2008 Mercruiser 3.0 Drive Lube

Panopscott

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May 27, 2021
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Forgive me for asking what I think may be a dumb question but I just bought my first boat and trying to learn a little about the maintenance. I have a reservoir marked "drive lube" is this a different lube than the leg oil? I have done leg oil on small outboards before thought the 2 screws on the leg, but never seen this reservoir. Is there a top end to the leg that this lubes while the lower leg oil is done through the leg screws?
 

alldodge

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Mar 8, 2009
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Yes, same lube as in the leg. Its filled from bottom to the top, same as OB. Then the lube bottle is topped off to the fill line. After the first few hours of use after changing lube, the lube in the bottle will lower. This is normal as the air in the top of the drive is bleeding out. If after 10 hours the lube keeps dropping then you have a leak
 

Panopscott

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May 27, 2021
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2
Thanks. Just bought the boat and the reservoir is a little low. I picked up some high-performance gear lube and will top it off and monitor.
 

alldodge

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Mar 8, 2009
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The HP gear lube would be a good choice

New to you boat, suggest doing all the maintenance so you know where you stand for the future. There is a lot of info in the Stickies at the top of this section

Change the impeller and inspect bellows.
Check engine alignment
Change oil, oil filter, gas filter (check for water)
 
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