1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

[sullymate]

I was changing the lower unit oil. it was milky. probably needs new prop seals?any thing else? unit shifts ok & there was very little metal filings on the lower screw where the oil came out. What is the approximate cost for parts & labor by a mechanic to replace. is this a hard job or can it be done by a novice? Me. I have only changed carbs & water pumps. any help much apreciated. Sullymate

 

[ob]

Re: 1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

Is there any gear lube leakage around the propshaft seal?At best it may be just fill and vent screw seals.Other possibilities are driveshaft seal and the shift rod seal.If you wanted to just have the entire lower unit resealed with all new it would probably be at or near $250 for parts and labor.Then if you do that ,might as well install a new watewrpump as long as the unit is dropped.<br /><br />You can narrow your leak down by performing a pressure and vacuum leak test.If it is just the fill and vent seals it will save you some coin.

 

[sullymate]

Re: 1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

the oil was coming out of the prop and leaving an oily stain down the skeg. i changed the water pump last fall so it should be ok. where can i get the pump to pressure test the lower unit? ob thanks for your reply.

 

[ob]

Re: 1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

If you can make a threaded fitting or use the right size rubber valve stem fitting you can use a standard bicycle pump.Need to use a pressure guage inline with it and pump it up to 10 lbs.Of course if you've got lube coming out of the propshaft seal ,then you already know that needs to be addressed.Just pressure test it when your done,since you don't have to drop the lower unit to change propshaft seals.Pay particular attention to the condition of the propshaft where the seals ride for any grooves or imperfections .Sometimes those carriers can be a booger to remove.Some guys are real careful with some picking and scribe tools and can negotiate the seal removal without pulling the carrier.If you do this ,exercise caution not to scratch or otherwise damage the shaft sealing surface.<br /><br />Post back and let us know how you make out.

 

[sullymate]

Re: 1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

It seems that the oil leakage is not coming from where the propshaft enters the rear housing but the leakage seems to be coming from deep within the lower housing cavity. Are there prop seals anywhere besides where the propeller meets the propshaft housing? If not, then is the leakage from the shift rod seal or the driveshaft seal? there are good o-ring washers in both the lower & upper screws where the lower unit oil is installed. Thanks for any info.

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: 1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

There is a large O-ring around the prop shaft bearing carrier, plus O-rings under the four screw's that hold the carrier in place. The oil you see deep in the carrier could well be unburned oil, and fuel.

 

[mick3446]

Re: 1985 evinrude-70 hp- water in lower unit

ob,
after you pump the LU to 10lbs what is next do you wait to see if the pressure drops or if oil leaks out somewhere?