??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

[RavenC]

Hi I am new here. Can you help me? <br /><br />I have an OMC I/O that I just had some repair work done on the engine, replaced some gaskets, oil pan, belts.... Prior to repairs it was not in the water for nearly two years. It has been in the water three times since the repairs and seems to run great; except yesterday when we took it out of the water and went to hose it down, I noticed some green foamy stuff oozing from the pee hole near where you put the ear muffs to flush the motor. It had a chemical odor like fluid or oil. What is this? What causes this? Major problem? I flushed the motor and the water ran clear after that but I am concerned as I’ve never seen this before. And, I don’t know a lot about it. I called the repair shop that did the most recent service and all service on the boat since I purchased it and I only got “I don’t know that one.” A friend mentioned that I may need to replace a gasket or o-ring and a rebuild kit. Has anyone run across this before? <br /><br />R

 

[gspig]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

Possibly anti-freeze? Do you have a closed cooling system?

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

If it is not antifreeze check your lower gear lube for water .Crack the bottom fill open and see what comes out.Best to make sure boat has been sitting for a few days before checking so the water (if there is any )will settle to the bottom.Charlie

 

[kayakndave]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

Sounds to me like it may be synthetic lower unit lube, possibly mixed with water. If you recently had it serviced, did the mechanic top it off, or possibly change the lower unit lube? Could be a leak, maybe nothing serious, maybe it is. I'd keep an eye on it, and check the fluid level often. If it has a milky colored consisitency, you probably have water intrusion somewhere.

 

[Lou C]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

On my OMC Cobra, I had small leak in the lower last year (strangly it did not appear until the boat was out of the water for a month or so) and I got a leak there. The OMC gear oil is a honey brown color, the Merc stuff is bluish green. Get some on a paper towel, and then remove the dipstick in the top of the drive to compare them. Only other thing I can think of is antifreeze but that doesn't really make sense unless you have closed cooling.

 

[RavenC]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

Thanks guys for the information. I am going to address the situation this weekend. <br /><br />I am picking up a "new" manual for repairs and troubleshooting today. I also thought I might need to rebuild my outdrive. But from what you all say, maybe it isn't that serious. Maybe an o-ring causing a leak or an overflow???<br /><br />It really is strange because it was a smooth ride. No incidents, accidents, problems or indications that anything was wrong.

 

[keelhauled]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

What year is this thing? If it's an 800 series stringer then you probably have a blown set of seals in the upper gear housing allowing your gear lube to leak into the water pump and down to your 'pee hole'. This happpened to me this past spring. $60 reseal kit and a few hours of aggravation and you can fix it pretty easily.<br /><br />What happens is these 2 seals, which sit back to back (one keeps oil in, one keeps water out), they take a set after the drive has been sitting for extended periods. Shortly after you begin running it again they begin to seep gear oil. They sit right above the raw water pump. Go ahead and replace the raw water pump while you are in there. It probably needs it anyway.<br /><br />There's a spacer that sits between the seals and the shaft bearing. Be careful not to damage it as it does not come with the upper housing seal kit.<br /><br />That is, if this is in fact an OMC 800...

 

[keelhauled]

Re: ??? Green foamy stuff coming from drain hole in outdrive, what is it???

Additionally, pull the dipstick and check the upper housing gear lube and see if it's low, high or even if its green! This will also occur if it is overfilled due to the lack of space for expansion as the lube heats up. It gets foamy and then it finds room to expand, usually out of your seals. Very bad for the gears and bearings.<br /><br />Again, if this is an 800 stringer...