Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

[Scootimus]

Ok so I purchase a nice new garage to house the boat and keep it in out of the weather. I go out to admire how nice it all looks when I notice some oil on the floor. Slowly there is gear oil leaking from the foot. In the attached picture I've drawn an arrow to a hole that the oil seems to me coming out of. Granted it's not pouring out and I was able to go all last season without having to fill the reservoir but a leak is a leak in my book and should be happening. Does anyone have any insight as to what may be causing this? Or should I just prepare to tear it apart and re-build it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[cecho]

Re: Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

If you have oil leaking out and you are sure it's not coming from the oil drain or vent plug then it has to be a seal. I'd check to make sure there's no oil around the drain and vent plug first. Is the image you put the arrow on have the correct orientation? I know there's a small and easy to replace seal on the other side of that location that goes in between the top and low end.

 

[Scootimus]

Re: Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

No, it's not coming from the drain or vent plug. The arrow is in the right orientation. There is a small hole on both sides of the unit and when I trimmed the foot down it was leaking from both side. Granted it's not pouring but oil is coming out. I guess it's worth looking into purchasing some new seals and replacing them. The boat is a 96 which I've only had a year. Not telling what kind of maintenance, if any, has been done prior to my ownership.

Thanks!

 

[cecho]

Re: Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

You'll definitely want to wait for an answer from someone who knows more about mercruisers than I do. I'm still very new to them myself. My guess is that it's one of the three seals between the halves that's leaking though. A pressure test with the halves apart would tell you which one of the three it is. When was the last time the raw water pump was changed? Now's probably the perfect time to do it.

I don't think replacing any of those three seals is a big deal, but a tear down and rebuild is very expensive. There's a company that sells a complete aftermarket lower and upper for less than it would cost to rebuild your unit. The image you linked (SE106) is actually the aftermarket drive that replaces the Alpha I.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

you first need to pull the drive off the boat, then drain all the lube out

pressure test the drive to find which seal is leaking, the most common one is the shift shaft seal and it does present gear lube in the area you are referring to

if you need some instruction, look under the diy info sticky at the top of the current thread list page - lots of good info there

 

[mercs4mark]

Re: Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

I would say shift shaft seal or one of the seals in the upper unit leaking down.

 

[Don S]

Re: Losing Gear Oil Help Needed!

I would say shift shaft seal or one of the seals in the upper unit leaking down.

That's why the pressure test was advised, then you don't have to guess or vote for what you think might be leaking.