Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

[WhereBob]

I just noticed this hole in the bottom front side my Mercruiser alpha one lower unit, starboard side. Its just a little bigger than a bb hole and is perfectly round which makes me think it's suppose to be there. I had the ears on running the water into the lower unit and water comes spraying out of it. (never noticed it before).

Here is a pic of the lower unit with the ears on and water coming out the hole. Red arrow pointing at it in the pic

and here is a close up of it

So is this suppose to be there or did something punch a hole in my outdrive?


Thanks

 

[fishingman220]

Re: Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

i think its supposed to be there but i am sure someone who knows what they are talking about will chime in

 

[dccordell]

Re: Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

Mine does the same thing, and I'm also curious about why it is there... maybe somebody will clue us in!

 

[ryanr623]

Re: Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

LOL i asked the same thing too! It freaked me out when i first saw it. If there was a hole that big, that wasn't supposed to be there, your oil would drain in about 5 minutes and your drive would seize.

It is the drain for the propellor shaft cavity. If it wasnt there, water might get trapped during winter, which could could freeze and crack the outdrive.

 

[yjanray]

Re: Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

I was under the impression that it was a weep hole, kinda of like a pee hole on a outboard

 

[achris]

Re: Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

LOL i asked the same thing too! It freaked me out when i first saw it. If there was a hole that big, that wasn't supposed to be there, your oil would drain in about 5 minutes and your drive would seize.

It is the drain for the propellor shaft cavity. If it wasnt there, water might get trapped during winter, which could could freeze and crack the outdrive.

I was under the impression that it was a weep hole, kinda of like a pee hole on a outboard

Sorry guys, both wrong....

The cavity is in front of the shift shaft (not even remotely close to the propeller shaft). It allows water to drain from the front of the leg (outdrive/lower unit/stern drive. Pick your poison). You need to make sure it remains clear or it will block up with salt and rust deposits (from manifolds and elbows), then start corroding the leg from the inside out. The first you'll notice is when a large chunk of aluminium falls off the front of the leg.

Chris........

 

[WhereBob]

Re: Hole in lower unit, is it suppose to be there?

Yeah I figured it was suppose to be there but for some reason I had never seen it before and I have had the boat for a year and a half thus the concern I had.

Thanks for all the replies