Help! My 98 merc is leaking oil and I can't tell where it's coming from. I can't see any oil inside the engine housing. The leak seems to be coming from the Midsection somewhere being the mounting bracket.
A few weeks ago I had the boat out and the engine was fine for about 1.5 hours...on the way back to the dock the engine started to smoke. The cooling system appeared to be functioning properly with a strong steady water stream coming out. I slowed to a stop and noticed quite a bit of oil in the water. Against my better judgement I drove the 500 meters back to the dock. The smoking stopped. The oil was still visible in the water when I got there however.
I had a merc mechanic check the engine and he ran it with no issues, no oil leak apparent, no smoke, nothing. He said it was fine.
Fast forward to today. I decided to put it in the water and again, boat started fine. Ran fine for Orr an hour. Once again on the way back to the dock....same thing. Smoke. Oil in water.
I loaded my boating on the trailer and came home. I parked it in the driveway for an hour and came out to have a look at it. There was a puddle of oil about 4" wide. The oil on the driveway was gray and milky looking. I checked the engine housing and I see no sign of an oil leak in there. The oil level is fine and the oil on the dipstick is very clean. There is some signs of oil at the exhaust, although not much and I have been told this is fairly common with mercs? Its possible the oil on the driveway was discolored etc from running down a dirty exterior of the engine, but I'm not sure.
Any clues or ideas or similar experience wouldbe greatly appreciated. My knowledge of these motors is very limited.
Thanks for your time.
A few weeks ago I had the boat out and the engine was fine for about 1.5 hours...on the way back to the dock the engine started to smoke. The cooling system appeared to be functioning properly with a strong steady water stream coming out. I slowed to a stop and noticed quite a bit of oil in the water. Against my better judgement I drove the 500 meters back to the dock. The smoking stopped. The oil was still visible in the water when I got there however.
I had a merc mechanic check the engine and he ran it with no issues, no oil leak apparent, no smoke, nothing. He said it was fine.
Fast forward to today. I decided to put it in the water and again, boat started fine. Ran fine for Orr an hour. Once again on the way back to the dock....same thing. Smoke. Oil in water.
I loaded my boating on the trailer and came home. I parked it in the driveway for an hour and came out to have a look at it. There was a puddle of oil about 4" wide. The oil on the driveway was gray and milky looking. I checked the engine housing and I see no sign of an oil leak in there. The oil level is fine and the oil on the dipstick is very clean. There is some signs of oil at the exhaust, although not much and I have been told this is fairly common with mercs? Its possible the oil on the driveway was discolored etc from running down a dirty exterior of the engine, but I'm not sure.
Any clues or ideas or similar experience wouldbe greatly appreciated. My knowledge of these motors is very limited.
Thanks for your time.