A few questions about my new motor

[yoster]

Hello everyone,

Just bought a 1998 Evinrude v4 Intruder 115hp. I have a few general questions.

Oil Tank Questions
1) I noticed the ball from the oil tank to the engine is rock solid. Normally with past boats, I would replace it if the fuel tank side got hard. With the oil, since I don't ever pump it, do I need to replace the ball if I'm not planning on needing to re-prime the system with oil?

2) On the topic of oil, if I DO squish the ball, I had a mechanic tell me that I will flood the carbs with oil. Is that true?

3) If I do replace the ball, is there anything special I need to do to ensure I don't get air in the lines and cause a lean-run situation for a few moments while running?

Lower End Questions
1) I've been told that to check the lower-end oil, to "crack" the lower screw (slightly unscrew) and see if water comes out. Will actual water come out, or am I looking for something different? Also, do I need to refill after checking? How long should I let it run out when checking before closing it off? Wouldn't it be safer to stick oil in the bottom (without draining the old oil first), have it overflow out the top and check the color there, so you at least know you're not leaving it short on oil after checking?

2) What are the signs of water leakage? What color is the gear oil?


Thanks,
Matt

 

[oldcatamount]

Re: A few questions about my new motor

The fact that the primer ball is "rock hard" concerns me a little bit. You could disconnect the oil line at the pump and give the ball a squeeze to see if oil goes through and that will tell you if the bulb is working or not. As for sqeezing the bulb and "flooding the carbs with oil", that won't happen unless you get carried away with the squeezing. The bulb is merely the primer and it starts oil to the pump and the pump pushes it to the carbs. When you check the lower unit gear case by loosening the bottom screw, you won't loose more than a half teaspoon of gear oil. That's not going to hurt anything. The gearcase is designed for a little extra gear oil space anyway.