2018 SHO Whine when in gear

[TownsendsFJR1300]

the drive shaft from the power head to the lower unit turns all of the time while the motor runs.
not just when in gear,
so I am not sure this is the problem,
but loading up the drive shaft when put into gear might cause it to move just slightly more against the bushing.

Would not hurt to pull and grease it just in case.

Towns , did yours make noise only in gear?

I noticed it in forward gear and was at approx. 1,800 RPM's.

It's been a long time but I don't re-call hearing it in neutral (revved up).

Took me awhile to find out what it was...

And it certainly wasn't a whine.

I don't believe this is his issue as it was always at one RPM(give or take 1,000 RPMs), under light load, not in neutral

[pstephens46]

Tried to upload video and keep getting an error. Not sure why it will not allow me to upload.

Again. Go to YouTube. Create an account and upload your video. Link that video page (paste address) here so we can find it on YouTube. Do you have kids? They can help. Kids nowaday are scary.

[zenoahphobic]

Just read this thread. I immediately thought about that bushing and changing the grease.

Over the years I've discovered what one person hears another doesn't, much less the ability to describe the sound, so I take the description with a pinch of salt: there is a sound.

Under warranty I believe the dealer simply can't dismiss this, presumable hoping the OP's sound will wear itself away.
So surely, it can't be too much to ask them to check and regrease this bushing as this is a known "strange" sound producer!

Incidently not dismissing tension in the lower unit (no metal in oil), the gears are constantly running meshed together and it appears load accentuates some cyclic sound, probably not bearings because it appears forward and reverse. So if the LU is suspected, I would critically look at those 3 gears for "imperfections".

[Captsteve63]

The high pitch whine is the issue. As you listen to this video with no picture, you will be able able the hear it from the helm. It is not at all RPM’s. Not heard at all below 1100 rpms.

[Captsteve63]

By the way that video was with phone on helm, and I was running 3800 to 4200 rpms.

[pstephens46]

Everyone that has a four stroke weigh in please. I don’t hear anything abnormal. Sounds like a motor under load. Is it propped correctly? Can you hit 6000rpm, trimmed, with a normal load? ...I may be abnormal.....

my bushing gets dry it makes a chirping at idle speed.

thanks for posting, that helps. Now if we could get that engine knock guy to do the same....

Scott will have to go run his, been awhile since he has been out.

[pstephens46]

What kind of boat? How heavy? We never asked
did we?

[Captsteve63]

2003 Pathfinder 2200v. Re powered from a 150 hpdi to this 200 SHO. Original owner of boat. Motor is about 50 lbs heavier than old HPDI.
Remember, that whine is loud at 1100-1200 rpm’s and the goes away till about 2000 rpms and higher. If is was a normal noise it would not be various rpm’s. Being on the boat and hearing it in person, no one would want that noise.
lastly when people tell you from the shore or marina that your motor sounds bad, you start to believe it is not normal. In addition, I have friends running the same motor, 225 and 250 same blocks and do not have that noise at all.

[pstephens46]

Is it propped correctly? That is the question posted before. Wondering if the transition from v-6 2 stroke to I-4 4 stroke may be throwing you for a loop.

[Captsteve63]

The boat is propped correctly. WOT is 6000 rpms, 50 MPh. The 200 SHO is a 6 cylinder just as my 150 HPDI was 6 cylinder.

[zenoahphobic]

Yeah, I here it (even from Australia).

Too consistent and a loud whine, for sure.

If we had no information, one could easily dismiss it as alternator whine, balance shaft whine or some other load, but......

Left field, could the engine mounts have anything to do with it. Under load there is torque turning the engine in it's mounts. Could this just be resonance? Something touching, or mounted solidly against something. Check how much the engine wobbles, and all the clearances, and tightness of mounts etc.

[Captsteve63]

Well, now I am at a loss other than calling Yamaha corporate. I am being told it is normal to hear that noise on the SHO 200 from the latest Yamaha Certified Tech.
I have asked to have the dealership find me another boat that has the same motor on it, and let me ride and listen.
I can believe that this sound is acceptable.

[pstephens46]

We didn’t have the model number so I assumed it was the more common I-4 200. Don’t know what to tell you. I would think a gear problem would have caused a major failure by now. I have heard much worse.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

I posted MUCH earlier but my post got deleted (AND IT WAS VISABLE)..

I don't hear the whine, perhaps too much back-round noise.

I agree, find the same engine and listen to that one..



BTW, a certified tech doesn't mean squat (helps but..). They'll tell you it's normal...

My low idle (F150 when new-a common issue) was "repaired" by replacing the ENTIRE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. Yamaha picked up the tab.
The proper fix is adjusting certain settings on the engine-there was nothing wrong with the TB's.

The low idle returned again and I watched a tech tune A NASTY VIBRATION into the engine-said it was normal.. They wouldn't fix the NEW VIBRATION...

I had to find a master tech at another marina and he properly set the appropriate adjustments for a steady 700 idle (still dead nuts on10 years later) W/O vib's.

[zenoahphobic]

I listened again, a definite loud whine that I think the OP is concerned about.

Now engines change, and often larger engines are louder. But generally these engines are becoming quieter.So it is unlikely they would have changed the style of the gears to a noisier arrangement (bevel/ straightcut etc). But to be sure, they are made to withstand greater loads. And therefore would be prone to put out greater noise, as very little energy is required to make a large perceived sound to our human ears.

The question is: is it normal? This is tied in with acceptable reliability. One can have a product that "sounds equally loud" throughout all that are made, but fails, is an inferior rubbish product (machine noise often can be an indicator of premature life).

So is this noise associated with pending early failure? The only way would be to critically examine the oil. The OP said it looked clean, so no major metal is being ground away. But the oil needs to be monitored and tested precisely to see how much the wearing away is. This, or a tear down inspection after sometime, is the only way to determine if there is a problem. The OP probably needs to get the oil tested if he finds that he will eventually need to make a warranty claim.

Central to this is the perception of sounds. As certain things are quietenned down, other normally not noticed sounds come into the forefront. The issue sometimes is based around how irritating these sounds are to us. Eg motorcycles are made with quieter mufflers, which make some unbearable for some people to ride through whines such as water pumps and magneto charging or incessant tappit clatter etc. Somehow exhaust noise, no matter how loud, seems much more pleasant to the ear, and maybe this is because it is masking all the other noises.