lower unit spraying oil

[tguisti]

I have a 1988 omc cobra, after boating all day i stopped at idle speed and the motor died, making two or three short clanking noises, possibly from the drive. i then smelled oil burning. I restarted the motor long enough to put it on the trailer, the engine ran fine and had power to put the boat on the trailer. after taking the boat out of the water i noticed oil sprayed all over the back of the boat. There was no oil inside the engine compartment, just outside the boat. What could this be, and how much will it cost to fix?

 

[Don S]

Re: lower unit spraying oil

IF you could smell the oil burning, I would guess the oil is getting into the exhaust somehow. Could be a head gasket, cracked head, cracked block, broken rings, hole in piston, etc.....without dissassembly, it's impossible to say for sure what is wrong or how much it will cost to fix.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: lower unit spraying oil

Start with a compression check

 

[tguisti]

Re: lower unit spraying oil

Don S,<br />The oil looks and smells like hydraulic fluid, and appears to have been leaking from a seem on the upper drive assembly. The oil does not appear to be engine oil.<br />thanks for your reply.

 

[Don S]

Re: lower unit spraying oil

You might want to drain the oil, and do a pressure check on the drive and see where the leak is for sure. Put about 15 psi pressure on the drive and check with some soapy water in a squirt bottle. The bubbles will tell the story.