Milky lower unit oil

[Jack Daniels]

Ok so i just finished winterizing my 1983 85 FORCE outboard and i drained the lower unit oil. Much to my dismay it was milky but not all the way through maybe 1/3 of it was discolored. Well from the knowlege i learned here, i know that its a problem and that i have water in my lower unit. So my question is, what is likely the culprit and what cost would i be looking at for a repair. Does this mean i need a whole lower unit rebuild or just take it apart and put new gaskets and seals in place? Next question is, is this something that a novice can handle with good directions, i like to tinker with things and I dont want to spend a fortune on a repair. I apprecaite the help that you guys give me in determining the best way to repair the motor.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Milky lower unit oil

Just a seal kit is needed.
It may just be the gaskets on the drain and fill plugs.
Worth replacing them and trying it out for an hour or two.

Or you could replace the driveshaft, shift shaft, and propshaft seals.


You can get a lower unit seal kit for $30-60, depending on where you buy it.
A Clymer repair manual ($35) will get you thru it.
A factory repair manual is also available, try ebay.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Milky lower unit oil

I have the factory manual already, is this something that is relatively easy to do. Is it like buying the kit and just taking one seal off and replacing it with another? If i were to take it to a pro how much would it cost me to have him do it? Thanks again

 

[1730V]

Re: Milky lower unit oil

Don't overdiagnose it. Do the drain/fill plug seals first. Cheap and easy, plus, they are the most likely leak points.

 

[roadrunnr]

Re: Milky lower unit oil

I had the same thing happen to me years ago on my 85 hp Force. I never did anything except replace the drain, vent and fill gaskets and have yet to drain milky lube from the lower unit since. Replace those first as suggested, it's a simple cheap fix!

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Milky lower unit oil

Well i took your advice and checked the o rings on the vent, fill, and drain plugs. The vent drain plug o ring was completely shot. The fill O ring looked like it was in decent shape but i replaced it anyway. The drain plug didnt even have an o ring on it, so i put one one. I am assuming that the problem should be fixed, so i filled her up with new gear oil and am going to wait until the spring to get her in the water. Ill keep an eye on her after the first few trips to the lake. Thanks for the advice guys and hopefully this is a quick and easy fix.