Brown sludge oozing from drive shaft grommet

[drabs]

I recently purchased a 2003 3.5 HP Nissan 2 stroke. I tested it in a garbage can and observed no raw water discharge and figure the impeller was shot (i later verified the impeller was in pieces). However, there appears to be another problem. When I pulled the engine out of the test can I noticed some brown sludge looking substance pushing out from around the drive shaft grommet. I pulled the lower housing down to replace the impeller and notice quite a bit of this substance in the housing. Is there another problem? Outboards are new to me. I've replaced the impeller and wanted to address this other potential problem before putting everything back together. I really appreciate your feedback.

 

[pvanv]

Re: Brown sludge oozing from drive shaft grommet

Those motors are almost indestructible. You are likely seeing some remnants of unburned oil/fuel. This is typical of old 2-strokes, and nothing to worry about.

Biggest thing on those motors is keeping the fuel system clean. Being gravity feed, a small amount of clogging at the inlet screen of the fuel **** can cause some issues.

The pee tube is prone to clogging. That does not mean that there is any overheating. Now that you have a new impeller, you can clear most pee tube blockages by poking a stiff wire into the pee tube while the motor is running, flushing debris out.

 

[drabs]

Re: Brown sludge oozing from drive shaft grommet

Thanks Paul!