newcdnboater
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- May 14, 2008
- Messages
- 40
Hi guys, I have a 1987 3.0 Merc, alpha 1 drive and have recently been getting gear oil in the bilge. I have read some previous post on this and it would seem the u-joint seal is gone. I did recently have the drive off to replace water line 0-ring. I put the complete gasket kit in and placed the rubber shaft seal in the housing first as recommended (and even glued it in with bellows adhesive on the advice of a veteran mechanic). I did notice when I first removed it there was oil in the bellows but I never had a sign of oil in the bilge. Now, after evey trip I get oil. I know I should to a pressure test on the drive which will be the next step but my question is: could too much oil in the drive cause overflow from heat expansion? And, if so, have I likely damaged the seal permanently now? I believe I did have too much oil in the drive. I filled it from the bottom until it started seeping out the vent hole. But, after the first trip of the season I had checked the oil at the lower unit for any signs of grit/water and it was ok. But, being in a hurry decided to top it off from the vent hole instead of from the lower unit....it's a real pain squeezing that heavy oil from the lower unit. But, as they say, the easy way is never the best way.
