2004 Mercruiser 5.0 MPI with Alpha Drive
Replaced the impeller a few weeks ago and immediately thereafter developed an gear lube leak that required me to top up the lube monitor every few days. Assumed that it was the o-ring between the upper and lower gear drives that got misaligned, however, it now doesn't appear that that is the problem.
When I dropped the lower unit a second time to replace the o-ring, I discovered that lube was dripping out of the upper unit where the upper/lower drive shaft splines mate. I assume I shouldn't be seeing any lube in this location (this is my first I/O, so I'm a little in the dark).
It would appear that the oil seal in the upper gear case has gone bad. I had a look at my manual with regard to replacing this, but it seemed rather more involved that I had initially hoped.
A few questions....could lube dripping out of the upper drive unit drive shaft area be anything other than the oil seal going/gone bad? How difficult is this to take apart, replace the seal and reassemble? Any idea on how many hours and/or $$ this would typically be for a professional to repair?
Many thanks.
Replaced the impeller a few weeks ago and immediately thereafter developed an gear lube leak that required me to top up the lube monitor every few days. Assumed that it was the o-ring between the upper and lower gear drives that got misaligned, however, it now doesn't appear that that is the problem.
When I dropped the lower unit a second time to replace the o-ring, I discovered that lube was dripping out of the upper unit where the upper/lower drive shaft splines mate. I assume I shouldn't be seeing any lube in this location (this is my first I/O, so I'm a little in the dark).
It would appear that the oil seal in the upper gear case has gone bad. I had a look at my manual with regard to replacing this, but it seemed rather more involved that I had initially hoped.
A few questions....could lube dripping out of the upper drive unit drive shaft area be anything other than the oil seal going/gone bad? How difficult is this to take apart, replace the seal and reassemble? Any idea on how many hours and/or $$ this would typically be for a professional to repair?
Many thanks.
