Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

[Wecanoe]

I sold my B-I-L my great running 1983 35 horse Evinrude. Apparently, when he winterized it, he drained the lower unit and left it drained. Unfortunately, he died during the winter. His daughter and boy friend (who were going to purchase her sister's half) took the boat out last summer and had trouble with it. (I thought it was just a dead battery). She was mad they had to paddle back to the landing and decided not to buy the boat. Anyway, I went to winterize it in preperation for selling it in the spring. When I pulled the lower unit drain plug, only water came out -- NO OIL! (And I had put a new seal kit in before I sold it, too!)

How can I tell if they wrecked the lower unit? In neutral, the prop will spin. Anything else to check? I know it will need another new seal kit, which will come out of her share of the proceeds when we do sell. FWIW, I always ran Amsoil oil in the lower unit. AND, it's again full of oil!

Thanks for any advise!

 

[kbait]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

Well.. if it's now full of oil, drive it on the lake and see if it works well w/no noises. If you're going to change seals anyway, you can inspect gears/mating surfaces for damage when disassembled.

Good luck!

 

[boobie]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

If it works okay, I'd have it pressure and vacuum tested for leaks.

 

[Wecanoe]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

Right now it sounds like my best bet will be to either tear it down myself or take it to an outboard mechanic for inspection. I already know the seals leak due to the water that drained out of the case. Thanks for the advice!

Kids!

 

[boobie]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

Did you ever take it for a water test and see how it works ??

 

[Wecanoe]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

No. The smaller lakes are starting to freeze over and it's been too cold and windy on my days off. This project is simply going to have to wait until spring, now. I'll be retired by then, and "should" have more time to work on it, too. Thanks for asking.

 

[multimech]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

The prop will spin in neutral even if the gears are worn to a nub, which is sure if there was no lubricant in the lower unit. If it had water in it, that would have prevented it from tearing itself apart for a short time.

Put a set of ears on it and run it. If the gears look like what they should if it was run dry, it will be noisy as hell.

Did the water come out clear or with a lot of metal in it? What did the magnets on the drains look like? Chunks or fine shavings?

 

[Wecanoe]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

Good questions! I had been more worried about bearings seizing that gear wear. Water was clear, except for traces of oil. I drained it into a clean pan. The drain plug is magnitized? There were no metal shavings on it. You make it sound as if we might have lucked out! Makes me wonder if running synthetic oil helped. I am also wondering if the niece and bf didn't go real far from the landing and stopped to go fishing. I am under the impression the battery was dead so the motor wouldn't re-start. Unfortunately, that niece is mad at us (her family) so I doubt I would get much of an answer if I asked further questions. Sad situation.

Thanks for asking the right questions, Multimech.

 

[multimech]

Re: Evinrude 35 niece & bf ran with no lower unit oil

If the plugs have a little cylindrical thing sticking out from the back of the plug, it is magnetized. It is normal to see some metal ( fine shavings).

If the thing was full of water, you had a lubricrant in it, although it is not a great lubricant, it may have saved you some headache.

First and foremost, simply take the spark plugs out of it and put it in a gear, turn the flywheel. Does it have any sticking points or feel as if it is grinding? If no, try it in the other gear. Same results? Fill it with oil and then run it on the flusher. Any weird noises from the lower unit? If no, you are probably in business. :joyous:

Sounds as if the plugs were loose and the thing filled with water fairly quickly. Make sure you find out if it has any leaks in it. Take it to someone as boobie suggested or get the test equipment to do it yourself. A reseal is in order if it doesn't pass the tests.