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Dave,
I also have an 04 Yamaha 60hp 4 stroke. The only maintenance that I had the dealer do was my 10 hour service. I've done everything else myself. It's real easy, because I am not a mecanical genius. The first thing I would do if you haven't is to install an hour meter. Then just follow the maintenance chart on page 4-9 in the owner's manual. If you would feel more comfortable buy the yamaha engine manual from your dealer which gives you more detailed info. I don't have one. I change the oil and filter every 100 hours or once a year. Same with the lower unit oil.(Get new gaskets for your lower unit screws and change each time). I also change the spark plugs each year. I buy them from Auto Zone for about $1.80 each and gap them correctly. When you change the oil, tilt the motor all the way up and hold a container (I use quart jars that had spaghetti sauce in them) under the spout and lower the motor with the tilt switch until it's almost full and then tilt the motor up to cut off the flow. I buy the oils and filters from a Yamaha dealer and save the receipts to show that I did the maintenance. When you change the filter put paper towels, old rags, and plenty of them under the filter because it still has oil in it. That's probably the reason they suggest that the dealer change it. If you are slow removing it you will spill some oil.(You will need a very small oil filter wrench). If you have never changed the lower unit oil in an engine, buy an extra tube of gear oil because you will probably spill some. It's better to have someone that's done it before to show you the first time. The 60hp takes more than one tube; switching over to the second tube with only "two hands" is the hard part. Again, I buy all Yamaha parts and oils. You do not use very much with the 60hp motor, so the cost is not a problem. All that is left is changing the water separator filter, (if you don't have one, get one) just unscrew the old one,fill the new one with clean fuel and screw it back on. Then squirt some grease in all the fittings and you are ready for another season for about $25.00. I will have the dealer change my timing belt and my water pump when it's time. I hope this helps, Dave.
John D.
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