Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

[bowler]

Hey all,

Here's my story. Bought boat last November. At the time I checked the drive lube and it contained no water. The monitor was approx half full. The dealer had just changed the bellows before purchase. It has remained at around half full since then. I checked last week after a few days boating and it's all but empty. There are not and were not any signs of leaks on the drive way where the boat is stored. The boat is 60 miles away and I am heading down to it tomorrow so here's my plan:

1) Check drive for water.
2) If present leave it into tech to check bellows, seals, maybe do pressure test etc.
3) If no water in the drive topup from monitor and keep an eye.

Does this sound right? Also, someone mentioned removing the prop and looking for fishing line which I will also do.

Also, is step 2 likey to be time consuming/pricey?

Any and all advice is appreciated.

D.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

Check drive for water.Pull the drive loose first to see if the oil went into the bellows.That will narrow down the possibility's.J

 

[Hank496]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

If the drive was drained and re-filled recently some oil will flow back into the drive as it is used and air bubbles are burped up. This takes time and use, so even if it was refilled last fall, if the boat has had sporadic use it might just now be settling to the correct level. First you should refill bottle and use the boat to see if the bottle goes down anymore. If after a couple of outings there is no further loss, you lucked out. By the way, use the right stuff! Merc has two types of drive oil, High Performance (synthetic) and Premium (dinosuar juice). These are not compatible with each other. If your present oil has a green color it is High Performance. But in any event check the literature to see what type of gear oil to use.

The next possibility is that the drive shaft seal at the upper unit is failing/has failed. Gear oil will drain into the drive shaft bellows. If this is just started it may take a while before it starts flowing back into the bilge, especially if you store the drive with the leg down. However, sooner or later you will have an oil slick under the engine.

As long as you keep the bottle filled to the operating range, and don't let it go dry you should be ok to use the boat until you can sort out what the cause of the missing oil is.

 

[fat fanny]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

I basidally have the same package and just replaced upper seal and let me tell you when it goes it goes the oil will almost immediately empty the resivoir bottle within and hour. I would bet the oil has just finally settled but for piece of mind have the tech check the bellows for oil.

 

[bowler]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

Forgive my ignorance but would the lube have been changed when the bellows were replaced? If so then the burping could be a reason but the boat has been well used since April or so, pretty much every weekend. I'll check for water today and top up and work towards getting it to the tech to check the bellows. Thanks for the tips fellas.

D.

 

[Hank496]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

Forgive my ignorance but would the lube have been changed when the bellows were replaced? If so then the burping could be a reason but the boat has been well used since April or so, pretty much every weekend. I'll check for water today and top up and work towards getting it to the tech to check the bellows. Thanks for the tips fellas.

D.

Its possible. They guy that takes care of my drives changes the oil every fall as part of the winterization process. That way he can check for any water. While that is bad enough, water freezing in the drive during our New England winter would be worse!

I'd start looking for oil in the bilge under the engine. You might want to get a package of the oil absorbing squares. Boat supply houses like West carry them. Stick one, or two of these under the engine and if there is a seal leak, it will make clean up a lot less messy.

 

[bowler]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

Well, good news thus far. Pulled the lower plug and nothing but but smelly, and i do mean smelly, green/blue gear oil. So i'll top it up today, stick some pads in the bilge and carry on as normal.

I'm thinking that it will be the seal as I can't imagine the guy changing the lube if he didn't have to, although in saying that he did grease the drive a plenty which he also didn't have to so I guess we'll wait and see.

As always, thanks for the tips.

D.

 

[bowler]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

I ended up refilling the entire drive due to the condition of the lube that was already in there (burnt and smelly). The gasket on the upper vent hole was in a very bad state. Refilled and installed new gaskets and took the boat out today. Ran for an hour and glad to report that there was no change in the oil level so hopefully that rules out the drive shaft seal. I'm hoping that the leak occured over time from the upper gasket being shot but i guess only time will tell.

D.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

I'm hoping that the leak occured over time from the upper gasket being shot but i guess only time will tell.

Dont guess. It leads to very expensive repairs. Your outdrive is supposed to be a sealed unit. Nothing in, nothing out,no exceptions. There is no gaskets that go bad that would cause a leak, only seals. Have it pressure tested and find out where that leak is and get it fixed, or the next post you will be asking in the future is: "Are SEI outdrives any good?"

 

[fat fanny]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

I have to agree totally with Alpheus. I know when I pulled my O/D I was hesitant to pressure and vac test it and getting the fittings together was a little of a pain but I'm glad I did and it did hold pressure and vac so I feel re-assured that my work was reliable and the drive is air tight like he said it could lead to a costly replacement and or repair that can be avoided @ a minimal price!!!!!!! Good luck

 

[bowler]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

Point taken folks. I will get it pressure tested by a tech in a few weeks at the end of the season and will check the bellows for gearlube at this time. In the meantime I will be checking for water in the drive on a daily basis after each outing while monitoring the oil level. The drive has shown no leaks on the driveway while stored and when I emptied the lube there was no traces of water whatsoever and the boat has been well used over summer. I do appreciate the words of caution! I don't intend to ignore the situation, just keep and eye on it over the next few weekends before it comes out for good and rule out the driveshaft seal, and trapped air scenarios completely.

D.

 

[bowler]

Re: Leaking lube?? '96 alpha 1 gen 2

Dont guess. It leads to very expensive repairs. Your outdrive is supposed to be a sealed unit. Nothing in, nothing out,no exceptions. There is no gaskets that go bad that would cause a leak, only seals. Have it pressure tested and find out where that leak is and get it fixed, or the next post you will be asking in the future is: "Are SEI outdrives any good?"

I mean the upper drive plug seal/washer - I can't see how it couldn't have been doing it's job. It was in bits.