Re: milky gear oil coming out around prop
Sounds like there may be water in the gearcase. If you drain it, the water will be on the bottom of the container so it's best to put it into a glass bottle once you have it all so you will be able to see it. If you see water a seal job is in order. The seals for these thru -the -prop trannys are in a number of places. You can test the tranny by hooking a bicycle pump with a pressure gauge attached to the top fill level test opening. This can be done by screwing a fill fitting from one of the transmission pump systems from Walmart into the top. The empty tranny should hold 16 PSI with no appreciable leaks. You can find the leaks by submerging the lower unit in a small tank and watch for air. If you do this with the tranny attached air may come out the pee hole indicating the leak is at the water pump. In any case if the tranny will not hold pressure it's a pretty good idea to replace the three main seals for these trannys. One is under the water pump impeller and is a really likely problem if there is appreciable water in the tranny. While your at it it's not a bad idea to replace the impeller. At this point unless your pressure test showed a significant leak around the propeller system, I would put it all together again and refill the tranny with fresh lube and run it. With any luck this will solve the problem. If you need to go farther the last seals are around the propeller shaft. The bearing carrier can be pulled after unscrewing the four interior screws at the back of the carrier. You will need two 8 inch long 5/16 bolts and a steering wheel puller. There is a large O ring at the inner area that seals the gearcase from the exhaust system and one or more smaller press in seals just behind the propeller to keep the lube in the gearcase. It's also a good idea to replace the thrust washer just under the castellated prop nut. It's plastic and after a while it wears and allows the propeller to wobble a bit, which can take out the seals. This job is a bit tricky and depending on how handy you are you might want to take the lower unit to a outboard mechanic. Good luck.
