Hello Fellow Anglers

Need suggestions or opinions. I have a 2009 Mercury Four Strokes 30 HP on my bass Tracker and a 2010 Mercury Four Stroke 60 HP on my pontoon. I haven't change oil or add any fuel additives on both since I've bought them. My questions are how often do I change the oil and add fuel additives? I don't take my pontoon out much as compare to my bass tracker. I do check the oil level regularly both boats. Should I be concerned about the oil conditions at this time? Since the motors are fairly new should I put additives in the gas? Thank you for any infos....

You definitley should be changing the oil and filter every season!!If your not changing the oil and filter when was the last time you changed the water pump imp??
Preventative maintenance will save you hundreds if not thousands in the long run.
Mercury QuicKleen is the best additive.

Yup...engine oil/filter/lower gear oil chg yearly. Water impeller/spark plugs every two years for me. And fuel additives each fill up!.....I swear by them. I use Sea Foam....helps to decarbon engine, clean fuel lines, preserve fuel, and disperse water in your fuel. Can be found at any auto parts store.

@I love fishing - You have to remember that four stroke engine opperates a lot like a car engine. All the oil resides and operates below the piston heads. And its not burned like in a two stroke engine. But even though the oil is not burned it still breaks down over time. If you dont mind getting your hands a little dirty changing the oil in an outboard is not too tough. And always change the filter along with oil. Drain plug on the bottom, fill plug on the top.

If you like doing this kind of stuff instead of paying someone for it, I would suggest going to mercury.com and ordering the maintenance manual... or shop manual if you will be doing more involved work later.

Also I dont know if this is against the rules here on the fishing forum but i would suggest checking out a forum more dedicated to boat maintenance/mechanics.

Here is the link straight to the Merc section.
http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25

In the short term i would agree with Fishhuntgolfgeek...Sea Foam is the way to go. Best $10 you can spend.

Wow....thank you so much for your infos. I'm greatly appreciated. I don't mind doing all these myself. Where can I get the oil, filter? Do you recommend I go to bass pro shops or some where else. Can I use regular oil for the car for the boat engine? Didn't know I have to change the water pump impeller too.