Confusing instructions

[peaman]

It's kind of funny, but also a little frustrating when you want to follow instructions, but can't decide what they mean. So a I bought a lightly used second-hand 4hp outboard motor, and it has worked well for the past year. But I am confounded by the right way to store the thing on its side, which is more stable when not attached to a boat than the usual "propeller up" attitude.

The owner's manual includes a pretty clear picture showing a throttle-side-down position, which is clear enough by itself:



But then, there is a sticker on the side of the engine which is less clear:



So in this picture, is that not a throttle arm on the top side of the reclining motor? Or should I ignore that and just look at the propeller? It's like the graphics guy had one job here, but I guess he doesn't know outboards.

I will welcome any insights, but it's no rush. I don't intend to recline my outboard again for another six months.

 

[Alan Gomes]

My Honda 2.3 has the same sticker, and that is definitely the throttle handle/arm that needs to be up. Note that my Honda does not have a shift lever, so there’s only one thing that it can be. I store it in my garage on a stand vertically, propeller down (not up, as you stated in your post). When I transport it in my car, I lay it on its side with the throttle arm on top, as shown on the sticker.

Of course, if you have a different brand of motor, and one that has both a shift lever as well as a throttle arm, then I suppose the diagram could be a bit ambiguous. But given the proportions, it sure looks like a throttle arm to me.

By the way, in the case of the Honda the printed manual matches the sticker, so there is no confusion in that case. What brand of outboard is this one?

 

[peaman]

I store it in my garage on a stand vertically, propeller down (not up, as you stated in your post).

Man, I hope you didn't think "propeller up" was refering to vertical storage! I'm pretty sure hanging upside down would not be good for any outboard. I meant like when it's mounted on the transom, with prop out of water.

It happens to be a Yamaha F4, 4-stroke 4hp.

 

[Alan Gomes]

Man, I hope you didn't think "propeller up" was refering to vertical storage! I'm pretty sure hanging upside down would not be good for any outboard. I meant like when it's mounted on the transom, with prop out of water.

It happens to be a Yamaha F4, 4-stroke 4hp.

I thought you were talking about storing the motor off the boat in both instances, and that you accidentally typed "propeller up" by mistake. So I thought I was correcting your typo. I didn't really think you'd actually store it with the powerhead down! In any case, I get your point now and sorry for the confusion on my part!

I Googled the manual for the Yamaha F4 and found it here. I think you'll find what you want beginning on p. 56. If I read it correctly, it appears that you can store it on either side. It also shows diagrams of how not to store it.

Hope this will help.

 

[peaman]

Hope this will help.

It does help, thank you. The manual you linked seems to have more detail than the one I downloaded, so thanks much for your efforts.

 

[toddster]

Mine has rubber bumpers on the lay-down side. Seems definitive.

 

[Tin Kicker]

It also depends on 2 stroke vs 4 stroke and whether the tank is in the motor housing or separate.

A 2-smoke doesn't care about orientation unless the gas tank is full and the attitude can lead to a leak.

Most 4 strokes will leak oil if not in the right orientation.

 

[gabriel]

Maybe the photograph the line art was created from was setup wrong and instead of reshooting it the artist mirrored it to illustrate it resting on the correct side.