Merc washer on drain/vent plugs??

[dhauser]

I've been reading through older posts and keep seeing people talk about O-ring or paper/fiber washers to be used on the vent and drain plugs on a merc... is this true of the pre-alpha? I ask because I sure as heck saw no such thing when I opened either of these to check my gear oil - and it was just filled (among other maint. items) by a marina the week before!!<br /><br />Although gear oil is still full, it has a cloudy look to it compared to what went in - so this washer thing caught my attention...<br /><br />Thanks

 

[Laddies]

Re: Merc washer on drain/vent plugs??

All pre Alphas sould have gaskets on the screws

 

[dhauser]

Re: Merc washer on drain/vent plugs??

Nice... it's a good feeling to know I've taken the boat to someone who didn't put the screws on correctly. I've contacted them & the merc tech is going to call me back. I sure hope this didn't cause a problem... >8{

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Merc washer on drain/vent plugs??

When you remove the drain screw or vent screw ,the gasket will usually not come off and be very obvious.It will usually stick to the drive where it is seated.Depending on how tight the screw was you may have to use a small pick to get the gasket out.By the way,how do you know the drive is full and the lube is cloudy??? Charlie

 

[dhauser]

Re: Merc washer on drain/vent plugs??

Because when the boat died one day this past week, I called them (the marina) and described the problem & they said to check the lube among other things. I said "how do I know the level??" and was told to remove the vent plug, and the fluid should be right up near the bottom of the vent opening. Then he said to replace the top (if ok) and unscrew the bottom to catch a little lube to see if there are any metal shavings in it. That's when I noticed the color was cloudy compared to the clear blue of the extra bottle of merc lube they gave me. Although I have nothing to compare it to, so maybe it's worse than I think...