Known Yamaha 2006 F250 hick-up

[grouperjim]

For those who have a 2006 or earlier(?) Yamaha F250 you may experience some engine problems when shifting into neutral. On my motor, I was on final approach to the boat ramp when I shifted into neutral to slow a bit. The engine came out of gear but became confused and the rpms fluctuated wildly between 1k to 1800 rpm. Finally had to slam it into gear to make the rest of the way to the ramp. The engine shook and sputtered but made it in.

Once home, she started right up on the hose. The dealer relayed from Yamaha that symptoms similar to this are a known problem for 2006 F250 motors. I guess the ECU has some "buggy" code and can get confused in certain situations. The fix is that you get a brand up to date ECU (new with latest software) that actually improves shifting and probably some other things I'm not aware of.

So, if your engine does anything like mine did, just shut it down quickly and restart to get the computer to reset. That will get you back home. Take it to your certified Yamaha dealer and Yamaha (corp) will authorize a new ECU. Note that your total engine hours go back to zero. Have the dealer document your hours and get a print out of the log that shows time vs rpms.

jim

 

[TheOtherLine]

Great to know. Thanks! I haven't had that problem, but I have had situations where the motor quit when backing into reverse. Will get to the dealer ASAP.

 

[Brian S]

I have the same issue with my f250- it's done this 5 times in the almost 200hrs on her. I quickly learned that all you need to do is restart- now I have this on my list when I get her serviced along with the squeeky bushing in the lower unit. Aside from these two minor issues, the f250 is a great motor- I can touch 42mph on my 2520mv with a mirage plus wheel on it.