135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

[bcarroll55]

I have a '98 135 2.0 V-6 that is leaking lube oil out of two 'weep' holes on the upper gearcase. These holes are on the opposite side of the lower unit from the lubrication fill and vent holes. I changed the oil about a month ago (2-4 hrs on the motor since). Leak occurs when the motor is tilted. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Is the oil black in color or more like the gear lube out of the bottle, in appearance..?

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

It looks just like it was poured right out of the bottle. Clean.

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Drain the oil again and check for water intrusion... It will look milky in color with a brown tint...<br /><br />Did you allow a little room for expansion when you filled it last time?<br /><br />Let us know...

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Thanks for the info. No, I pumped in as much as she'd take - I didn't know about the expansion issue. I'll let you know what I find.

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Well, I drained the L.U... when I opened the drain plug, about two tablespoons of water came out, followed by slightly discolored gear oil. The oil was a pearly green, not quite milky, but then I think I caught this pretty early. Any ideas on a plan of attack?

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

I forgot to mention that I had dropped the l.u. to swap out the impeller at the time of last l.u. oil change. I did not seal the unit/drive housing connection with RTV when putting the unit back on. Is it possible/likely that h20 got in thataway?

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

No, you do not need to seal the lower unit housing to the drive shaft housing...<br /><br />You have a bad/blown seal somewhere... Either in the prop shaft, or the water pump base. I would suggest performing a pressure test on the lower unit. You need to find out where the problem lies....

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

However, since you just drained the unit... Go ahead a refill with the "proper" oil... "green" lower unit oil is not something I have seen... <br /><br />Refill so the oil exits the top hole and then let it drain for one or two seconds to allow that room for expansion... Then insert the drain plug.... Go out for a run, and then recheck...

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Manual said to run a thin bead of sealant around oil pump housing in l.u., but I thought it was overkill. (My first time inside the lower unit...) I'll fill it and give it another run, see what happens. Thanks for the tips.

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

That would be the water pump housing... Not the lower unit housing or oil pump housing... There is no oil pump...

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Right... (late night posting).... What brand of l.u. oil do you recommend? Is it worth it to get the Quicksilver at premium cost? Or is oil oil?

 

[imported_scott_m]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Actually, the quicksilver synthetic (hi perf) gear lube is green. And man does that stuff STINK!

 

[KCLOST]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

ANy brand of Marine Gear Lube will work... (not 2 cycle oil)....

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Thanks for the opinions...

 

[bcarroll55]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

Ok, I refilled the lower unit and ran it on the lake for about an hour. Checked for water -- got a few drops (maybe a half a teaspoon) coming out the drain plug before the oil drained. The oil looks fine, except for that. What should be my course of action? Take it for a pressue test? Drop the l.u. and replace seals? Not worry about it until after the season?

 

[wilde1j]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

You've got a leaker and it needs attention pronto. Drain the LU, then pressure test. You need to pressurize to no more than 15 psig and put the LU under water to find leak (it's going to be prop shaft, drive shaft ot shift shaft seals leaking). If that yields no result, repeat with LU under vacuum. Test again after servicing ... should hold some pressure for ~ 45 minutes. Remember, no gear oil in LU during all testing.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Re: 135 V-6 Leaking Lower Unit

It's also possible that you might only need new fill and vent screw washers/o-rings since this prob showed up aftger you had changed oil.