(NAPSI)—According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, about one in 10 U.S. households owns a boat. If yours is among them, you should know how to keep your vessel shipshape.

One important way is to change the gear case oil properly. Here are seven tips from Honda Marine that can help:

1. Change the oil with the engine stopped and the outboard in the vertical position.
2. Wear nitrile rubber gloves to protect your hands and make cleanup easier.
3. Place a suitable container below the oil drain hole to catch the used oil. Remove the oil drain bolt first, then the oil level bolt. Tilt the outboard up slightly until the drain hole is at its lowest point.
4. Let the used oil drain completely. If water or contaminated (milky-colored) oil flows out of the drain hole when the plug is removed, or the oil is black and smells burned, have the outboard motor checked by an authorized Honda Marine dealer.
5. Dispose of the used oil properly. Put it in a sealed container and take it to a recycling center. Don’t discard it in a trash bin, dump it on the ground or pour it down the drain.
6. Wipe the magnet end of the oil drain plug on a clean shop towel and check for metal particles. A small amount of very fine metal shavings is acceptable. If there are metal chips on the magnet end, have the outboard motor checked by an authorized Honda Marine dealer.
7. Tilt the outboard motor down until the gear case is vertical. Install a gear oil pump in the oil drain hole and you’re done.

Learn More

For further facts and additional tips on outboard motors and maintenance, go to https://marine.honda.com.

“About one in 10 U.S. households owns a boat. If yours is among them, change the oil regularly, advise the experts at Honda Marine. http://bit.ly/2QHeIz2”