lil' bit a water

[JCSkeeter313]

i got a 89' mariner 175 oc185373 v6 blah blah. pull the l/u lower plug out....water oil mix...oh crap. im quessing something in water pump, some kind of seal obviously. what is it most likely going to be. i know i could rebuild the water pump but shift shafts and prop shaft seals start to scare me. any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks.

 

[JB]

Re: lil' bit a water

The most common cause of water in the gearcase is reused crush gaskets under the vent and drain plugs. Have you eliminated this possibility? Some engines used Orings instead, but they have to be on plugs grooved for Orings.

 

[heybaylor]

Re: lil' bit a water

I put evinrude nylon washers on every merc I see..dont have to replace them ..

 

[Bob H.]

Re: lil' bit a water

89', shaft seals in the water pump. Probably got a grove in the main shaft by now and sometimes it can be hard sealing up the leak.

 

[JCSkeeter313]

Re: lil' bit a water

if i were to buy a water pump rebiud kit would it include the seals for the shaft or are they seperate? if there is a groove what could i do to seal it. thanks

 

[JCSkeeter313]

Re: lil' bit a water

bump...anyone?

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: lil' bit a water

I just did mine last fall. All oil seals are seperate from the water pump rebuild kit. It could also easily be the shift shaft seals. Have you verified where the leak is?<br /><br />If you want to just start throwing parts at it, start with new fill and vent screw gaskets as JB mentioned. But, there are ways to verify where the water's gettin in at.

 

[Bob H.]

Re: lil' bit a water

Shaft seals and shift seals are easy to replace. Look for wear on the main shaft where the seals ride on the shaft. Sometimes the seals need to installed in a slightly different position to get around any grooves that formed over the years.

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: lil' bit a water

No need to disassemble to find the leak. It's actually easier BEFORE you take everything apart.

 

[JCSkeeter313]

Re: lil' bit a water

so if i was to look for a leak where should i look? also i am assuming you get to the shift shaft seals by taking the l/u off...right?

 

[csmall06]

Re: lil' bit a water

I am having the same problem on a 73' 115 hp merc, found some water in oil, and also had a little puddle of oil underneith after it set for a few days, I drained oil and water, and refilled using a pump, when it got to the vent hole, I put the vent plug back in and gave it a couple more pumps to try to create some pressure in the lower unit, the oil started to come out of the water intake holes on the sides, so now I know where the leak is, but need to know where to start in order to fix it

 

[sangerwaker]

Re: lil' bit a water

Remove the lower unit and get ahold of a new tire valve stem, usually available for a dollar or two at a local automotive store. <br /><br />Drain the fluid from the lower unit. Might be easier to do before removal.<br /><br />Carefully trim the end of the valve stem so it fits snugly and securely in either the fill or vent screw. It shoould be trimmed so it actually screws into the threads a little.<br /><br />CAREFULLY inflate the lower unit to 5-10 psi, preferrably using a hand pump. DO NOT EXCEED 10 psi or you will ruin some, if not all seals.<br /><br />To detect your leak, either submerge the lower unit in a deep enough water source, or spray it down with soapy water. Just look for where the bubbles come from and that's your leak.<br /><br />This test will at least show which seals are leaking, just be very careful to not inflate the LU too much.