2015 YAMAHA VX check engine

Table of contents
First-time operation ........................ 57
Engine break-in ............................. 57
Pre-operation checks ..................... 58
Pre-operation checklist .................... 58
Pre-operation check points........... 60
Pre-launch checks ........................... 60
Post-launch checks ......................... 66
Operation ......................................... 69
Operating your watercraft ............. 69
Getting to know your watercraft ...... 69
Learning to operate your
watercraft ...................................... 69
Riding position ................................. 70
Launching the watercraft ................. 70
Starting the engine on water ............ 70
Stopping the engine ......................... 71
Leaving the watercraft...................... 71
Operating the watercraft .................. 71
Turning the watercraft ...................... 72
Stopping the watercraft ................... 73
Operating the watercraft in reverse
or neutral....................................... 74
Boarding the watercraft ................... 75
Starting off........................................ 77
Capsized watercraft ......................... 78
Beaching and docking the
watercraft ...................................... 79
Operating in weeded areas .............. 79
After removing the watercraft from
the water ....................................... 79
Care and storage............................. 81
Post-operation care ...................... 81
Flushing the cooling water
passages....................................... 81
Cleaning the watercraft .................... 82
Battery care ...................................... 82
Long-term storage ........................ 85
Cleaning ........................................... 85
Lubrication ....................................... 85
Rustproofing..................................... 85
Maintenance .................................... 87
Maintenance ................................. 87
Tool kit.............................................. 87
Periodic maintenance chart ............. 88
Engine oil and oil filter ...................... 90
Specifications .................................. 91
Specifications ............................... 91
Trouble recovery ............................. 92
Troubleshooting ............................ 92
Troubleshooting chart ...................... 92
Emergency procedures ................ 95
Cleaning the jet intake and
impeller ......................................... 95
Raising the reverse gate................... 96
Jumping the battery ......................... 96
Replacing the fuses .......................... 97
Towing the watercraft....................... 98
Submerged watercraft ..................... 99
Index............................................... 100
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Safety information
14
in certain kinds of accidents and that it
could injure you in others.
A helmet is designed to provide some head
protection. Although helmets cannot pro-
tect against all foreseeable impacts, a hel-
met might reduce your injuries in a collision
with a boat or other obstacle.
A helmet may have potential safety haz-
ards, as well. Falling into the water could
risk the chance of the helmet catching wa-
ter, commonly known as “bucketing”, and
the resulting strain on your neck could
cause choking, severe and permanent
neck injuries, or death. A helmet could also
increase the risk of an accident if it reduces
your vision or hearing, or if it distracts you
or increases your fatigue.
How should you decide if a helmet’s poten-
tial safety benefits outweigh its potential
risks for you? Consider your particular rid-
ing conditions. Consider factors such as
your riding environment and your riding
style and ability. Also consider the likeli-
hood of traffic congestion, and the water
surface conditions.
If you decide to wear a helmet based upon
your riding circumstances, choose one
carefully. Look for a helmet designed for
personal watercraft use, if possible. If you
will be engaging in closed-course competi-
tion, follow the helmet requirements of the
sanctioning organization.
Never operate the watercraft after consum-
ing alcohol or taking other drugs.
For reasons of safety and proper care of
the watercraft, always perform the pre-op-
eration checks listed on page 58 before op-
erating the watercraft.
The operator should grip the handlebars
firmly with both hands and the passengers
should hold on firmly, either to the personin front of them or to the handgrip provid-
ed.
The operator and passengers should al-
ways keep their feet on the floor of the foot-
well when the watercraft is in motion.
Lifting your feet increases the chances of
losing your balance, or hitting objects out-
side the watercraft with your feet. Do not
give a ride to children if their feet cannot
reach the floor of the footwell.
Never allow a passenger to ride in front of
the operator.
Always consult your doctor on whether it is
safe for you to ride this watercraft if you are
pregnant or in poor health.
Do not attempt to modify this watercraft.
Modifications to your watercraft may re-
duce safety and reliability, and render the
watercraft unsafe or illegal for use.
Attach the engine shut-off cord (lanyard) to
y o u r l ef t w r is t an d k ee p i t fr e e f r o m t h e h an -
dlebars so that the engine stops if you, the
operator, fall off. After riding, remove the
engine shut-off cord (lanyard) from the wa-
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Safety information
17
direction, although some movement may
occur.
To avoid rear-end collisions while operat-
ing the watercraft, check behind you be-
fore using the RiDE lever to slow down or
stop the watercraft. Make sure that there
are no obstacles or people behind you be-
fore shifting into reverse.
Keep away from the intake grate while the
engine is on. Items such as long hair, loose
clothing, or PFD straps can become entan-
gled in moving parts, resulting in severe in-
jury or drowning.
Never insert any object into the jet thrust
nozzle while the engine is running. Severe
injury or death could result from coming in
contact with the rotating parts of the jet
pump.
Stop the engine and remove the clip from
the engine shut-off switch before removing
any debris or weeds, which may have col-
lected around the jet intake.
1“N” (Neutral position)
1Intake grate
2Jet thrust nozzle
1
1
2
1Clip
2Engine shut-off switch
2
1
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Control function operation
30
zle is changed, and the direction of the water-
craft is changed accordingly.
Since the strength of the jet thrust determines
the speed and degree of a turn, throttle must
always be applied when attempting a turn,
except at trolling speed.
This model is equipped with the Yamaha En-
gine Management System (YEMS) that in-
cludes an off-throttle steering (OTS) system.
It will activate at planing speeds should you
attempt to steer the watercraft after releasing
the throttle lever. The OTS system assists in
turning by continuing to supply some thrust
while the watercraft is decelerating, but you
can turn more sharply if you apply throttle
while turning the handlebars. The OTS sys-
tem does not function below planing speeds
or when the engine is off. Once the engine
slows down, the watercraft will no longer turn
in response to handlebar input until you apply
throttle again or you reach trolling speed.EJU35975Cooling water pilot outlet
When the engine is running, some of the
cooling water that is circulated in the engine
is discharged from the cooling water pilot
outlet.
There is a cooling water pilot outlet on the
port (left) side of the watercraft. To check for
proper operation of the cooling system, make
sure that water is being discharged from the
cooling water pilot outlet. If water is not being
discharged from the outlet, stop the engine
and check the jet intake for clogging. (See
page 95 for information on the jet intake.)
TIP:
It will take about 60 seconds for the water
to reach the outlet after the engine is start-
ed.
Water discharge may not be constant
when the engine is running at idling speed.
If this occurs, apply a little throttle to make
sure that water discharges properly.
EJU40323Water separator
The water separator prevents water from en-
tering the fuel tank by collecting any water
that has entered the fuel tank breather hose if
the watercraft was capsized.
1Handlebar
2Jet thrust nozzle
1
21Cooling water pilot outlet
1
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Instrument operation
39
EJU43760
Multifunction information
center
The multifunction information center displays
various watercraft information.
Multifunction information center initial op-
eration
When the multifunction information center is
activated, all of the display segments come
on. After 2 seconds, the warning indicators in
the information display go off, and then the
center starts to operate normally.
If only the multifunction information center is
activated, the “WARNING” indicator light
blinks once.
TIP:
VX Deluxe / VX Cruiser: The “UNLOCK” indi-
cator light also comes on as part of the initial
operation.
The “UNLOCK” indicator light will go off
when the engine is started.
Multifunction information center standby
state
If the multifunction information center does
not receive any operation input within 25 sec-
onds after the engine stops, the center willturn off and enter a standby state. When the
engine is started again, the displays return to
their state before the center turned off, and
then the center starts to operate normally.
EJU35026Information display
The information display shows watercraft op-
erating conditions.
EJU43830Speedometer
The speedometer shows the watercraft
speed against water.
By switching the display units, the speed can
be shown in kilometers per hour “km/h” or
miles per hour “MPH”.
1“UNLOCK” indicator light (VX Deluxe /
VX Cruiser)
2Information display
3“L-MODE” indicator light (VX Deluxe /
VX Cruiser)
4“WARNING” indicator light
123
4
1Tachometer
2Speedometer
3Oil pressure warning indicator
4Engine overheat warning indicator
5Check engine warning indicator
6Shift indicator
7Fuel indicator
8Fuel level meter
12
345768
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Instrument operation
42
If the fuel level warning is activated, refill the
fuel tank as soon as possible. (See page 51
for information on filling the fuel tank.)
After the fuel tank is refilled, the warning sig-
nals will be cleared when the engine is re-
started.
EJU43720Oil pressure warning
If the oil pressure drops significantly, the oil
pressure warning indicator, the check engine
warning indicator, and the “WARNING” indi-
cator light blink, and the buzzer sounds inter-
mittently for 30 seconds. At the same time,
the maximum engine speed is limited.
If the oil pressure warning is activated, imme-
diately reduce the engine speed, return to
shore, and then check the engine oil level.
(See page 53 for information on checking the
engine oil level.) If the oil level is sufficient,
have a Yamaha dealer check the watercraft.
EJU43901Engine overheat warning
If the engine temperature rises significantly,
the engine overheat warning indicator, the
check engine warning indicator, and the
“WARNING” indicator light blink, and the
buzzer sounds intermittently. After 5 sec-
onds, the engine overheat warning indicator
and the “WARNING” indicator light stop
blinking and remain on, and the buzzer
sounds continuously. After 30 seconds, the
buzzer stops. While the engine overheatwarning is activated, the maximum engine
speed is limited.
If the engine overheat warning is activated,
immediately reduce the engine speed, return
to shore, and then make sure that water is
being discharged from the cooling water pilot
outlet while the engine is running. If there is
no discharge of water, stop the engine, and
then check the jet intake for clogging. (See
page 95 for information on the jet intake.)
NOTICE: If you cannot locate and correct
the cause of the overheating, consult a
Yamaha dealer. Continuing to operate at
higher speeds could result in severe en-
gine damage.
[ECJ00042]
EJU43731
Check engine warning
If a sensor malfunction or a short circuit is de-
tected, the check engine warning indicator
and the “WARNING” indicator light blink, and
the buzzer sounds intermittently for 30 sec-
onds.
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Instrument operation
43
If the engine is stopped after the check en-
gine warning is activated, the information dis-
play will indicate an error code.
If the check engine warning is activated, im-
mediately reduce the engine speed, return to
shore, and have a Yamaha dealer check the
engine.
EJU43740Hour meter
The hour meter shows the total number of
hours that the engine has been running since
the watercraft was new.
TIP:
The elapsed time will be kept even if the bat-
tery terminals have been disconnected.
EJU43750Voltmeter
The voltmeter shows the battery voltage.
When the battery voltage is normal, the volt-
meter displays approximately 12 volts.If the battery voltage has dropped significant-
ly, “LO” is displayed on the voltmeter. If the
battery voltage has risen significantly, “HI” is
displayed. If “LO” or “HI” is displayed, imme-
diately return to shore and have a Yamaha
dealer service the watercraft.
1Hour meter
1
1Vo l t m et e r
1
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Operation and handling requirements
51
EJU31823
Fuel requirementsEJU43641Fuel
WARNING
EWJ00283
Gasoline and gasoline vapors are ex-
tremely flammable. To avoid fires and
explosions and to reduce the risk of in-
jury when refueling, follow these in-
structions.
Gasoline is poisonous and can cause in-
jury or death. Handle gasoline with care.
Never siphon gasoline by mouth. If you
should swallow some gasoline, inhale a
lot of gasoline vapor, or get some gaso-
line in your eyes, see your doctor imme-
diately. If gasoline spills on your skin,
wash with soap and water. If gasoline
spills on your clothing, change your
clothes.
NOTICE
ECJ00322
Do not use leaded gasoline. Leaded
gasoline can seriously damage the en-
gine.
Avoid getting water and contaminants in
the fuel tank. Contaminated fuel can
cause poor performance and engine
damage. Use only fresh gasoline that
has been stored in clean containers.
Gasohol
There are two types of gasohol: gasohol con-
taining ethanol and that containing methanol.Gasohol containing ethanol can be used if
ethanol content does not exceed 10% and
the fuel meets the minimum octane ratings.
E-85 is a fuel blend containing 85% ethanol
and therefore must not be used in this water-
craft. All ethanol blends containing more than
10% ethanol can cause fuel system damage
or engine performance problems.
Yamaha does not recommend gasohol con-
taining methanol because it can cause fuel
system damage and engine performance
problems.
To fill the fuel tank:
(1) Before refueling, stop the engine. Do not
stand or sit on the watercraft. Never refu-
el while smoking, or while in the vicinity
of sparks, open flames, or other sources
of ignition.
(2) Place the watercraft in a well-ventilated
area and in a horizontal position.
(3) Remove the seats, and then check the
fuel level. (See page 44 for seat removal
and installation procedures.)
(4) Pull the hood latch up, and then lift up
the rear of the hood.
Recommended fuel:
Regular unleaded gasoline with a
minimum octane rating of
86
(Pump octane number) = (R + M)/2
90 (Research octane number)
1Hood latch
1
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