Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

[MercMonster]

I've had the stern drive laying on its side for a few days before it got some attention and noticed gear lube?? leaking into the exhaust passage inside the drive (coming from the lower part of the drive) and slowly dripping onto the surface below. What seal am I to be looking for where the oil is getting through?

 

[wire2]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

You have the entire leg laying on its side, or the lower half only?

 

[MercMonster]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

Entire...not separated.

 

[MercMonster]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

No one has any idea where oil may be leaking from?

 

[thrasher]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

If the whole drive is lying on its side, I would suspect the oil is coming out a breather hole. I thing it's a bit premature to think a seal has gone. The units where not designed to be operated or stored horizontally. Try standing the drive up, clearing the oil off and watching to see if you still have oil appearing in the exhaust area.

Gary

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

If this is a Merc drive, & it is coming from the small hole at the left front of the drive in front of the prop shaft, I would think that it is the shift shaft seal......
A Merc drive should never leak anything no matter which way it is stored, ever....
Drain, the drive & pressure test, it should hold fifteen pounds....
It won't.......
Brush some soapy water to find the leak......
http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/6/6A2R3.PDF​

 

[MercMonster]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

If this is a Merc drive, & it is coming from the small hole at the left front of the drive in front of the prop shaft, I would think that it is the shift shaft seal

It is a merc drive. I had not noticed it coming out of the weep hole, whether standing up straight or on its side, maybe it had already leaked below that point before I bought it? I'm having problems finding the "shift shaft" or the seal for that matter. Only shafts I see related in the merc manual are propeller shaft, drive shaft and the upper drive shaft. Maybe I just missed it in the manual. The leak looks to be coming from the lower the way its sitting and draining. I can't see down in the exhaust part of the drive. Through what part/seal does the lube connect from the upper and lower? There has to be a seal there somewhere, correct? Without being able to drain the drive at the moment and pulling the two apart, I can only just guess within a few parts.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Oil leaking into exhaust passage in stern drive

You will need to pull it apart to look at it.....
The shift shaft is part of the lower gear case....
The intermediate shift shaft, (which is the part that indexes with the shift coupler, ya know the part that makes ya put it in foreward to get the drive off).....
That sits on top of the shift shaft & is held up by the ss washer....
Either that of it is leaking from where the drive shaft in the lower meshes with the upper(where the water pocket cover resides)....
Download some pics from the link I gave ya, a pic is worth 10,000 words.....​