puddle under motor this morning

[jasperpso2]

i took the boat out yesterday, nothing different then normal.. ran fine.. i had a fairly large load nost of the day.. no problems.. when i come outside this morning i have a puddle of what i assume is lower end fluid? under the prop.. not a ton, but a 3 in circle fairly thin of fluid.

is there a seal behind the prop that needs to be replaced? how difficult is the job? special tools needed? is there another likely problem other then a seal? i love the boat, and have been using it allot since purchasing it a month ago, i am hoping this doesnt keep my grounded too long..

thanks

 

[Chris1956]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

Make sure it is gear oil. Stick a finger into it and smell it. If it stinks, it is gear oil. If it smells like motor oil or gasoline, it is two-cycle oil.

If it is gear oil, get a service manual and read up on replacing the seals. A gearcase has gaskets on the teo (Drain and fill) plugs, seals, gaskets and orings on the waterpump base and seals on the prop and shift shafts. See if you can figure out which ones are leaking.

 

[J Hartman]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

sometimes if your oil mixture is heavy, the excess oil will condense and drip down the exaust. As chris stated, make sure it is in fact gear oil before you take any action.

 

[jasperpso2]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

well, it definitely looks like gear oil to me, and not gas.. i took the prop off today, and there was more fluid behind bearing carrier notched retainer nut, and again, i think it is gear oil.. but what do i know... i have a mercury service manual, and, as far as i can see, there is one o ring seal on the in-side of the bearing carrier? is this the only seal? is it tough to get to?

thanks..

 

[Chris1956]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

Did you give it the "stink" test? if it is just 2 cycle oil, and you disassemble the gearcase, you will regret it.

Some folks say you can replace the prop seal from the outside, however, I have never tried it.

 

[jasperpso2]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

maybe i will just drain and change the fluid, and look for signs of moisture.. if the fluid doesnt have any water in it, would that mean it probably isnt leaking? it would be nice if it was just 2 stroke oil.. i do tend to err on the side of a rich mixture on the fuel..

 

[lncoop]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

maybe i will just drain and change the fluid, and look for signs of moisture.. if the fluid doesnt have any water in it, would that mean it probably isnt leaking? it would be nice if it was just 2 stroke oil.. i do tend to err on the side of a rich mixture on the fuel..

That is correct. If the gear oil isn't milky in appearance you don't have significant water intrusion. Have you run your finger through the spot and smelled your finger? If it is engine oil it won't smell much like gas because it will be unburned oil that leaked down. It's fairly common in outboards.

 

[sschefer]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

Since you don't seem to be able to tell the difference lets do a color test. I would recommend that you go get a quart of Penzoil Lower Unit gear lube for large outboard motors and a set of drain plug seals. Penzoil is greenish yellow in color and Merc is greenish blue but so is most TCW3 two stroke oil. The Penzoil will create a discernable difference for you analyze.

Drain the lower unit and refill it with the Penzoil. Make sure the drain plugs are not leaking and that you've wiped up any spilled lube that may be on the lower unit and skeg areas.

Put a paper towel under the motor and let it sit for a couple of days. If it leaks and the oil is greenish blue it's engine oil. If its greenish yellow it's gear oil.

Your out of pocket cost for trouble shooting will be under $10.00.

Heck of a lot cheaper than a hourly shoptime rates!

P.S. If it doesn't leak then it was engine oil all the time. You've probably got fouled plugs or some other ignition/fuel related problem causing excessive unburnt fuel.

 

[jasperpso2]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

Since you don't seem to be able to tell the difference lets do a color test. I would recommend that you go get a quart of Penzoil Lower Unit gear lube for large outboard motors and a set of drain plug seals. Penzoil is greenish yellow in color and Merc is greenish blue but so is most TCW3 two stroke oil. The Penzoil will create a discernable difference for you analyze.

Drain the lower unit and refill it with the Penzoil. Make sure the drain plugs are not leaking and that you've wiped up any spilled lube that may be on the lower unit and skeg areas.

Put a paper towel under the motor and let it sit for a couple of days. If it leaks and the oil is greenish blue it's engine oil. If its greenish yellow it's gear oil.

Your out of pocket cost for trouble shooting will be under $10.00.

Heck of a lot cheaper than a hourly shoptime rates!

P.S. If it doesn't leak then it was engine oil all the time. You've probably got fouled plugs or some other ignition/fuel related problem causing excessive unburnt fuel.

this sounds like a good plan.. my local marina only sells mercury fluids, i wonder if walmart has penzoil lower unit lube?

i will say, after the inital puddle of whatever this oil is, it doesnt leak additionally... if it was a seal, is it likely it would leak until empty, or just initially after use?? i dont WANT to pay a mechanic, but i will if it comes down to it.

 

[sschefer]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

this sounds like a good plan.. my local marina only sells mercury fluids, i wonder if walmart has penzoil lower unit lube?

i will say, after the inital puddle of whatever this oil is, it doesnt leak additionally... if it was a seal, is it likely it would leak until empty, or just initially after use?? i dont WANT to pay a mechanic, but i will if it comes down to it.

Change the lube then take it out and run it. This will duplicate the prior condition and if it's gonna leak it will do it then. If you do the paper towel test you'll know for sure.

 

[jasperpso2]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

Change the lube then take it out and run it. This will duplicate the prior condition and if it's gonna leak it will do it then. If you do the paper towel test you'll know for sure.

edit*
ok, i see what your saying... gonna try it tonite if i get off early enough.. thanks for the info

 

[jasperpso2]

Re: puddle under motor this morning

well, i got to the marina, bought some drain and vent plug gaskets, and some gear lube.. i got the fluid changed tonite, and the old was very dirty, and a tinge of moisture, but was far from empty.. i filled it until COMPLETELY CLEAN fluid came out the vent hole, and then plugged it back up letting just a little run out.. here it is almost 2 hrs later, and there isnt any leaking, but i havent taken it out on the water... i left the prop off for tonite, so i might be able to see any fresh leaking a bit better, but when i get off tomorrow, hopefully mid afternoon, i will get it on the water.. i am planning on dumping the lube again just to see what it looks like after a little runtime... that should tell me allot..

 

[jasperpso2]

different issues

different issues

changed the fluid, found there were no gaskets on the fill and vent screws, man they were tight.. i dumped the dark grey rancid looking fluid (first time on new to me motor) and refilled it, this time using new gasket rings on the fill and vent screws.. i then put my new prop on, and took it on the water.. now the next day, and no puddle.. i am planning on changing the fluid again after a hour or two of use, to see what it looks like, to see if a seal kit is warranted..

however, now there may be a new problem... the prop it had on it, i have now identified as a 13p, and my new prop is a more correct for my boat 11p. it is revving much higher now, but now it seems to starve for fuel.. i bought a cheap tach, but yesterday was also its furst use, and it pegged at 5100 at idle and never changed.. it was a el cheapo on ebay, and it might not work.. so i cant give you rpms, but it would seem to change speed drastically sometimes, kinda like a fuel pump wasnt keeping up? or ? if i throttled back, ran fine.. i ran it wot, and it seemed to sputter a bit on the way up, but once there ran smooth.. seems to only be when changing throttle speeds.. i was thinking maybe id throw new plugs on just in case.. any ideas?