Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

[mew]

A few months ago I changed the gear oil in my 1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP after several months of use. The gear oil was very milky, but there were no obvious leaks. Since the oil change, I used the motor twice and then checked the gear oil again to see how bad the problem was. The oil was slightly milky (see pic), but it didn't seem that bad. So my question is: how bad is it to have slightly milky gear oil? How milky is too milky? Thanks in advance for responses.

 

[nwcove]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

jmo but that oil doesnt look so bad. many guys ( myself included) just change the gear oil after x hours of use. its a different story if you run for a few hours and find that your lower unit is leaking badly. again..jmo

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

You need to replace seals. It will continue to get worse.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

I would run a vacuum / pressure test before making any choices.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

Not terrible. You can either run it and frequently change the oil (use synthetic)

OR

Just do a reseal. We are not talking major surgery here. 20 bucks for a kit and a couple hours of your time

 

[tazrig]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

I've seen much worse. In fact I wouldn't even say it was THAT milky.

 

[racerone]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

It seems some folks are willing to make the effort to check and change the oil often.-----Take the time to learn and install a seal kit.----Much cheaper / less effort in the long run.

 

[Vic.S]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

ITYWF that these older engines are not as well sealed as their modern counterparts anyway but,

in fresh water a little milkiness may not be cause for great concern if you are using a proper outboard gear oil. Change it regularly until it is convenient to replace the seals .

If running in salt water I would feel inclined to renew the seals sooner rather than later.


BTW if you did not renew the sealing washers on the drain and level plugs do so. It is possible they are the cause of the problem if they have not been renewed.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Milky Gear Oil: How Bad is it? (1954 Evinrude Fleetwin 7.5 HP)

True that oil doesn't look that bad. However, he says he has only ran it twice since changing the oil. Imagine what its going to look like after running it a few more times.