water in sterndrive? leak? bravo 3

[Tailguner]

I changed the gear oil in my drive and it was clean with no water or metal. After 2 trips of tubing i have had to add about 1 inch of gear fluid into the reservoir. when i changed the gear oil i used the pump from the bottom up. Now i am wondering if i have a leak. Bilge is clean,hose is dry. I did re-use the drain plug gasket and the top plug as well. Should i remove the top plug or drain plug to check for water intrusion? or is what i have experienced normal?
Dont want to drain out perfectly good gear oil that has only about 5 hours on it.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: water in sterndrive? leak? bravo 3

I'd top it up and keep an eye on it. With my Alpha I Gen II drive, I often have to add an ounce or two after the first run on new lube. Sometimes air gets in and causes the resivior to read full. Running the drive burps the air out and the level drops.
Once it's topped up, and if it continues to need topping, then I'd start to worry.
Assuming the same thing can happen on a Bravo?