint packed with old, hard grease. Replace the fitting with the same thread and type. Don't force grease in with huge pressure, which can push out seals.

Remove the cowling. Grease any fitting on the shift mechanism and put a small dab of grease on linkage pivot points your manual shows. Don't get grease on belts, electrical connectors or the flywheel area.

While the cowling is off, many makers suggest a corrosion-inhibitor spray on the powerhead's bare metal. Keep it off the timing and alternator belts, the alternator, any oxygen sensor and the anodes (Honda and Yamaha both list parts not to spray).

Put grease on the steering link rod ends, the tilt support lever pivot and the tilt lock mechanism, either through their fittings or by hand. Work each part back and forth until it moves smoothly.

While you are there, look at the outer jackets of the steering, throttle and shift cables. BoatUS warns that cracks or swelling in a jacket mean the cable is corroding inside and must be replaced. Don't squirt lubricant into the cracks or wrap them in tape; most lubricants don't suit what the cable maker used inside and make things worse. If you twist a cable and hear crunching, there is likely rust inside.

Yamaha recommends periodically greasing the top of the trim rams, where they touch the swivel bracket. It helps prevent corrosion and stops the squeaking and popping noises some motors make when trimming. Wipe a film of marine grease on each ram tip.

Put a block of wood between a prop blade and the anti-ventilation plate so the prop can't turn. Remove the cotter pin or tab washer, the prop nut and any washers, then slide the prop off. Note the order of the thrust washer and spacer, or take a photo.

Mercury warns that fishing line can wrap around the prop shaft behind the prop and get pushed into the shaft seal. If the seal is damaged, water can get into the gearcase. Look carefully at the base of the shaft and the seal. Line is often coated in grease and hard to see; use a pick to pull it out.

Clean the old grease off the shaft and the prop hub splines. Apply a generous coat of the marine grease or anti-corrosion lubricant your manual specifies. Mercury recommends a liberal coat on the prop shaft so the prop doesn't stick to it. Slide the thrust washer, prop and hardware back on in the right order.

Tighten the prop nut to the torque in your manual and install a new cotter pin or bend the tab washer. Mercury suggests rechecking prop tightness after the first 20 hours of running. Never run with a loose prop.

Wipe off any extra grease, replace the cowling, reconnect the battery and test the steering, tilt and shifting. Write the date and engine hours in your BoatMend log.