Oil leaking

[hotpins300]

I have a 28 hp Johnson which I just recently got running again. However, now there is a black fluid leaking from where the prop is put in at. The fluid is black, but it's pretty thin and I can't tell if it's really dirty water or oil. Any thoughts? Thanks guys

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Oil leaking

Have a read here

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=207285

 

[OptsyEagle]

Re: Oil leaking

Sounds like just unburnt fuel and carbon residue. It runs down your exhaust and mixes with the water and looks like a black oil. It is normal. Happens more when you are running it in a barrel without a load on it for any period of time.

 

[hotpins300]

Re: Oil leaking

Hightrim! that is a great link, and a relief. I did not have a means to accurately measure oil last time i filled up my 6 gallon tank and as a result i went heavy on the oil, and that seems to be the reason for the apparent leak. Another quick question if you dont mind...do you suggest unplugging the fuel line and running the engine until all the fuel in the carb is used up? I believe I've heard that somewhere, but im not sure. Thanks for your help!

 

[hotpins300]

Re: Oil leaking

Sounds like just unburnt fuel and carbon residue. It runs down your exhaust and mixes with the water and looks like a black oil. It is normal. Happens more when you are running it in a barrel without a load on it for any period of time.

Eagle, that does appear to be it! I appreciate your respone. I'm a new boat owner and any advice helps. And what a relief to know its not a big issue

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Oil leaking

Definate no no on multi carb motors, but on single carb motors some guys do it. I personally dont, I just run stabilizer and carbon guard in my fuel and have never had a problem.

 

[hotpins300]

Re: Oil leaking

Definate no no on multi carb motors, but on single carb motors some guys do it. I personally dont, I just run stabilizer and carbon guard in my fuel and have never had a problem.

Stabilizer and carbon gaurd...do i just pick that up at marine place? At this point I don't mix anything in with the fuel. Again I appreciate your responses.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Oil leaking

It helps to treat your fuel. Carbon guard is a dealer item if you so choose to use it. Fuel Stabilizer can be picked up almost anywhere, although I prefer the marine type of stabilizer, with ethanol treatment.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Oil leaking

Fuel Stabilizer is normally used for long term storage of fuel. If you plan to burn the fuel up in a few weeks, it is unnecessary. Carbon Guard helps remove carbon. As a yearly treatment it probably has some value. I cannot imagine both of these products are necessary to use continuously.

Sounds like snake oil to me

 

[hotpins300]

Re: Oil leaking

Thanks Chris. What exactly is snake oil?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Oil leaking

Snake oil is a term for a product which is claimed by the advertiser to do great things, but actually does nothing. The example is the "Medicine or Elixers" sold in the Medicine Shows in the early part of the 20th century. They were claimed to cure all kinds of sickness, but were usually just alcohol or some kind of folk drugs, which cured nothing.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Oil leaking

I think everyone can agree that fuel stabilizer is not a snake oil. I have a few boats/motors and am not able to run them all as much as I should in the summer. I use stabilizer in my fuel to prevent gum up/deposit build up, phase separation, fuel breakdown, corrosion, ethanol issues, etc....Popular and known brands are Stabil Marine and Startron.

Carbon Guard, or Seafoam, is not a snake oil. Decarb a motor that has not been maintained and you will smoke out every cottage on your lake. I run seafoam or carbon guard, along with xd50 oil, and find my motors are extremely clean and healthy. We are not talking about a big ticket item here, a $10 bottle of seafoam, used as a preventative maintainence item, goes quite a long way. Search seafoam or decarb on this forum and you will have plenty of reading ahead of you.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Oil leaking

Hightrim, Both fuel stabilizer and Carbon Guard-type products are recent inventions. They were not invented in the 60s, and our OB motors survived just fine. They are therefore clearly not essential.

I am not saying that they do nothing, but I am questioning whether they need to be added to every bit of fuel, as you suggest. I use fuel stabilizer once a year in the fall, last trip before winter storage. I have tried seafoam. It smokes up the neighborhood for sure, but I have never noticed an oz of improvement in how the motor ran, afterwood. Does the stabilizer provide some benefit? Perhaps...

These products probably do no harm when run continuously, however, I think running them in this fashion is better for the sellers pocketbook, than your motor.