getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happening.

[youknowmeasbud]

so i got a 165 merc 1973. just bought the boat.. it runs really smooth. but. i checked the oil when i bought it and it was a little high.. came home super excited and ran it at the boat launch for 10-15 min just to listen to it again, check fluids, play with my new boat.. anyways.. i shut it down, went home and checked the oil again. this time it was extremely over the full line.. it smelt like fuel, so i decided to quit running it until i figured it out.. joined iboats.com read about faulty fuel pumps
ends up it had a faulty car/automotive pump. changed it today. bought a siphon/suction pump and removed the bad oil.. ended up taking almost 10Litres of !@#$ing fuel out of the oil pan.. jeezus. so. new oil filter, new delo sae30 oil.. new pump. felt confident to start it again.. ran for a couple min to circulate oil. turned it off. let it settle, checked oil, just at the low range of dip stick. decided to run it for 15min more and listen n poke around it.. let it cool off again, checked oil and it was above the full line.. let it sit and settle some more in hopes it was inacurate, but it stayed the same.. and smelt a bit of fuel *i think , hard to tell, cant remember what the oil smelt like by itself
*and im not ruling out that there was exses fuel still in the block and pan that would cause the smell, but not the rise in level..
Please help
whats happening?

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

I would change oil again.

another place for fuel to enter the oil is thru a leaking or dirty carb.

 

[youknowmeasbud]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

roger that, i changed the oil again, and took it out to the lake today. started right up, ran great. then i found more problems..
1st=-- i couldnt get into reverse withous and extreme clunking rattling grinding gears kinda sound, not even sure it got into gear, i assume not.
2nd=-- the engine died as i was testing the forward drive (which works with very minimal gears engaging sounds) so... i tried and tried, no success , found that the flapper? on the top of the carb was not opening or even functioning. so i held it open and the engine fired up, only to die a minute later..
----
questions are, how much should it cost to have the carb rebuilt?
how hard is it to rebuild the carb myself with a kit?
and the same for the out drive?

 

[rolmops]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

I would change oil again.

another place for fuel to enter the oil is thru a leaking or dirty carb.

I have the same problem and after taking the pump apart I cannot find anything wrong with it.
Can you please describe how fuel from a leaking carb can make it to the oil reservoir, and it is possible for the oil level to go up if you turn over the engine a lot without firing up the engine?
Thank you.

 

[thumpar]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

You probably have Rochester 2 jet carb. The rebuild kits are cheap and they are easy to work on. I did my 120 a few years ago and have never rebuilt a big engine carb before. There are some videos from Mike's Carburetor on youtube that can help. The flapper thing you are talking about is the choke plate. Being the age it is I would think that it opens by heat from the heat tube.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

I have the same problem and after taking the pump apart I cannot find anything wrong with it.
Can you please describe how fuel from a leaking carb can make it to the oil reservoir, and it is possible for the oil level to go up if you turn over the engine a lot without firing up the engine?
Thank you.

There is no oil reservoir unless you consider the "oil pan" a reservoir. Even if the engine doesn't start when you crank it, the fuel pump is still pumping and the fuel pumped to a leaking carb goes straight through the intake manifold, open intake valves and down past the piston rings and straight to the oil pan. In your case and likely in the case of the OP, the inlet needle and seat are not functioning properly and the inoperative choke does not help either. Rebuild the carb and then set the float level and choke properly. If someone else has attempted a rebuild, it may be that they mucked the carb. Missing check balls, improperly installed power valve, improper float level, improperly installed or incorrect needle and seat are all possibilties.

 

[youknowmeasbud]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

yea it could be a improper rebuild, the guy before me obviously cut corners before, it had a automotive fuel pump that i already replaced... so it sounds like i could kill two birds with one stone here.. rebuild the carb and i might eliminate the fuel leak problem and i will get it running again.. who knows tho.. it was running real smooth prior to the FAIL.
i just really dont want to take it to a marine mechanic and pay 500$ for a simple fix...
so it is a rochester 2 jet, re manufactured. and found the rebuild kit is only 18$ and you say its pretty easy? i have only attempted 1 carb rebuild, off a gm305 about half way through i damn near had a anxiety attack.. ended up buying a edlebrock from schucks.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

Bud......as far as the outdrive goes it should grind a little then clunk into gear....shift it quick, not slow.

The first thing i would do is pull the out-drive off the boat and inspect the bellows/u-joints/gimbal bearing.....next install a new water pump impeller in the lower out-drive unit.

Next it sounds like you are going to need a new lower shift cable...... this would be the cause of motor quits before going in forward gear

While you have the drive off replace the cable.

Like others have said... carb rebuild kit is cheap....do that next

Good luck on your new ride!

 

[alldodge]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

so i got a 165 merc 1973. just bought the boat.. it runs really smooth. but. i checked the oil when i bought it and it was a little high.. came home super excited and ran it at the boat launch for 10-15 min just to listen to it again, check fluids, play with my new boat.. anyways.. i shut it down, went home and checked the oil again. this time it was extremely over the full line.. it smelt like fuel, so i decided to quit running it until i figured it out.. joined iboats.com read about faulty fuel pumps
ends up it had a faulty car/automotive pump. changed it today. bought a siphon/suction pump and removed the bad oil.. ended up taking almost 10Litres of !@#$ing fuel out of the oil pan.. jeezus. so. new oil filter, new delo sae30 oil.. new pump. felt confident to start it again.. ran for a couple min to circulate oil. turned it off. let it settle, checked oil, just at the low range of dip stick. decided to run it for 15min more and listen n poke around it.. let it cool off again, checked oil and it was above the full line.. let it sit and settle some more in hopes it was inacurate, but it stayed the same.. and smelt a bit of fuel *i think , hard to tell, cant remember what the oil smelt like by itself
*and im not ruling out that there was exses fuel still in the block and pan that would cause the smell, but not the rise in level..
Please help
whats happening?

You replaced the fuel pump, is the fuel vent tube clear and show no signs of fuel in it?

Pull the PVC line from the valve cover while the engine is running. Is there suction heard and felt from the PVC? Also how does it look?

Whata does the other vent line from the valve cover to the carb look like inside?

 

[rolmops]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

As for the boat not wanting to run. You may want to check for water in your fuel.The gear shift problems are probably just an adjustment of the shift cable going to the lower unit, or that pesky little switch that turns of the engine for a fraction of a second while shifting. As for the oil becoming more plentiful each time you run the engine,....it's a miracle. Did you check whether all the spark plugs are firing?

 

[youknowmeasbud]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

i believe the not running problem is a dirty carb, also think thats acounting for the rise in oil level. im trying to find info about the shift lever in the manual ,, im really thinking about tearing the outdrive asymblely off, just to do it, inspect everything, replace seals, and bearings, and possibly gears.
but
is it possible that the shift linkage/allignment or whatever could be the culprate of the noise? i really thought it was gears.. but.. it did work when i 'dry ran' it with muffs only. rear and forward worked at all rpms. rear did have a harder time than forward, a bit more noise.. and as i said, in water it was hopeless and loud.
also, when i dry ran it (with muffs) at mid range to low rpm in forward possition, it sounded like the drive shafts were rattleing.. it seemed to get better at higher rpms.. so i assume its a bearings problem... but that has nothing to do with the rear engaging? unless its a gears problem? i dont know.. im sure theres lots of info missing from this , and ill try and fill in the blanks
so regardless i think im pulling the entire outdrive tomoro just cause. im sure ill find even more problems

 

[youknowmeasbud]

what carb rebuild kit should i buy for merc 165 with a rochester 2jet???

what carb rebuild kit should i buy for merc 165 with a rochester 2jet???

help.. theres too many choices and i cant find anything specific..

 

[tazrig]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

Take it one step at a time... First rebiuild the carb or have a reputable yard do it for you $100 in labor and $50 for carb kit. Then adjust upper shift cable to see if that will fix the problem. If not then your lower shift cable is next. There's absolutely no reason to replace the seals at this point. (no leaks or lower case milky oil) Relative to shifting, the drive will shift much differently out of the water on muffs than in the water where there is drag on the prop. Again no reason to pull apart the lower casing and mess with the gears until you have done the above in order.

 

[rolmops]

Re: what carb rebuild kit should i buy for merc 165 with a rochester 2jet???

Re: what carb rebuild kit should i buy for merc 165 with a rochester 2jet???

help.. theres too many choices and i cant find anything specific..

I know how you feel.
It is time to set up a simple approach.
The best thing to do first is reading the stickies on top of the mercruiser page. They are mostly written by Don,aka the Oracle by the Sea. Don left us a treasure trove of good advice that lives on after his untimely departure, So honor him by using his advice. You will not be sorry.
This is what I came with after groping in the dark and wasting money on my 140.
Start with compression tests,then go on to spark,spark plugs,timing,water in fuel and other small stuff that does not involve spending big money on suspicions.
Once you know that the small stuff is in good shape you will have gained some confidence and a lot of things are weeded out.

 

[youknowmeasbud]

Re: what carb rebuild kit should i buy for merc 165 with a rochester 2jet???

Re: what carb rebuild kit should i buy for merc 165 with a rochester 2jet???

sounds good guys.. ill start small. work my way to the majors.. i have a nagging suspicion that some bearings are going bad though, at mid range rpm , with muffs on.. theres a rattleing when in drive,

 

[thumpar]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

It could just be flappers making noise. My 120 did it.

 

[youknowmeasbud]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

flappers? exhaust? i dont think my 165 has that.. this sounded like something off balance, in timing with my rpm's

 

[samm835]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

As most have said....start small, and fix one thing at a time. You're gonna drive yourself crazy over-thinking and taking more than one thing apart at a time. If you have the extra money to spare, take your carb to a local mechanic have them rebuild. Then work on your shifting issue. Also when running your motor on your muffs......its never a good idea to run it at high RPM's. It's best to only run at idle....or at most just above. Good luck. Btw.....taking your outdrive off can be a huge PIA if never done before, so make sure you have help and that you also know what your getting into prior to taking off.

 

[thumpar]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

You should have flappers or shutters as they call them. Don't be afraid to take the drive off. Put the drive in forward. Remove the 6 bolts for the drive and then remove the trim ram pin. Pull. I used to do my Alpha by myself all the time for inspection and impeller changes. Took about 5 minutes to get it off, look at the bellows and bearing and then back on. Since the history of the boat sounds iffy is should be checked anyway. The Bravo is another story and help or a stand is recommended with the extra 100lbs.

 

[achris]

Re: getting fuel in my oil.... ive read similar threads.. changed pump.. still happen

flappers? exhaust? i dont think my 165 has that.. this sounded like something off balance, in timing with my rpm's

Yes it should.

As for the 'rattling'. If it only happens when in gear (and on the muffs) it could be dog clutch chatter. Normal and nothing to worry about. If it's 'rattling' when there is load on the engine (in the water and in gear), then that is something to think about.

Chris.....