Drive Fluid Level Drop

[thompsdw]

Is it normal for the drive fluid in the indicator bottle to fall ~1/8" over about 10 hours of boating time. I have an Alpha 1 Gen II drive. I didn't notice this on my previous boat (same drive), but my new boat (~70 hours now) does seem to consume some drive fluid. I do not see any water in the drive fluid and there is no external leakage. Also, the drive is not getting abnormally hot.<br /><br />Thanks for the posts in advance!

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Drive Fluid Level Drop

Normal. It'll act just the same as the coolant reservior in your car. Temperature and barometric temperature will cause fluctuations. Also, if you changed gearlube recently the reservior level will drop as the lube finds its proper level. When I change gearlube I fill the reservior to about 1/2" below the top. (Or about 1 1/4" below the top of the fill neck.) The drive will suck about that much extra lube into it after a refill and end-up very close to the Full line.