VP 280 Oil Leak

[adamkat22]

I have a VP 280 outdrive. Still fairly unfamiliar with it. Not sure when it was last serviced in any manner...probably a long time ago. It's on a houseboat that doesn't go out very often. There is a small oil slick coming from it. Seems like if the boat is sitting still it doesn't happen, but if I get on or off the boat (or anything that causes it to rock a little bit) I can see a small amount of oil form on the water around it. Yesterday it seemed larger than usual. Going to get it pulled from the water to see what's going on but don't even know where to start. What are the likely culprits or the things to look for? Also what things should i be servicing while i'm in there...

 

[Scott Danforth]

bellows are a replace every 2-3 year thing (along with the raw water inlet casting). if the bellows fails, the input shaft and u-joints get rusty and take out the input shaft seal.

could be prop seal

could be transmission seals

you have to pull to check.

going forward, suggest pulling every few years for the required maintenance.

 

[kenny nunez]

Pay close attention to the shift unit. They tend to leak as there is just 1 small seal. As the lever moves from forward to reverse it also moves in and out a slight amount. Try to pressure test the drive before working on it and of course after before re installing . You will need a service manual to service the drive also.