why is there water in the foot??

[hondarider188]

on my 1985 Evinrude 140hp the lower unit or foot is full of water. i found this out when i hooked up the motor flusher to it and started the engine at first water was coming out with the exaust but there was no pee stream but after about a little under a minute it started coming out. so thats when i got wondering why it took a second to come out so when i got looking close there was water coming out of the seam where the lower section of the foot and the upper section meet. so what does the water travel through once its pumped up into the foot what i mean is does it travel up through a hose or is it just pumped into the entire foot. so then i checked the oil and it was almost a milky white so i is leaking water but where is it coming out at. is it getting in by the pump then just has a leak in there somewhere when its makeing its way up to the engine or is it sitting in the water and coming in through the same seam.

 

[Afzape]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

I'm kind of new at this, but it sounds like you have a couple things going wrong. there is a tube that comes down from the powerhead and attaches to the water pump housing. If this tube is not lined up correctly or the grommet inside is worn out you will have a leak there and can cause extra water to come from the seam between the lower unit and the midsection.

The milky oil in the lower unit is coming from a bad seal somewhere within the lower unit. Even with the water pump tube leaking it should not drain into the internals of the lower unit unless there is a bad seal somewhere else too.

If you are mechanically inclined drop the lower unit and take it to your local dealer and have them pressure or vacuum test it to tell you what seal is leaking. If you are really mechanically inclined and motivated you can pressure check it yourself. Just need the tools.

Everyone else please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm new at this and am just tearing into my first lower unit. This is what i have gathered form looking at schematics and reading other posts.

 

[hondarider188]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

thanks for the help. so if the oil has water in it would that be from running it out in the water and it being submersed in the water. and would it be a good idea to change the oil then take it out and run it and when i get home to check the oil again and see if it has water in it? and how does the lower unit come apart do the bolts just come out and it slides apart or is there a big fancy complicated way to seperating them?

 

[nwcove]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

if the gearcase oil is milky, change it, make sure to replace the nylon washers on the fill and drain plugs. (they are really cheap, and needed). fill from the bottom tho. run it again, check it again to confirm it is leaking or not, it does sound like it is leaking.

 

[fisherguy123]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

,

make sure to replace the nylon washers on the fill and drain plugs. (they are really cheap, and needed)..

I had a similar problem with milky oil and changed the nylon washers which corrected it fpr me ....maybe you might be so lucky as well

 

[jchristi]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

get a 10 dollar fuel pump tester from harbor freight. "T" that into a line with one end connected to a bike foot pump and the other end connected to the piece you use to fill it with gear oil. pump it to 5-10 PSI and turn the prop and shaft and see if it holds. spray soap and water mix on the seals and plugs and see which one is leaking. It is very easy to do.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

It is COMMON for water to leak from the seam. The entire leg fills with water during cooling.

If you want to prevent that little water leak...... you could make a gasket fro between the gearcase and exhaust leg or you could even use a thin coat of silicone sealer and re-assemble.

You really need to buy a shop manual.

 

[Beernutz]

Re: why is there water in the foot??

Forget about the water coming out from the seam. It's normal.

Shift rod seals are another common cause of water getting into the gearcase. They're cheap and easy to change, too.