Small amount of water in gear oil.

[Jgranger01]

I purchased my 94 Chapparal Sig 24 last season. It had been sitting for a couple years. I ran it last year as it was other then changing the oil and gear oil. At that time the gear oil was just dark and no water swirls. I ran it all last season with no issues other then losing a small amount of gear oil through the year (about an inch loss from the reservior) . My question is how important is it that i reseal the drive this year? Can i get away with another season or is it crucial that i do it now? It is an alpha 1 gen 2 drive. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[j cat]

I purchased my 94 Chapparal Sig 24 last season. It had been sitting for a couple years. I ran it as it was other then changing the oil and gear oil. At that time the gear oil was just dark and no water swirls. I ran it all last season with no issues other then losing a small amount of gear oil through the year. My question is how important is it that i reseal the drive this year? Can i get away with another season or is it crucial that i do it now? It is an alpha 1 gen 2 drive. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

I use a 7-10 psi air in my alpha 1 .. I put the air gauge and a T to the fill port ..
then I drain out the old oil test the air pressure will stay the same pressure for several hours . my alpha 1 is 40 yrs old ..
then if the air pressure drops use a soapy water to see if the air bubbles at a location ..
shift shaft seal and the other O ring from the top to bottom area ..my leak.

 

[Jgranger01]

I use a 7-10 psi air in my alpha 1 .. I put the air gauge and a T to the fill port ..
then I drain out the old oil test the air pressure will stay the same pressure for several hours . my alpha 1 is 40 yrs old ..
then if the air pressure drops use a soapy water to see if the air bubbles at a location ..
shift shaft seal and the other O ring from the top to bottom area ..my leak.

I’ve done a bunch of research on how to replace the seals on the lower and upper, pressure test etc.. I’m just trying to push the job off until next year. But I also don’t want to ruin my drive. Just trying to get some opinions on how important it is to do it this year opposed to waiting until the off season. But I appreciate the feedback!

 

[Bondo]

I’ve done a bunch of research on how to replace the seals on the lower and upper, pressure test etc.. I’m just trying to push the job off until next year. But I also don’t want to ruin my drive. Just trying to get some opinions on how important it is to do it this year opposed waiting until the off season.

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... You've got 2 options,....

Get it resealed, or roll the dice,.....

 

[Jgranger01]

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... You've got 2 options,....

Get it resealed, or roll the dice,.....

Glad to be here captain. Sounds like I should probably just suck it up and do it lol.

 

[j cat]

I’ve done a bunch of research on how to replace the seals on the lower and upper, pressure test etc.. I’m just trying to push the job off until next year. But I also don’t want to ruin my drive. Just trying to get some opinions on how important it is to do it this year opposed to waiting until the off season. But I appreciate the feedback!

use engine oil 5-20wt in the out drive ... fill it set in place a few hours then drain it out ..some water in it will have to remove the water ....

 

[dubs283]

use engine oil 5-20wt in the out drive

Yeah, don't put engine oil in your drive, for any reason. At all.

 

[j cat]

Yeah, don't put engine oil in your drive, for any reason. At all.

WELL I DID MY ALPHA 1 WHEN WATER IN IT .. THEN I FLUSHED OUT THE DIRTY GEAR OIL TO A 5-20WT ENGINE OIL .. FILLED IT A FEW HOURS THEN FLUSHED IT OUT . I DID IT 25YRS AGO .. I PUT MY ALPHA 1 LAST WEEK NO LEAKS CLEAN OIL .........FLUSHED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[achris]

WELL I DID MY ALPHA 1 WHEN WATER IN IT .. THEN I FLUSHED OUT THE DIRTY GEAR OIL TO A 5-20WT ENGINE OIL .. FILLED IT A FEW HOURS THEN FLUSHED IT OUT . I DID IT 25YRS AGO .. I PUT MY ALPHA 1 LAST WEEK NO LEAKS CLEAN OIL .........FLUSHED IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT DO THIS!!!

 

[Scott06]

DO NOT DO THIS!!!

So im not sure should i do this? I dont recall seeing 5-20 on the shelf 25 years ago 5-30 was the new kid on the block back then

 

[nola mike]

Also, keep your eyes open for a spare drive. Maybe not at this time of year, but I'm my neck of the woods you can find them on a junker boat or stand alone for a few hundred. Real nice not worrying about downtime due to drive issues.

 

[j cat]

So im not sure should i do this? I don't recall seeing 5-20 on the shelf 25 years ago 5-30 was the new kid on the block back then

I did outboards 2 years ago fix the 1965-1975 .. sold them .. I flushed out the dirty gear oil using engine oil ....then the gear lube is the correct oil ...on these outboards motors .. I did my alpha 1 to clean out the old oil to flush out the engine oil ..
the water is in your gear case flush it out ...then use the air pressure to see if it is a air bubbles ... did my guage to see if the outboards had a leak in the gear case..

 

[Scott Danforth]

I purchased my 94 Chapparal Sig 24 last season. It had been sitting for a couple years. I ran it last year as it was other then changing the oil and gear oil. At that time the gear oil was just dark and no water swirls. I ran it all last season with no issues other then losing a small amount of gear oil through the year (about an inch loss from the reservior) . My question is how important is it that i reseal the drive this year? Can i get away with another season or is it crucial that i do it now? It is an alpha 1 gen 2 drive. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks!

pull the drive

drain the oil - gearboxes are pressure tested empty

Plug the reservoir port for pressure testing

use a mity-vac MV8500 or similar tool to pressurize the gear case to 15psi and watch the gauges. turn the shafts, shift the drive, etc.

mityvac mv8500 - Google Search

if you loose pressure, listen for hissing. if you do not get hissing, spray soapy water on each and every seal.

fix the leak vs risking a drive