Oil Leak?

[mulliganmagic]

My motor is a 1977 70hp Merc and yesterday when I changed the motor from one boat to another that under the cover is very greasy and oily. This is mainly on the port side of the engine block. The guy that switched my motor works on OMC and says that he doesn't know much about mercs but he said it looks like a broken line somewhere or a block leak/crack. However, my theory behind it is that it's the carburetor gasket. When I had my carbs cleaned (by a relative not a dealer) one of the gaskets broke, and half of it stayed on the motor and half on the carb. I tried to find a replacement but no one around me had one so I just put it back on there and hope that it sealed back up. I think that may be what's leaking, but I'm not sure. I would greatly appreciate it if someone else could give me their opinion or thoughts on the matter.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Oil Leak?

I suppose the oil could be coming from that but worse yet. If that gasket isn't sealing its going to make that cylinder run lean. That can cause you to burn a hole in that piston. You need to replace it with a good gasket before running it any more.

 

[mulliganmagic]

Re: Oil Leak?

I never thought about that, but I'll order new gaskets for both of my carbs tomorrow. It still kind of makes me worried because the OMC guy said the leak could be dangerious too. I guess I need to hope that that's where the leak is coming from. Any other thoughts?