Oil Leak?

[Hahn_Solo]

Greetings everyone,

First time boat owner here with a question about my 1985 Johnson 115 V4 outboard.

Last week I took my boat out and the next day I noticed a leak coming from the middle section of the unit. Any ideas on what this could be? From what I have been researching it could be a bad seal or oil that the 2 stoke didn’t burn off. Wanting to fix this before I winterize her for the season.

I spent the last couple of hours of the trip trolling at idle speed so not sure if that played into this issue.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[oldboat1]

Smell test. Gearcase oil smells like sulphur.
Drain and refill the gearcase for storage (typically), and wrap the l.u. in a garbage bag to keep out pests. Store upright so the unburned fuel and any water can drain.

 

[F_R]

Does gear oil defy gravity and run uphill these days?

 

[Vic.S]

Greetings everyone,

First time boat owner here with a question about my 1985 Johnson 115 V4 outboard.

Last week I took my boat out and the next day I noticed a leak coming from the middle section of the unit. Any ideas on what this could be? From what I have been researching it could be a bad seal or oil that the 2 stoke didn’t burn off. Wanting to fix this before I winterize her for the season.

I spent the last couple of hours of the trip trolling at idle speed so not sure if that played into this issue.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Almost certainly partly burnt oil from the fuel.... especially if you've been running for a prolonged period at low speed

As said gear oil smells unpleasant ... like rotting cabbages. and is not likely to leak from anywhere above the oil level in the gear case anyway as F_R implies

Read this item from the Engine FAQs

Oil leaking around lower unit, by IWombat Verified

Oil leaking around the lower unit So, you have oil leaking out of, or around the lower unit on your two-stroke outboard and you?re wondering what to make of it all. There?s only a few possibilities. Fortunately for you, most of the time it?s pretty benign. Reason #1 - Unburned 2-stroke oil...

forums.iboats.com

 

[Grub54891]

I agree with the above. If that was gear oil, it's very dirty being that black. I've seen dirty gear oil, usually because it's never changed. I assume you change it yearly at this point?

 

[Hahn_Solo]

Thanks for all the info everyone. I changed the gear oil when I first bought the boat in the spring and will change it again when I winterize the boat this week.

The engine FAQ was very helpful too, so thanks for sharing as well.