Water in the powerhead

[zippy83]

Hi all,

I have a 2021 mercury pro xs 200 and during my last oil change I noticed that there was some water in my oil. For the first 10-15oz the color of the oil was milky and then te rest of the oil looked normal (dark brown)

I took it to the service and they told me that its NORMAL for some water to be in the powerhead with these new engines. And they said that they wont be looking any further.

When I called mercury the tech told me that it could be a faulty thermostat or a bad oil plug. he did say that there should be no water in the oil pan.

This is my third oil change and the previous two oil changes I never noticed anything like this. It was always used oil (dark brown)

Any suggestions?
Thanks
Zipp

 

[F_R]

I have to agree, it could be normal condensation----new or old engines. It happens when the engine is started and before it has a chance to warm up. You may have noticed water dripping from the tailpipe of a car when started and allowed to sit and run at idle in cold weather. A warmed-up engine normally will evaporate that accumulated condensation. By warmed up, I mean warmed-up oil, which takes longer than just warming up the cooling system. And yes, a defective thermostat can prevent or delay warm-up.
It has been said that more wear in an engine occurs within the first 5 minutes than during the next 50 hours.

 

[zippy83]

I have to agree, it could be normal condensation----new or old engines. It happens when the engine is started and before it has a chance to warm up. You may have noticed water dripping from the tailpipe of a car when started and allowed to sit and run at idle in cold weather. A warmed-up engine normally will evaporate that accumulated condensation. By warmed up, I mean warmed-up oil, which takes longer than just warming up the cooling system. And yes, a defective thermostat can prevent or delay warm-up.
It has been said that more wear in an engine occurs within the first 5 minutes than during the next 50 hours.

Thanks for the reply. I guess I can keep my eye on it. I told them to check out thermostat and see if its showing good. It is 2 years old and might be the issue.

 

[QBhoy]

Hi. If your engine is anything like my 2016 merc, that has the oil drain fitting that’s located about the mid section of the thing..are you sure it’s not maybe that you’ve had water from that ? They are just about or sometimes on the waterline.

 

[zippy83]

On my outboard the drain plug is completely submerged under water. It has been checked and seems to be not leaking…