HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

[dymd3z]

Hey guys, new to the forum board here. Please excuse me here as this is the 1st boat I have ever owned and operated so I may not be familar with the boat slang. Sorry.

I am having a problem here, I just purchased a
1995 Maxum 1800 Bowrider Ski Boat. Has a 135 HP I/O Mercruiser.
Alpha one 4cyl 3.0
Motor Serial is 0F147189
Transom Serial 0F257696
I do not no anything about the operating history of the boat, but from what I can tell and from what a few friends of mine whom owns boats says, is that it looks really really good for its age and that it looks as if its been really taken care of. Again, I know not much help but thats all I can say.
I do have every piece of paper that has ever been delt with on this boat, title, Operation and Maint manual, Owners Manual, Mercruiser Installation Alpha One manual, registration papers and more.

I just bought this boat from a guy in Nashville, Tenn, He was the 2nd owner of the boat owned it for roughly 3 months, gentlemen is getting married and needed $$ ... So he said. He actually seemed like an honest guy.
He just had the boat serviced and had a new propeller installed, all fluids changed and checked by a local Marina they stated everything looked great. He did hook the engine up to the hose pipe and let it run for roughly 2-3 mins if that.

When I got it home and parked it the next day I noticed a few droplets of greenish oil underneth the outboard propeller.
I then traced the leak back to determine that it is leaking from a small hole on the right side right above the 2 large sized nuts/bolts, and close to the the trim arms.
1. what are the small holes on each side referred to as?

Is there an issue or could this just be where they had just serviced everything?

Is the boat safe to take out on the water like it is? Am I risking making more damage to it if so.?

Any help would be highly appreciated. I am a 1st time boat owner so dont know a whole lot about boats.

If there is any more info needed to help determine my problem, please let me know, and I really appreciate anyone who can help me out and guide me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Bo

 

[tpenfield]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Post some pictures . . . there is an oil passage on the starboard (right) side of the outdrive.

Take a look through the manual that you have and familiarize yourself with everything. You should not take the boat out on the water as it will pollute. Fix the oil leak first.

 

[04fxdwgi]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Difficult to picture the leak from from the description, as there are lots of possibilities. There is an oil passage between the lower and upper section of the drive unit with a gasket called a "quad ring" in a groove in the lower section. Have seen them "weep" before ( have also seen them missing because someone split the sections apart and failed to install gasket / installed gasket wrong when reassembling) . Problem is, if oil is coming out of somehere below the water line, chances are, water could be getting back in also and that is really bad.

Post a some pitures of the actual oil leak location and there are a ton of folks here that can point you in the right direction as to where to begin.

 

[achris]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Sounds like the oil's coming from the drain holes, and there shouldn't be any oil there.

Couple of possibilities.
1. When the service was done a lot of oil was dropped from the reservoir feed and it's working it's way down.
2. a leaking seal somewhere.

If you would like to chase it down, then you need to remove the drive, drain the oil and do a pressure test.
Removing the drive is easy, just watch this video -> http://youtu.be/w3O63YTOhn8
For a pressure test you are going to need a gauge and a way of getting compressed air in and holding it there. Have a look at these set ups -> http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=1573303#post1573303. Scroll down and look at a few of them...

When I put my engine back in (a few days I hope) I will make another video of putting the drive on....

Cheers,

Chris........

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Hey Bo! Nice to see the post. Basic questions I have: How much work would you like to do yourself? I am a backyard/shadetree auto mechanic and have a lot of fun working on my I/O (basic stuff like impeller changeout, pressure tests, etc). Mostly basic mechanic skills and tools. What you might find will either be within, or not within your capabilities. Your manuals, and the people on this forum will provide a wealth of information (have got me out of trouble many times....that, and basic searches of threads for similar problems). Pay close attention to Achris, Don S and Bond-o, just to name a few of the very knowledgeable people here (I wish I knew half of what they have forgotten....and I doubt they have forgotten anything!!!). They will point you in the right direction and tell you if you need special tools and/or skills.
Goal is to get your boat in 100% oil-tight/water-tight condition to avoid any issues on the lake when you are supposed to having fun!
Best of luck, and again, welcome aboard!

 

[dymd3z]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Awesome, thanks to everyone who has given me some helpful tips. I will post a picture or 2 tomorrow Friday in the day light so that everyone will know exactly where my oil is leaking from. Also., these youtube videos are very very helpful. I do work on cars, and trucks and have alot of your basic tools etc.. I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to working on motors etc.. but I have never even touched a boat motor, (just been out many times in them). I have read every manual and every piece of paper/book that come with my boat. Again. Thanks guys!

 

[dymd3z]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Guys, I have attached 2 pics of the holes I am referring to, I took these in the dark but I am sure you all will know exactly what these holes are referred to. Thank You very much.





From what I have read so far and seeing other guys having the same issue, I belive the "shift shaft seal" is where I am getting me leakage from. the 2 small holes are there for water to escape the outdrive after use. Is this what you guys would say. And if this is the case, should I go a get me a Service manual would this be something I would be able to replace and fix myself?

Like I said, when I went to look at the boat from the guy I purchased it from, I did not see oil on his driveway which I should have seen with this thing dripping like it is. As I was there he hooked the ears up with the hose pipe and let it run for about 2 mins or so, with everything being serviced as he stated and new propeller etc.. how would this leak ocurr and be noticeable 2 days after I get it home? This is just alarming to me. But anyway. what ever advise you guys can give me I would highly appreciate it very much. Thank You and I await some feedback.

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Sounds like the oil's coming from the drain holes, and there shouldn't be any oil there.

Couple of possibilities.
1. When the service was done a lot of oil was dropped from the reservoir feed and it's working it's way down.
2. a leaking seal somewhere.

If you would like to chase it down, then you need to remove the drive, drain the oil and do a pressure test.
Removing the drive is easy, just watch this video -> http://youtu.be/w3O63YTOhn8
For a pressure test you are going to need a gauge and a way of getting compressed air in and holding it there. Have a look at these set ups -> http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?p=1573303#post1573303. Scroll down and look at a few of them...

When I put my engine back in (a few days I hope) I will make another video of putting the drive on....

Cheers,

Chris........

Bo: Follow Chris's advice and drop your drive, drain the oil, and do a pressure test/soapy water leak test. From what you have posted, it sounds well within your capabilities. Check out the youtube videos that Chris has recently posted regarding drive removal and installation (They are very nice, Chris, by the way!....can you post the link for the latest one here for Bo?). Chris also has a link to the service manual you need. Standby to have fun! And keep us posted... KTB

 

[achris]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Links to videos

Removing drive: http://youtu.be/w3O63YTOhn8

Check alignment: http://youtu.be/w118LGsYgY4

Install drive: http://youtu.be/aGVrY4cWiDA


Service manual for your drive -> https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&...YWRiNy00ODUyLWFmNzgtMTBmMzhlNGY4Mzk3&hl=en_US

 

[dymd3z]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

ktbarrentine, Thank You very much for your help. Also Chris thank you very very much for the You Tube video and the service manual. These youtube videos are the best when trying to do something that you have never done before. Very helpful. Again Thank You.

I am very skeptical on tackling this job myself. Do you guys think this is something I will be able to do myself? As I said I have worked on motor vehicles over my period of time so I am somewhat mechanically inclined.
A few questions!
1. What special tools will I need beside my basic tools?
2. Can you tell me what and where (link to website) where I can purchase what I need to fix the leak with?
3. I am still a bit confused on how to perform the compression test. I think I should be able to rig that vacuum/pressure test tool up, no problem and I have an air compressor. But in order to do the compression test,
1) I would drain the gear oil.
2) remove the outdrive (such as Chris did in the video)
3) then I would hook the compression tester up and put roughly 10-15 psi.
4) How would I be able to tell where the air is leaking from. (just a little confused) some type if explanation would sum this up for me.

I spoke with a retired marine mechanic today who now works on boat engines etc.. out of his garage just to tinker around, and he told me that it could be 1 of 2 things, 1) Shift Shaft Seal or 2) Drive shaft seal. What would you suggest I do while I have this apart? Now as I said, the guy I bought the boat from did say, he just had a new prop, oil changes done and just serviced a few weeks ago. But I cannot verify this myself other than the new prop, I do know it is brand new.
The guy I spoke with today quoted me $300 to fix my problem. To me as minor as I think this is, this seems a bit expensive to pay this amount, I may be wrong and I am sure you guys would know better than I do about this quote. I think this included the water pump serviced as well if I am not mistaking.. Still!

Well I would love to tackle this project over the weekend and hopefully I could have it done, only if I had the parts I need to fix it with, maybe my local boat dealer would have these parts in stock. I would just have to check and see, and this is only if they are open on Saturday.

Anymore videos or any other helpful websites or instructions would be awesome.
I do apologize for my ignorance and asking so many questions, but it seems like you guys are the best at this type of stuff and very helpful.
Thanks, Bo

 

[dymd3z]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Guys, When I got home from work today, I decided to let the jack down on the trailer so that the boat is actually sitting level. It does appear that it is not leaking while I have the boat sitting level, only when I have the jack up to where the nose of the boat is up.

Can someone explain to me as to why it only leaks when the jack is jacked up and not when the boat is sitting level?

 

[achris]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

The level of the oil in the cavity. You have a leaking seal... Remove the drive, drain the oil and pressure test it... You've seen the video on removing.. It takes 3 minutes, including commentary! Set the drive up on a stand and drain the oil. Get yourself a pressure gauge(up to about 15psi) and pressurise the empty drive with air. If the gauge starts dropping, see if you can hear where it's coming from, then use a spray bottle with soapy water in it and start spraying around that areas. There are only a few seals it could be, so concentrate on those areas. The leaking air will cause the soapy water to bubble up, revealing the source of the leak... Once you find which seal it is you can make a decision on whether to fix it yourself or take JUST THE DRIVE to a shop and have them sort it out....

So, stop procrastinating and get that drive off....

Chris..........

 

[dymd3z]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Yes sir

The level of the oil in the cavity. You have a leaking seal... Remove the drive, drain the oil and pressure test it... You've seen the video on removing.. It takes 3 minutes, including commentary! Set the drive up on a stand and drain the oil. Get yourself a pressure gauge(up to about 15psi) and pressurise the empty drive with air. If the gauge starts dropping, see if you can hear where it's coming from, then use a spray bottle with soapy water in it and start spraying around that areas. There are only a few seals it could be, so concentrate on those areas. The leaking air will cause the soapy water to bubble up, revealing the source of the leak... Once you find which seal it is you can make a decision on whether to fix it yourself or take JUST THE DRIVE to a shop and have them sort it out....

So, stop procrastinating and get that drive off....

Chris..........

 

[dymd3z]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Sir, can you provide the link to where I can purchase the Shift Shaft Seal?

 

[achris]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Sir, can you provide the link to where I can purchase the Shift Shaft Seal?

www.mercruiserparts.com

Part number is 26-8164641

 

[joewithaboat]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Good job Chris!
nice video's.....

 

[achris]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Good job Chris!
nice video's.....

Thanks...

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

Sir, can you provide the link to where I can purchase the Shift Shaft Seal?

I hope you are not just guessing or hoping your leak is at the shift shaft seal.... You wont know exactly until you do your pressure test. And we are all anxious to hear how that comes out! Please keep us posted! Then when you have identified your "smoking gun", you can go get the right parts and hopefully not spend money where you don't need to. Remember also, that when you split the drive to go after the shift shaft seal (if that is the leaker), you also need to replace your quad seal. If you dont have the full history on the impeller, might as well go after that kit, too. Then there is the gear oil...and the fill pump. Also new gaskets for reinstalling the drive onto the boat.... Then there is the spline grease, and grease/sealants for the hardware assembly as recommended in the manual.... Wow! isnt this fun! There are a couple of good websites where you can input your drive numbers and see an exploded diagram of your drive complete with part numbers and prices. www.mercruiserparts.com and www.crowleymarine.com . Let me know how those work out for you. I take those numbers and go shopping for best parts and prices... even going to Amazon.com and other places (not to mention here on iboats) Lot of the parts numbers come right up on Amazon, and sometimes you get free shipping! Best of luck! We're pulling for you!

 

[achris]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

I hope you are not just guessing or hoping your leak is at the shift shaft seal....

I suspect he's been told 'it's always the shift shaft seal'... So he's going to just go ahead and replace that, without doing any testing... Oh well, horses and water again

 

[Deese566]

Re: HELP..Oil Leak.. Mercruiser

The shift shaft seal is a likely candidate however you can useually see this problem with the drive trimmed up an a good flashlight. You will see most of your oil dripping off the back of your cavitation plate ,or the big flat zinc thats mounted there. the prob they had with s/s seals was the pressure would push this seal up out of the seal carrier. you could replace the assembly however on sat afternoon in a pinch i have cleaned the oil off an apply a thin coat of red loctite around the outside of the seal an push it back into the seal carrier an never have a prob with it again. But from what your describing i think whoever mentioned drive shaft seals may be right on. There is a cone shape plastic seal carrier under the water pump plate that contains two seals ,an when they go bad gear oil will collect in the cavity around the water pump an seep out of the small drain holes on the side of your drive. I have also seen the upper drive shaft seals go bad an oil will run down the drive shaft an onto the top of the water pump hsg an into the same cavity an out the same weep holes. My guess is its gonna be the seals under the water pump. Drives that have hardly no paint left on their skegs typically is a sign that this boat has been beached alot , therefore has pumped a good bit of sand through it witch is rough on this particular set of seals. If you just bought this boat ,it would be a good idea to put a fresh impeller in that drive an will be a good opportunity to inspect this area an i think you will find a heavy build up of sand an gear oil. Good