97' Mercury 225 XL with water in the lower unit

S

stonewall

Recruit
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
2
I bought a boat this summer with this engine on it. The boat was surveyed and did not reveal any major problems. I just got around to servicing the boat, and discovered more water than oil in the lower unit, and the oil was just gunk. I plan on replacing all of the seals that I can get to, but how do I get the rest of this gunk out of the unit? What do I need to check to make sure there was no other damage to the unit? Thanks for any help.
 
Silvertip

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,771
Re: 97' Mercury 225 XL with water in the lower unit

Remove the drain and vent screws and let it drain for a day or so. Most of the gunk should drain. Refill with the recommended lub. Run it for awhile to warm it up. Drain it again and refill. In neutral (motor off), spin the prop by hand. If you feel any roughness, there is likely some prop shaft bearing damage. Nothing else turns in neutral so you can't check the drive shaft bearings or gears. Inspect the drain plug carefully for metal particles on the magnet. If any sizeable debris is noted, things are going bad.
 
S

stonewall

Recruit
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
2
Re: 97' Mercury 225 XL with water in the lower unit

Thanks for the information. There was some metal debris on the magnetic plug, but seemed to be from normal wear.
 
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