4.3l Oil Reservoir ?

tahoejag

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 4, 2009
Messages
229
Use of gear lube in relation to reservoir bottle? Beginning of season bottle was topped off. After aprx two months of boating (average 50-60 hrs) reservoir bottle is very low - at the add point. Is this normal for the drive to "use oil"? Or are their issues to be looked at?

2006 4.3l carb raw water cooled
alpha I gen II 1.81:1 ratio
14 1/4 x 21 3 blade MW
 

Brewman61

Ensign
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
996
Re: 4.3l Oil Reservoir ?

Normal for the drive to "use" lube? No, that'd indicate a leak.
What often does happen is that after you push all of that lube into the lower unit, thru the hose to the resivior bottle, air gets trapped.
Using the drive for a bit "burps" out some of this air and then the lube level goes down in the bottle a bit.
I'd top it off and see if it continues to drop, if it does, you might need it checked. If not, then it was possibly the air burping out thing.
 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
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Jul 18, 2011
Messages
17,621
Re: 4.3l Oil Reservoir ?

Maybe pressure test the drive, but I have always experienced some usage of the outdrive oil.
 

achris

More fish than mountain goat
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
27,468
Re: 4.3l Oil Reservoir ?

Those drives do have a habit of burping air up, as someone said. It's because when the drive is filled from the bottom there is a pocket of air above the vent screw in the upper half of the drive that can't be filled. As the drive is used that air gets slowly purged through to the reserve bottle. Hence the level goes down.

When I service an Alpha One gen II drive I fill it in the conventional way, then lay it on the ground, port side up, and then slowly continue filling through the vent hole in the upper. That gets as much air out as possible, and stops the 'my drive's using oil' problem.

Chris....
 

tahoejag

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 4, 2009
Messages
229
Re: 4.3l Oil Reservoir ?

Thanks guys! All makes sense to me...did split the lower for new impeller last spring and changed out lube. Will keep eyes on it.
 
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