Blue/green substance leaking from L/U

[shardy217]

Gents,

Just purchased myself an older (late 80’s) 85HP Force. She runs great and has good compression. I get home from first time out and after a couple hours notice this puddle under the motor???

Motor was trimmed up for towing and I left it that way, not sure if that matters or not. The fluid is coming out of a weep hole by the fill screw for lower unit oil. I saw several threads on this but didn’t see any that was the same color as this. Please help!

 

[jerryjerry05]

That hole is a drain that allows the unburned gas/oil to find a way out.
Leaving the motor tilted up causes the carbs to drain and the fuel leaks down
and out the holes, usually a normal situation.
However: I'd check the gear oil and check for water intrusion??
The slotted screw on the nosecone, DON"T TOUCH IT.
You'll need to take the lower apart and reassemble the gears and shift linkage.

 

[shardy217]

That hole is a drain that allows the unburned gas/oil to find a way out.
Leaving the motor tilted up causes the carbs to drain and the fuel leaks down
and out the holes, usually a normal situation.
However: I'd check the gear oil and check for water intrusion??
The slotted screw on the nosecone, DON"T TOUCH IT.
You'll need to take the lower apart and reassemble the gears and shift linkage.

Thank you Jerry!

the slotted screw on the nose cone is the drain screw for the lower unit oil right? You’re just saying take the lower off and see if there’s any oil leaking out? Sorry I’m kind of a newbie!!

 

[dougrie]

Hey Shardy, I'm at a similar point in the story to yourself - bought a 1989 85hp Force on a Dateline Bounty 3 months ago and just getting into the water tomorrow. Very excited

Doubly excited that I might be able to offer advice for the first time on here too. So far it's just been me asking my own questions.

There are two screws on the "nose cone" of the lower unit; both on the starboard side. One is on the underside; that's the drain plug. You'll need a hex head tool of some sort to loosen it. I think it's meant to be an Allan key though mine was somewhat stubborn and I needed a sacrificial Torx bit and a bit of restrained hammering...

The other screw is a little higher up and is a plain slot-headed screw; that's the one that shouldn't be touched unless you're planning to fully strip down and rebuild the internals of the gearbox, as it forms a bearing for the gear shift linkage. If you follow that path you'll need to source a bunch of replacement seals - not easy for our old engines as I've discovered.

 

[shardy217]

Hey Shardy, I'm at a similar point in the story to yourself - bought a 1989 85hp Force on a Dateline Bounty 3 months ago and just getting into the water tomorrow. Very excited

Doubly excited that I might be able to offer advice for the first time on here too. So far it's just been me asking my own questions.

There are two screws on the "nose cone" of the lower unit; both on the starboard side. One is on the underside; that's the drain plug. You'll need a hex head tool of some sort to loosen it. I think it's meant to be an Allan key though mine was somewhat stubborn and I needed a sacrificial Torx bit and a bit of restrained hammering...

The other screw is a little higher up and is a plain slot-headed screw; that's the one that shouldn't be touched unless you're planning to fully strip down and rebuild the internals of the gearbox, as it forms a bearing for the gear shift linkage. If you follow that path you'll need to source a bunch of replacement seals - not easy for our old engines as I've discovered.

Boy am I glad you told me that!!! That could’ve been a disaster! I appreciate the help and hope you have a good trip tomorrow as well!

 

[jerryjerry05]

The allen head set screw is the drain plug.
Sometimes they get stuck, I use a propane torch for a few seconds to
help loosen it.
You can't hurt it with the propane torch, acetylene is another thing.