i have a 96 150 merc efi i recently changed my impeller,all gaskets including the gasket under the water pump housing,put it all back together and after three trips to the lake i pulled the drain plug to recheck gear oil level and it came out looking like coffee with milk in it,i put new gasket in the drain screws also so why is this like this any help??
Most likely the seal on the prop shaft is wearing out. Take it in to a quality mechanic and have them look at it and possibly have them fix it. When dealing with the gear case I recommend having a mechanic fix it. If you can not afford to have done right now, drain the oil out and install fresh oil until someone can look at. Do not leave it empty over a period of time.
thanks for the reply,but will this be ok to use for a short time if i replace the gear oil after each outing say for a week,the reason is i have a tournament this sunday and dont have the time to take it to a repair shop,do you think this will be ok to do for say 4 days?
Quote: thanks for the reply,but will this be ok to use for a short time if i replace the gear oil after each outing say for a week,the reason is i have a tournament this sunday and dont have the time to take it to a repair shop,do you think this will be ok to do for say 4 days?
It should be ok, just not recomended. What ever is letting the water in may get worse. But like what was said it may be the output shaft seal and how bad can a seal get in a few outings....
-------------------- $1 IN GOD WE TRUST $1 Richard
no there is no side to side play,and i have never hit anything,but i did notice that when i took the water pump base off there was alot of side to side play in the shaft,also do i need to put gasket sealer on the new gaskets or can i just put the gaskets in and put it back togethr,before i took it all apart i had no water at all in the oil,now that i did this it is getting water in the unit,also there was a o ring and a rubber seal i did not remember which one goes over the pump cover?
On my 225 Opti, I had line wrapped around the prop shaft and had an estimated 20% water and 80% gear oil in the lower unit. The mechanic stated that "little" bit of water was ok. Well, they replaced the seals on the prop shaft for $280. 3 months later a bearing gave way and the lower unit gears all got chewed up and finally went. The upper and lower bearings were both RUSTED and when they gave, chunks of metal were in the lower unit causing the death. After that, it was explained to me that ANY water in the gear case will cause the bearings to rust/fail. This was my experience anyway! Good Luck
thanks for all the replies,i just got back from my local marina,heres what the top mechanic told me,fyi for anyone who has this situation,i took a sample of the oil down,he told me the color was just from the motor turning,since i had just got home from fishing he said it will look that way for a day or two,also no water came out of the lu when i took the plug out,good thing,(i hope),also everything check out goood with the prop seal,no leaks,so i am putting it back togethr now,i will kkep yas posted on how it turns out,thanks again for the help.
Part of the reason I run Amsoil, it suppose to protect with up to 10% of water in the oil. Myself I'd talk real sweet to a mech and get it fixed, pretty spend to be replacing parts down there. YMMV
It really does matter on how much water comes out the drain hole when you pull the plug. Your mechanic is right if it was just ran and the lower unit is warm the oil does appear to be milky if you have any amount of water in it. The water pump impeller housing should not affect the lower unit. Unless the seal is bad on the top. Lets say if you were to pull the plug and a bunch of clear looking water came out then you have issues. Did he do a leak down test? This is really the right way to test the seals. That would be down if you noticed a lot of water in oil. Nick is right with Amsoil. I run the synthetic oil. It takes a lot less power to turn in the colder months.
hi guys, just had the boat out today,since my dilema,pulled the plug and again milky looking,but no sign of water,the only thing is now when i am running down the lake it feels like the motor or lu has a vibration,and when i come down off pad the same thing the motor shakes and vibrates,????????????? any thoughts,
and let me say again i have been on other fourums and never had this much freindly respones,you guys are the best,thanks again, ken
water in lower unit
Re: water in lower unit
