Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

[StarCruiser]

Hi all,<br /><br />I have a 1962 Evinrude Starflite IV #50529 B on my 1963 Starcraft Fiesta.<br /><br />Water is mixing with the gear oil and though it may be the seals there is an obvious way that it is entering. To the right and left of the upper fill/drain screw, level with the oil fill level are to small holes about the size of the thick part of a round toothpick. They appear to be original. Mixed oil and water drains from the one sitting lower (lower because of motor tilt when trailered) after an outing. I'm sure they must have a purpose but water mixing with my gear oil doesn't seem right to me. I am new at all of this though. Can someone please shed some light on this for me?<br /><br />If I need new seals Sierra has them listed for just over $20.00. I have no idea where to find other parts that I may need in the future though. Some tips in that direction would be greatly appreciated as well.<br /><br />The AD with pics that I bought it from are still online if anyone would like a peak. <br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Allen

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Those holes are designed to drain water out of whereever it collects on top of the lower unit. Since the inside of the mid-section is flooded with water, it's important to drain every last cavity so that in cold weather the pools dont freeze and crack the lower unit. It's not unusual to see unburnt fuel/oil dripping from those holes since they normally are at the very lowest point of the exhaust cavity. Usually you can tell it's fuel/oil by smelling it, since it has a gasoline smell.<br /><br />Are you sure you're leaking gear oil? The only way to tell for sure is to remove one of the drain plugs, draw off a little, and see if it's a coffee with cream colour or a grey colour. If it's clear or black, you've got no problem at all.

 

[StarCruiser]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Thanks for the quick reply.<br /><br />I replaced the gear oil when I first got and it was cream colored. I drained a little of the oil after the change and some use. It too is cream colored now. Is this an imminent death?<br /><br />Allen

 

[StarCruiser]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Also I don't know how many hours but I've ran it a fair amount over 7 days. It seems to be doing OK and metal is not appearing in the oil. I don't know how hot it is getting though. Is OK to run it for short amounts of time taking it easy and changing the oil often until I can Find and fix the actual problem that is causing the mixing or should I definitely park it and let it sit?<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Allen

 

[perkdp]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Strcruiser, <br />parts are all over the internet. Just Google Outboard Mortor parts. The first part you should buy is a Shop Manual that covers your motor model. <br /><br />As for the water in the foot... I'm no specialist, but I don't think there's a seal made that will keep ALL the water out. I know all these old motors I run have a little water in there. Keep an eye on it, change it every fall (end of season). The water will seperate and go to the bottom after the boat sits a week or so. So, you can take the drain plug out and let that drip out then top off with oil. <br /><br /><br />Oh.... I don't think I saw where you mentioned the kind of water? salt water may be totally different,,, all my motors are fresh water motors.

 

[StarCruiser]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Thanks. I feel better now. Fresh water by the way. This boat and motor has never seen a grain of salt<br /><br />As for parts I've browsed and searched. Maybe I don't know how to go about identifying them. Whenever I try to find a match for my motor by name, horse power, year and or model number I get almost nothing showing as available. I had to look pretty hard for the seal kit. Fortunately I do not appear to need anything else at the moment but I like to be prepared. I do plan on purchasing it and the shop manual very soon.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />Allen

 

[BF]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Hi,<br /><br />When you decide to go ahead and fix it, you proabably want to find out where the leak really is... You can take the lower unit off, drain the oil, make up some way to pump some air into it (I used a small rubber stopper with a hole through it and small tubing stuck through and siliconed to the stopper... It fits into the oil drain hole. (or use the fitting from one of those oil filling pumps) I used a big syringe, but you could use a bicycle pump or whatever to pump air in. Lay the thing in one of those cheapie kiddie pools filled with water, and pump some air into it... You'll see where the bubbles come from (= bad seal). It can save you some grief. Maybe it's simply a bad water pump base seal (much easier to change than resealing the whole lower unit). <br /><br />good luck.

 

[StarCruiser]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Sounds like great advice. I've got a couple of air compressors and have done similar with other things so should be a snap. Thanks<br /><br />Reading some other posts on this forum I saw a reference to tcoutboard.com It looks like they have lower units for my engine for $325.00 That seems cheap. It's a great relief to know that they are available. They have quite a few other parts that I'm likely to need someday as well.<br /><br />I'm still open for more good sources though. Can never have too many to choose.<br /><br />I'm feeling much better now. I have fallen in love with this old boat already and have pretty big plans for it.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

You'd be surprised what your Johnson/Evinrude dealer will have. I'm working on a '56 and I've gotten quite a few parts from the dealer.

 

[itstippy]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Get a manual before you go pulling the lower unit and hooking up an air compressor to the fill/vent holes. Any more than 10lbs psi and you will probably blow the seals just by testing them. You can whittle down a valve stem from a car or bicycle tire and screw it into the fill or vent hole. I then use a bicycle pump to put in 7 lbs psi. Do this without dropping the lower unit - if it holds 7 lbs for a few hours it's not worth tearing into. If it leaks then you'll be pulling it to replace seals. <br />If you're green on outboards the Seloc manual at the bottom left of this page is a good read. By read I mean read, not a reference book to use after you have the thing in pieces and are looking for a miracle (that's what the guys on this forum are for). The OEM manuals are the best shop guides for serious tear-intos but the Seloc will give you a good intro to what's involved and you can then decide how far you want to go. I use both. After you've read the manual and you need clarification then you use the SEARCH thing on top of this page. If you still need help you post a plea on here and the miracle guys come to your rescue.<br />The iBoats mall, your OMC dealer, and NAPA Auto Parts stores are good sources for "consumable" parts like gaskets & carb kits & lower unit seal kits & stuff. Major components you have to find from outboard salvage sites like Twin City Outboards. The components themselves are long ago No Longer Available from the manufacturer. Like Boatbuoy says, though, some dealers will surprise you with what they still have in the back storeroom or can scrounge up from their various professional connections. Other dealers want nothing to do with anything over ten years old. Luck of the draw.

 

[StarCruiser]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

That makes sense. I had planed to crank the pressure down a bit if I use that method but probably wouldn't have thought to go that low.<br /><br />Without doubt I'm going to have the shop manual before I remove a single bolt. Gotta have the torque specs for putting em back at the very least.<br /><br />Thanks for the tips on finding parts especially. That was my biggest concern. Now I can relax a bit and enjoy it better knowing that if something does go out on me I can probably replace it. I was worried that I would have to scrap the whole thing if something happened.<br /><br />Got plenty of work to do for now. I'm more into cruising around and camping than anything. I just got a mini fridge, microwave and small air conditioning unit for it along with a big power inverter and a couple of extra batteries to run it all. Now I've just got to get busy installing the stuff.<br /><br />Thanks again all for the help,<br /><br />Allen

 

[itstippy]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

Since you're new to boating I'll throw in a tip that's universal, not just Johnson/Evinrude: watch the weight! The stuff you mention in your post is heavy. You just added an extra person, weight-wise.<br />Pile all that new stuff where you think you'll mount it and go for a cruise, with passengers and gear. See how the boat reacts to the added weight before you mount and wire everything. Extra batteries, canned food, cases of beer, folding tables, chairs, and hammocks, all that camping stuff weighs plenty too. You may wind up buying another prop, one for camping trips, with less pitch, to push your laden barge. You might also consider mounting the fridge & microwave & inverter & air con & batteries in such a way that you can easily take them out and reduce weight when you want to prop up again and go cruisin'. It's awful nice to be able to get a boat up on plane.

 

[DJ]

Re: Water getting into old lower unit by small OEM holes? / Parts info

The most common source of lower unit leaks are the fill and drain plug seals. They should be changed everytime the plugs are removed.