wate in lower unit/

Went to change lower unit gearcase oil and found milky substance and smelled really funny. A friend of mine looked at it and smelled it and said it must be a synthetic oil but the evinrude dealer changed it lasr and I was not aware of him using synthetic. My ? is I can't afford to have the seals redone now. Had them done by the same dealer 2 years ago and low hours since then but anyway. Can I just change oil often and keep an eye on this or is it going to do some major damage.

Re: wate in lower unit/

don't panic...first, replace the nylon washers at the vent and drain plugs, and check it again after your next outing.

I wouldn't run my motor knowing there's water in the lower. I mean, there's a chance that you can get away with it for awhile, but........

Couple things happen when a good seal goes bad:
* The leak gets worse, until one day all the lube gets washed out and BOOM! catastrophic failure. Even if you just changed it yesterday.
* Corrosion has started on the driveshaft or propshaft (whichever). Right now it can be buffed out with emory cloth (if it's even detectable with the naked eye), but it's going to start pitting. Man is that going to be an expensive repair.