WHOOPS - Should've Read FIRST - Oil Fill / Removale Question - OMC

[paul1557]

As usual I shot 1st and NOW bothered to read and ask questions...

1990 OMC Outdrive, 3.0 GM motor.
Plain and simple: Just got the boat recently, was going over it, pulled the dip stick on the top of the drive, didn't show oil so filled it - but did it from that oil stick top hole rather than the one down below on the side.
Yea, I'm an idiot considering I even have the freaking manual and disk for everything about this boat and didn't bother to check proper fill method before I did it...

SO, question is: Is there a high chance of probability that I now have a huge air bubble waiting on me to destroy my upper gears, and if so should I just pull the lower screw in to drain it all out and start over doing it the proper way, or is the top fill way acceptable?

* Also, I'm guessing you have to PUMP the oil in due to the side screw fill method you are supposed to fill these by?

Thanks in advance for any help?
Peace To all,
Paul

 

[cr2k]

Re: WHOOPS - Should've Read FIRST - Oil Fill / Removale Question - OMC

Yes, depending on how low the oil was. You should fill to the line on the stick. Run and recheck. As for filling there is a pump that fits the oil bottles that has a fitting that screws in to the threaded drain plug hole on the drive. Fill and put the top plug in and that will keep the oil from rushing out when you pull the fill fitting out. Drain from the bottom, replace that plug and fill from the higher plug. You can top off by filling from the top once you have it mostly full.

 

[Don S]

Re: WHOOPS - Should've Read FIRST - Oil Fill / Removale Question - OMC

The fact that the oil is low means you may have a problem with leakage. Best thing you could do to this "New to you" boat is pull the drive, check the bellows for gear lube (that would mean the front seal is leaking on the drive), drain the gear lube from the drive and pressure test it to find any leaks. Repair them, fill the drive properly with new gear lube, change the impeller, grease the coupler splines, check the alignment, put the drive back on. Now you know everything is right.

 

[paul1557]

Re: WHOOPS - Should've Read FIRST - Oil Fill / Removale Question - OMC

THANKS to all for the great advise you folks are willing to spend the time giving to me (and everyone else) on here!
YOU GUYS ROCK.
I've spent the past week studying all the great information and advise on this forum and on the net looking at and copying every single diagram, spec, and web site with any useful info on this unit that there is out there - Have learned quite a bit so far but there's always more to know, right?!

Tracked down a marine guy/mechanic who seems to have a pretty good knowledge of boats and out drives in general, don't know if he's honestly 'up' on OMC units or just talks a good game but we'll see.... I'm not opposed to doing the work myself but this 1st time around I'm going to let him deal with it while I acquire the proper special tools and so forth to work on this particular boat in the future...

Taking it to him today to replace the shift cables, bellows, and seals on the drive, after a quick look see he says the drive shaft bearing/seal is leaking (and yea, I saw the oil drip on the ground as well so knew there was an issue for sure) and i also have a leak coming INTO the boat at the rear where the shaft comes in/links - he says a new bearing/seal is the solution to both problems, that sound about right to everyone?

Going to go ahead and purchase the 100% reseal kit with all the different bears, seals, bellows and so forth just to be ready for whatever we find when he drops the drive - Also bought a new Teleflex CH 1700 Shifter to put in there, don't know if the actual cables themselves are causing the hard shift movement or the shifter handle it's self but we'll have it covered either way with the totally new shift handle as well as cables, right?

Do have 1 question...
The retainer screws (the small screws that screw down onto/into and hold the cable inside the cable mounting arm shaft at the end where it attaches to your throttle/lower shift control bracket) are letting loose of the cable when shifting -

THAT in fact turned out to be the whole problem with it being stuck in reverse, the top cable had come unattached to the tube it goes inside, tightened it down and I’ll be danged if the lower one didn't do the same darn thing immediately when I took it out to test…

Question is, do you suppose I can just replace that Tube with pretty much any tube end that actually stays tight and keeps the cable retained inside the tube?
As in say just clean up and unscrew one I have sitting here on a non running Mercruiser 4.3 engine and shifter set I have here at my house?
(Don't ask, got the complete engine and entire steering wheel, shifter arm, cables and entire dashboard in the weirdest way you could imagine - went to buy some interior fix up cosmetic parts from a guy and ended up with the entire boat and motor for the same price as just the fix up parts!)

Those ends that you screw on and off the cables are pretty much universal, correct?

Well, I've rambled on long enough here - Again - THANK YOU FOLKS ON THIS FORUM - YOU'RE GREAT FOR PROVIDING THE 'NOT SO KNOWING' OF US WITH THE TON OF INFO AND HELP THAT YOU DO!!!
CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD!!!

This is the part that's letting the cables come out/unattached - That little screw to the left of the end won't tightne properly to hold the cables.


This is the end I'd like to remove from the mercruiser unit and put on mine - they're both telefex cables and ends so I'm guessing they are totally compatiable, right?