Hello all,
I was working on my boat today and noticed a few drops of oil under the outboard.
I have a 2002 Mercury Optimax 225 with 1150 hours on it. I wiped the drop off the skeg and it smelled like gear oil to me. The oil seemed clear (not cloudy) and was blackish gray in color. I tracked the oil up the front of the gearcase to what appears to be a weep hole(?). It's a metal tube about 1/16th of an inch in diameter that is on the leading edge of the gearcase. There are four water holes in the front of the case just forward of the prop shaft. Below them is where the skeg tapers back. About three inches above them is where this "weep hole" is. Would anyone have any idea why oil would be leaking from this hole?
After searching through a lot of previous posts It sounds like a pressure test is in order. I also read one post that sounded similar to my situation and it made reference to a leaking seal at the water pump allowing oil to leak out of a weep hole. That got my attention because my partner (I co-own the boat) used the boat a few days ago and wound up jump starting the engine on the ramp, out of the water (ugh). I don't know how long he ran the engine out of the water and as far as I know he has never started the engine this way before. (I know I never have). And I don't even know if this could have anything to do with my problem. All I know is now We have a leak. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric
I was working on my boat today and noticed a few drops of oil under the outboard.
I have a 2002 Mercury Optimax 225 with 1150 hours on it. I wiped the drop off the skeg and it smelled like gear oil to me. The oil seemed clear (not cloudy) and was blackish gray in color. I tracked the oil up the front of the gearcase to what appears to be a weep hole(?). It's a metal tube about 1/16th of an inch in diameter that is on the leading edge of the gearcase. There are four water holes in the front of the case just forward of the prop shaft. Below them is where the skeg tapers back. About three inches above them is where this "weep hole" is. Would anyone have any idea why oil would be leaking from this hole?
After searching through a lot of previous posts It sounds like a pressure test is in order. I also read one post that sounded similar to my situation and it made reference to a leaking seal at the water pump allowing oil to leak out of a weep hole. That got my attention because my partner (I co-own the boat) used the boat a few days ago and wound up jump starting the engine on the ramp, out of the water (ugh). I don't know how long he ran the engine out of the water and as far as I know he has never started the engine this way before. (I know I never have). And I don't even know if this could have anything to do with my problem. All I know is now We have a leak. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Eric