115, 1982, Water in Lower unit

[arrow62]

Went to cange the lube today and have the milky white coming out of the drain plug. What is the best way to proceed. The manual talks about the prop. shaft leaking. Where else would I look for the water leak? Should I drop the lower unit and inspect? Searched 20 pages and could not find a definitive answer.
Thanks for your Wisdom!!
Arrow

 

[ezeke]

Re: 115, 1982, Water in Lower unit

You need to take the drained gearcase and pressurize it to about 10 to 12 PSI and determine where the leak is/are. If you don't hear or see the leak, put it in a tank or the lake with the pressure on and you will.

If you take the lower unit to a dealership with a service department, they can quickly do a pressure and vacuum test and tell you what you need to have done. On my own drives, I've never had a propshaft leak, lots of driveshaft and shift rod leaks. Most common of all is the vent and drain plugs which need new seals every time you change the oil.

 

[Solittle]

Re: 115, 1982, Water in Lower unit

I would replace the vent & drain plug seals, refill with oil and run it - then check for water again. If it is milky then do the pressure check.

 

[arrow62]

I'll give it a shot and see what happens. If it is still leaking how do you perform the pressure check. Should I plug the upper drain hole and somehow connect a pressure line to the lower hole and run it up to 10-12 psi. Is there a standered fitting for this or do I need to create something.

Thanks Again
Arrow

 

[ezeke]

Re: 115, 1982, Water in Lower unit

If you are going to do your own maintenance, you might want to invest in a tool kit called a MityVac. It runs around $50 for the 04050 kit. It allows you to easily do pressure checks as well as vacuum tests. Useful for checking the float valve without tearing into the carbs, testing check valves, etc. The kit has hoses, containers for various purposes, and multiple fittings:​

http://www.mityvac.com/pages/products_hvpo.asp​

You can also take the insert fittiing off just about any gear oil rig and use it with a hand pump that has a guage. The lube tube fitting works fine:​

http://www.iboats.com/Lubrimatic_Lube_Tube/dm/keywords.lube%20tube--session_id.921996842--cart_id.020552124--list_time.1176042561--view_id.47669​