US1 Fountain

Thank you.

Jerry

pstorti

if there is brass coming from the upper gears the magnets wouldn't catch it but it could account for the streaks. I would send the oil out for analysis to be sure. You can try Blackstone labs they are great.

ziemer

Not necessarily, the Merc oil mixes with small amounts of water fairly well and makes a milky green color. (At least that's what I've seen on some of my gearcases in the past when they were seeping in water. )

US1 Fountain

Alright, back on the 1st drive that had more of a off color than new oil. Went to refill tonight and pulled the lower drain plug and had some pretty brownish oil come out that has settled to the bottom the last couple of days since drained. I'm guessing water??? So did some looking into it.

1st,
Is the lower cavity that houses the shift detent ball and shift linkage in the rear cover supposed to be dry, or will it also hold gear lube? I see there is a seal on the shift shaft which I would think hold the lube in the upper 1/2, but I have some lube in there. Also the shift linkages look not so clean. I've always noticed the linkage to have almost a rust/oil crud on it every time I've pulled the drive off last few yrs. The o-ring between the bell housing and drive is good and so is the mating surfaces. Shift cable??? A couple yrs ago I undid the cable barrel in the drive and filled with RTV because I thought water was getting in past the threads as there is no gasket there.


2nd,
I pulled the top cap and noticed the 2 orings are almost flush with the cap. They are flat spotted and have almost nothing protruding to compress when tightened, so thinking not sealing good. Going to replace those.

hillbilly24

There shouldn't be any oil in the shift cavity where the detent ball is housed, it is lubed with grease during assembly. The oil is probably coming from the shift shaft seal but it could be from the back cap oring.

There also shouldn't be any rust or water up by the shift cable end. It is usually caused by the shift cable not sealing. There should be a rubber seal where it secures to the drive bellhousing. I always put a little silicone on the rubber washer though to help it seal.

cuda

Not if it's emulisified with water.

US1 Fountain

Removed the shift cable and RTV'd it. Must had been my previous boat I did that on, this one had none on it. Removed the large o-ring from the top cap. It is oval shaped, not round. Is that right or has it been compressed long enough to take new shape? Getting replaced anyways, just curious.

On to the shift seal.

Thanks HB

Mr Gadgets

It has been compressed. They are round when new. They can be reused in most cases, but I replace if they dont feel round.. like your are.
When you put the back cap on, you can put some (skim coat) RTV on the back of the drive if there is any paint peeled or corroded metal. That helps seal with the oring material in the groove on the back cap.

Hope that fixes things.. No oil or water should get to the shif linkage area..

US1 Fountain

The o-ring measured .073 x .126. Far from round. Also is a bit on the hard side, so obviously shot. Between the top cap seals and shifter seal, all should be good. The rest were replaced 2 yrs ago when I rebuilt the lowers. Probably best to do the other drives cap now too for reassurance.

Thanks