flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

[deviljohn]

I posted a previous note regarding my 150 Ocean pro V6.....anyrate, I discovered a 3" long crack in the lower unit while on the water....still a mystery as I didn't run aground or note hitting any submerged objects...crack is located above the gear case, just below the cavitation plate on the port side of the "v", runs vertically..

so, outboard mechanic suggested I flush it w/ transmission fluid, take it to a welding shop and roll on, re-lube and roll on.... sounds good to me as I don't wanna B.O.A.T. yet...(break out another thousand)

so question is....does tranny fluid seem good, and will it harm the seals if I leave it in say overnight...don't see how it could be any worse than the previous lubrication of saltwater w/ a trace of oil...I just filled it w/ tranny fluid and have been turning it by hand....doesn't feel too rough or binding etc...so I'm ready to roll it to the welding man.....

yes I did limp it back at low low speed the short distance of 1/2 mile to the ramp after discovering the cracked gearcase.....

btw the gearcase is most likely from a 200HP as someone shortened the drivesahft splines and ground off the shaft below the splines...a mod suggested to me in another post to put on a V4 gearcase I have...

 

[deviljohn]

Re: flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

here's a pic of the gearcase crack.....stll a mystery...so now at welding shop. will post results of the deal......

dj

 

[Chris1956]

Re: flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish. Are you trying to save the gears or flush out the salt water? I do not think tranny fluid will do either, and I do not think the flush out of the salt is necessary. Fill it with gear lube and rotate the gears. If they are not smooth, you have problems beyond the crack.

 

[matt9923]

Re: flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

Wow that sucks! Just change the gear oil after you get it back from the welding shop. As long as the gears are in oil your good. Make shore you fill it from the bottom flat head screw. don't touch the Philips. Tilt it forward when the bottom screw is draining. New oil and your good, if your still worried take apart the lower gear case and spray it down with wd-40 or preferably PB penetrating oil a lot better then wd in my opinion. Took me years to get off of wd but this PB works. Get it welded and your golden. Make sure you paint that!
Good luck
Matt

 

[deviljohn]

Re: flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

The reason I flushed it twice (w/ auto tranny fluid) was because it sat for a week after the calamity....gearcase turns fine fwd and rev, and shift rod operates as it should....this is not the original unit off the motor, I believe it's off a 200HP V6 as the drive shaft splines were shortened....of course when I re-install, I will pump full of new gear lube, problably replace the impellor (depending on what it looks like when I inspect it....er how many vanes are left??..) I will problably re-lube after a few hrs of operation anyway to a) rid traces of water intrusion b) see how leaky the seals are in this unit are anyhoo...

I've got a 30 HP yammie that has tell tale creamy gear lube...I just change it more often....it's been running fine this way for a few years now... it needs a seal job and re-paint, but winter's comin and that's the time to do that..

I'm still perplexed as to what caused the crack....must have been some kind of impact w/ submerged chunk of flotsam...or maybe metal fatigue...vibration stress...dunno...very weird that it appeared to be pushed out and the front of the unit did not appear to have been hit...dunno..

For those interested in a restoration project of a 1985 Mckee craft, see:

http://www.deviljohn.net/

JD

PS: yeah man, love the PB Blaster!!! I keep a can of that always in my shop..

 

[deviljohn]

Crisis Salvaged!!!

Crisis Salvaged!!!

OK, so I had the gearcase welded, then faired it w/ JB weld and now have primed w/ zinc chromate....all is well, unit doesn't appear to have internal damage and the impeller was hunky dory..back on the water in a flash....here's pix of how I did it....

Welded

JB Weld is the %$#@

Sanded

Primed

It also appears that the crack occurred on the same level as the bottom of the hull...leading me to believe that I whacked a small floating chunk of wood or debris at just the right spot to do the damage......fortunately this repair only cost $40 plus paint.......plus oil...plus?? What next.....B.reak O.ut A.nother T.housand!!!!!.....JD

 

[kjdunne]

Re: flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

Nice looking repair. I wouldn't worry about the salt. Make sure all water is out and run fresh lube for 2 or 3 hours and change it again. The condition of the lube will tell the story if you have seal or gear problems. Good luck, let us know how it turns out.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: flushing gearcase after salt intrusion...

always a good idea to change the impeller while it is out even if it looks good. Unless it is new last year. They need to be changed every couple of years anyway.