Dinged prop causing gray gear oil?

[IDFISHER]

I recently picked up a boat with a '94 60HP Johnson and before taking it out for the first time I changed the gear oil and the oil that came out of it was a dark gray color, but not milky. I wasn't sure what color the original oil was so i didn't think much of it. Well, after taking the boat out last week and running it for probably somewhere around 7 hrs I decided to take a look at the oil again and my amber colored oil had turned back to gray again and there were more metal shavings on the drain plug magnet than I would have expected for 7 hrs of run time. The prop is pretty dinged up but I cant feel any vibration in the boat but I'm wondering if the imbalance of the prop is causing wear in the gear box and causing the oil to turn gray with metal shavings. Any thoughts or feedback would be much appreciated. Thank you.

 

[dingbat]

The grey is water in the oil.

When was the last time the seals in the lower unit where changes and the unit pressure tested?

 

[IDFISHER]

I couldn't tell you. I've had water in gear oil before and when I drained it some water would come out first followed by milky/creamy colored oil. This looked much different than that and it didn't have any straight water come out.

 

[racerone]

Impact can bend the propshaft and damage gears.------That might be the reason for the metal chips.----I would tear into the lower unit to inspect it for damage.-----Others will argue that concept.-----The price of a new factory unit if available will shock you.-----Time to look for a used one me thinks !!

 

[interalian]

If you drained the oil very soon after running, the water would be blended thoroughly in the oil. Was the drain plug magnetic? Any particles stuck to it?

 

[jimmbo]

Milky is watered. Does the oil have neat metallic look to it? Grey can mean Aluminum in the oil. You said you had a lot of metal filings on the drain plug, that would be Steel or Iron? A bit is normal, but a lot may mean trouble. Bearings that are flaking/pitting can make a real mess in a hurry. A teardown might be in order

 

[racerone]

Post # 1 says metal on the magnetic drain plug.----Some fine metal filings are normal.---Chunks are not !

 

[IDFISHER]

The motor sat for about 3 days before I cracked the drain plug so I think the water would have had time to settle but I could be wrong. Yes there were metal shavings on the plug. I'll try to get pictures but it will have to be later as I'm off to kids soccer practice, thanks for all of your input please keep it coming.

 

[IDFISHER]

No Title

So after a closer inspection in better light the oil is not as gray as I initially thought, it's more of an amber/green color and I don't see any milkyness to it. The drain plug has some metal shavings in it as you can see in the pic, is this amount considered normal?

 

[racerone]

That would depend on the " running hours " since the magnet was cleaned.------Without that info any comment is just a wild guess.----Have you put a dial indicator on the propshaft ?

 

[IDFISHER]

Its been about 7 hrs of WOT running. I have not put a dial indicator on it.

 

[jimmbo]

In seven hours it accumulated the filings shown in the pic?

 

[IDFISHER]

Yes.

 

[racerone]

Picture of the prop ??-------Most folks are in denial about lower unit damage / inspection / repairs.----Just run it and look for a GOOD used lower unit.