Should a Mercruiser I/O drive use some oil?

[tawood]

Hi all,
I just got an '04 Bayliner with an alpha drive from a guy who was, like me, very anal. He kept every receipt for every bit of work he ever had done on his boat, and the records look very complete...engine oil changes and drive unit oil change every fall, etc. The boat also has an hour meter, with only 58 hours.
My question is, should my drive unit use oil? I've had the boat out 3 times now, for about 3 running hours each time. Afterwords, I notice the gear lube oil monitor is down about 1/2 inch...the monitor is about the diameter of a quart of oil, so this amount would equate to about 1/16 of a quart or so. I refill every time, then the next time I'm out, it is down again. The container appears to have pure oil in it, with no water contamination, etc.

Thanks for any advice in advance,
Tim

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Should a Mercruiser I/O drive use some oil?

Howdy,


Your drive does not "use" oil any more than a transmission or rear axle uses it. It could be leaking.

Run it a bit and wait before you start worrying about it though. The drive lube reservoir will go up and down a little with temp of the drive and will drop after you R&R the oil for a few trips before it settles down.

Did the previous owner tell he changed the oil before you got it or did you have the oil changed?

 

[arks]

Re: Should a Mercruiser I/O drive use some oil?

If the lower unit is filled from the top screw it'll trap some air. That might explain why it's "using" oil (which it should NOT).
Always fill from the BOTTOM hole and stop when the oil comes out the top hole. Secure the top screw before removing the fill bottle (or hose).

 

[tawood]

Re: Should a Mercruiser I/O drive use some oil?

The drive oil was changed last fall (he had the receipt and work order) and it has not been run since...the receipt showed engine hours, which was the same when I bought the boat.
Soooo....I guess I'll fill it again, and run it another 3 hours or so, and see if it drops again. If it does, I guess I'll have it looked at.

 

[Don S]

Re: Should a Mercruiser I/O drive use some oil?

It probably just burped the air bubble from refilling . Just keep an eye on the reservoir. The level should not keep dropping nor turn milky colored.

 

[Action]

Re: Should a Mercruiser I/O drive use some oil?

When I got my glastron last summer, it was brand new and i noticed that the drive oil was dropping in the visual reservoir, had to buy some drive oil, topped it off two or three times. Had the marina pressure test the system when I put it away for the winter. Has not used any oil since this year. I couldn't equate it to if it was just new or if there was an air pocket. It really shouldn't use any!