When you're doing required maintenance on your boat, it always pays to check your Evinrude's oil level, even if checking the oil isn't part of the planned maintenance. Indeed, you should check the oil level every time you go boating--it only takes a moment and can help prevent maintenance problems of the most expensive sort. Once you know where to look for the dipstick, checking the oil may become one of the maintenance tasks you do most often.
Items you will need
Shop rag
Press down on the handle on the rear of the engine cover. Lift the cover from the engine and set the cover aside.
Look for the large ring protruding upward from a tube on the starboard side--the engine's right side--of the engine block. This is the dipstick. Pull upward on the ring to remove the dipstick from its tube.
Wipe the dipstick with a rag. Reinsert the dipstick into its tube and count to five.
Withdraw the dipstick and look at the flat part of its end. The oil clinging to the dipstick indicates the level of the oil in the engine. If the oil is between the two lines on the flat area, the oil level is within tolerances.
Add oil to the motor if the oil level on the dipstick is between the tip of the dipstick and the lower of the two lines. Continue adding oil until the level on the dipstick is between the two lines.
Tips
- If possible, check the oil before starting the motor. Once the motor is running, oil is circulating through the lubrication system. If you must check the oil within 10 minutes of shutting the motor down, remember that some oil will still be in the lubrication system, rather than in the crankcase where the dipstick measures the oil level.
References
- "Evinrude: Evinrude/Johnson Service Manual"; BRP; 2009
Tips
- If possible, check the oil before starting the motor. Once the motor is running, oil is circulating through the lubrication system. If you must check the oil within 10 minutes of shutting the motor down, remember that some oil will still be in the lubrication system, rather than in the crankcase where the dipstick measures the oil level.
Writer Bio
Will Charpentier is a writer who specializes in boating and maritime subjects. A retired ship captain, Charpentier holds a doctorate in applied ocean science and engineering. He is also a certified marine technician and the author of a popular text on writing local history.
