1960 Evinrude 40HP - lower unit leaking problem.

[dstoica]

The outboard seems to have a small hole (very small diameter) on the top half of the gear case assembly, which seems to allow water entering in the gear case as well as oil come out of it.

I noticed that while running the motor some milky staff was coming out (and the same staff came out when emptying transmission fluid). When I checked the hole, after that, I noticed it was completely through into the gear case.

I am not sure of the purpose of this hole (manual does not say anything about it or at least I didn't see it).
Is there any special thing that should plug this hole?
How can I fix this problem? Do I need to replace some seals inside the gear case?

Anybody has any idea what I am talking about?

I have already got a lot of help from this forum and I want to really thank everybody for it!!

 

[DJ]

Re: 1960 Evinrude 40HP - lower unit leaking problem.

The hole is a drain, it is for full drainage to prevent freezing, it is supposed to be there.

Most lower unit leaks are due to faulty (not serviced) fill and drain plug seals. Replace those, refill and let us know what happens.

 

[dstoica]

Re: 1960 Evinrude 40HP - lower unit leaking problem.

Hi and thanks for the reply.
I am not quite sure I understand properly. The hole I am talking about is not the main gear case drain hole (the one with same size screw as the vent hole). This one is much more smaller (about 8 times smaller) and is positioned in a horizontal plan not vertical.

If this is still a drain plug, is it for gear case oil to complement main drain plug? Where would I find such a plug seal for it, how is it officially called?

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1960 Evinrude 40HP - lower unit leaking problem.

It is a drain to be sure water in the leg area drains out when the motor is out of the water.Sometimes exhaust residue comes out of the hole.If oil is milky in the gearcase either the drain plugs are leaking or you have bad seals at prop shaft,drive shaft or shift rod.

 

[dstoica]

Re: 1960 Evinrude 40HP - lower unit leaking problem.

Thanks, I got it now.

I filled the gear case with oil and tightened the drain plugs and ran the outboard again to check this leak.
The milky staff was coming strong only from these small drain hole. I noticed that there was another similar hole higher on the lower unit but this one did not show any leaking.

Also I had the impression that the motor was overheating so I took the lower unit off to change the impeller but somehow it seems ok so I might have been wrong. Should this water pump issue be subject of another thread?

Back to this leaking, Is there anything I can do at this stage (lower unit off the motor) in order to narrow down the leaking area or I should go ahead and get the whole gear case seal kit?