1977 115 johnson NEED gaskets

[Archangel2005]

the lower unit of my 1977 johnson 115 outoard is leaking water into the oil...i'm sure a little leakage is ok, but this is 2 week old oil and it's grey and milky, but still has some viscosity properties to it so i'm hoping #1 the gears are ok, and 2nd, can i replace the gaskets with out a full break down ?<br />my manuel shows a complete rebuild of the lower unit, but what about just simply replacing gaskets ? also, is it my imagination, or does that sound like what the oil is supposed to look like , and i just need to change it a little more often. Boat has 2 hours tops in the water run time. Everything else has been by flush hose

 

[Cricket Too]

Re: 1977 115 johnson NEED gaskets

Actually no water leakage is OK, all water dilutes the oil. The oil should look exactly the same coming out as it did going in, maybe a little darker, any milkiness is water intrusion. The most common reason for water intrusion is the little nylon gaskets around the fill and vent plugs, if you re-used them after changing then they will leak. They are one time use only crush washer and should be replaced every time, they are real cheap. You might have a little o-ring instead of a nylon washer, if so replace that.

 

[JB]

Re: 1977 115 johnson NEED gaskets

Most likely suspect is the gaskets under the vent and drain plugs, archangel. They MUST be replaced every time the plugs are removed.<br /><br />Next would be the shaft seals. That means a teardown.<br /><br />You should be able to run a full season with no water intrusion.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[Archangel2005]

Re: 1977 115 johnson NEED gaskets

JB,<br />as i am so new it's sad, where is the "vent" in the above mentioned reply?<br /><br />also, the "crush" washers have to replaced everytime they are removed? am i reading that right ?<br />also, can i use O-rings instead of crush washers?<br />if not, where can i get a bunch of crush washers?