Water in LU oil - How bad is this ?

[MercGuy]

Hi All,

I have a 1998 115 2+2 with 1,100 hours on it. I used to be very meticulous about maintenance, but I must admit that I've slipped a little in the last year or 2.

I recently changed my lower unit oil for the first time in 2 years (I used to religiously change it at the end of every season).

To my dismay it appears that there is some water in the oil. How bad does this look to you ? I really don't want to try and reseal it at this point. I've flushed it out with a few oil changes and I'm temped to run it next year and keep an eye on it.

Any opinions ?

 

[racerone]

Run to a local shop and have the lower unit pressure tested.---That is the only way to determine if there is a small leak or not.--------Oil is cheap.-----If you have to pay a shop to install a seal kit it can be a $300. touch or more.-----Gears and bearings are enough $$$$$ to really scare you.

 

[alldodge]

Have you pulled the prop off to see if there is something in the shaft area? That isn't much, but any should be looked into. Could use it a bit and recheck or as racer mentioned pressure test it. Doesn't take much to make up a tester your self

 

[MercGuy]

Run to a local shop and have the lower unit pressure tested.---That is the only way to determine if there is a small leak or not.--------Oil is cheap.-----If you have to pay a shop to install a seal kit it can be a $300. touch or more.-----Gears and bearings are enough $$$$$ to really scare you.

Racerone,

My assumption is that the white streaks draining out, and the white swirles in the drain pan are water. If that is true can't we be sure that the lu is leaking ? What is the point of pressure testing if we already know it is leaking ?

(I'm not trying to be a smart aleck, its a serious question)

Thanks,

Steve

 

[TD_Maker]

I dont pretend to be in Racerone mechanical class, but that oil looks pretty good to me. Could be condensation water. I would refill her with a good synthetic lower unit oil, and replace both filler screw crush washers seals without question. Run the motor then pop the lower screw again. More water? Than I would worry about resealing her.

 

[roscoe]

Pressure testing will tell you where it is leaking.
There are generally 5 potential leak locations.

prop shaft seal
driveshaft seal
shift shaft seal
fill and drain screw gaskets.

Like TD Maker said, hardly any water there, don't panic.

Refill, replace screw gaskets, and fill her up. See how it looks after 5 hours of use.

 

[K-2]

It's not a milk shake, it doesn't look mixed. I'd get new gaskets for the drain & fill plugs, put in new oil and check it after you use it the first time, see how the oil looks.

 

[racerone]

I usually do trouble shooting and testing before major surgery.----Too many folks guess at what is wrong with motors !!!

 

[Texasmark]

Depends on usage and sitting in the water with the lower unit submerged over those 2 years as to whether or not that's a leak to worry about. I too think the oil is just fine from the standpoint of worrying about damage. No more water than that would accumulate in the bottom of the LU casting where there is nothing to hurt. If you used the boat frequently you'd keep things stirred up and wouldn't have a problem as the water wouldn't be sitting against metal for all that long. I'd also suggest pulling the prop and checking the condition of the prop shaft seal. A lot of times fishing line gets wrapped around the shaft at the front of the prop and CAN cut the seal. I have changed them out with everything intact and the prop and thrust washer removed. They can be picked out and are installed back to back (2 seals) to seal in both directions.

When is the last time you changed your drain and vent screw gaskets? I used to change mine every time I changed oil. I'd get some new ones and use the Quicksilver premium LU oil.

Mark

 

[MercGuy]

Thanks to everybody for your replies. I will wait until next spring, run it and check the oil at that time.

 

[MercGuy]

Hello all, I'm updating my post from last year. Per the previous comments I changed my LU oil ran the boat for approximately 10 hours and then drained the oil again.

Here is what it looks like:

<img class="bbcode-attachment" src="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21123521/bboardphotos/IBoats/WaterInOil2.jpg" border="0" alt="">




I did do my own pressure test and it seemed to hold pressure just fine.

What is your opinion, does this look like I need to have my LU resealed, or is this oil acceptable ?

Thanks,

-Steve

 

[MercGuy]

Hmm, Link doesn't seem to work like I intended, how about this:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21123521/bboardphotos/IBoats/WaterInOil2.jpg

 

[WIMUSKY]

Still not working..

As mentioned, did you change the fill and vent screw gaskets? If your oil looks like your first pick, that's nothing.. If it holds pressure you shouldn't need to reseal. Basically, when the oil looks milky you need to reseal. Streaks could be condensation or the screw gaskets....

 

[MercGuy]

This should work:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21123521/bboardphotos/IBoats/WaterInOil2.jpg

 

[GA_Boater]

I can see the oil is no longer blue if you used the same brand. Did you see clear water as the first thing when you removed the drain screw? If the motor was recently used it would look like a milk shake or coffee with cream, I'm not 100% sure what blue oil would look like - I guess a blueberry milk shake.

Pour it into a clear mayo jar, let it settle a while and if there is water you will see the clear separation between oil and water.

Are you using new seals on the vent/drain screws every time?

 

[MercGuy]

I can see the oil is no longer blue if you used the same brand. Did you see clear water as the first thing when you removed the drain screw? If the motor was recently used it would look like a milk shake or coffee with cream, I'm not 100% sure what blue oil would look like - I guess a blueberry milk shake.

Pour it into a clear mayo jar, let it settle a while and if there is water you will see the clear separation between oil and water.

Are you using new seals on the vent/drain screws every time?

Yes, it is the same oil (Pennzoil LU oil)

The boat was last used 3 days prior to the drain, It does look like coffee with cream to me.

No, I did not see clear water when it first drained

I have saved the oil, I'll wait to see if it separates

Yes, I use new seals every time I change the oil.

Thanks for your reply !!