Gearcase full of water
 

I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took it out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There are 200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner but it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked it and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


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Gearcase full of water
 

"habbi" wrote in message
...
I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took it
out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There are
200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner but it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked it
and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


Hi Mark,
Since it had more water than oil, your dealer should open it up and inspect
the internals. Chances are the bearings will be pitted or rusty and probably
grooved a bit from the inadequate lubrication qualities of H2O. If that is
the case, the dealer should turn in for a new g'earcase assembly after
talking with the factory. Was there fishing line around the shaft? Was a
drain screw loose? Was the prop all beat up causing a wobble on the shaft?
The owners manual said that you should change oil every 100 hours and check
it every 50. Now there are 200 hours on a commercial motor, according to
your post. When you get the new one, your best bet is to institute a more
frequent maintenance interval.

Bill Grannis
service manager

Gearcase full of water
 

Reading this between the lines I can see several reasons for OMC to try to
squirm out of the warranty work.
Make sure you pull the prop, remove any fishing line, and make sure the prop
is in good shape. Suddenly remember you changed the oil 100 hours ago.
Replace any loose or missing drain screws.

And insist it come all the way apart for inspection.

-W



"Billgran" wrote in message news:eL4Fb.55036

Hi Mark,
Since it had more water than oil, your dealer should open it up and
inspect
the internals. Chances are the bearings will be pitted or rusty and
probably
grooved a bit from the inadequate lubrication qualities of H2O. If that is
the case, the dealer should turn in for a new g'earcase assembly after
talking with the factory. Was there fishing line around the shaft? Was a
drain screw loose? Was the prop all beat up causing a wobble on the shaft?
The owners manual said that you should change oil every 100 hours and
check
it every 50. Now there are 200 hours on a commercial motor, according to
your post. When you get the new one, your best bet is to institute a more
frequent maintenance interval.

Bill Grannis
service manager

Gearcase full of water
 

Clams Canino wrote:

Reading this between the lines I can see several reasons for OMC to try to
squirm out of the warranty work.
Make sure you pull the prop, remove any fishing line, and make sure the prop
is in good shape. Suddenly remember you changed the oil 100 hours ago.
Replace any loose or missing drain screws.

And insist it come all the way apart for inspection.

-W



"Billgran" wrote in message news:eL4Fb.55036

Hi Mark,
Since it had more water than oil, your dealer should open it up and
inspect
the internals. Chances are the bearings will be pitted or rusty and
probably
grooved a bit from the inadequate lubrication qualities of H2O. If that is
the case, the dealer should turn in for a new g'earcase assembly after
talking with the factory. Was there fishing line around the shaft? Was a
drain screw loose? Was the prop all beat up causing a wobble on the shaft?
The owners manual said that you should change oil every 100 hours and
check
it every 50. Now there are 200 hours on a commercial motor, according to
your post. When you get the new one, your best bet is to institute a more
frequent maintenance interval.

Bill Grannis
service manager






I agree with the Clam Man; check for wrapped fishing line.

I celebrated the end of the fishing season on Yo Ho by noticing that I
*still* had all the paint on the prop. Not one grounding in the Bay this
year. Obviously, I wasn't trying as hard as I should.


--
Email sent to is never read.

Gearcase full of water
 

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 18:59:39 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

Not one grounding in the Bay this
year. Obviously, I wasn't trying as hard as I should.

=====================================

Obviously your water is too deep and overly charted. You should bring
it down to SW Florida for a proper prop polishing and skeg bash. I
have found two uncharted jumping rocks in the last three days.

Hopefully santa will leave a nice new propeller under the tree because
the old one is looking a little ragged right now.

Gearcase full of water
 

Wayne.B wrote:

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 18:59:39 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

Not one grounding in the Bay this
year. Obviously, I wasn't trying as hard as I should.

=====================================

Obviously your water is too deep and overly charted. You should bring
it down to SW Florida for a proper prop polishing and skeg bash. I
have found two uncharted jumping rocks in the last three days.

Hopefully santa will leave a nice new propeller under the tree because
the old one is looking a little ragged right now.


Charted? Who needs any steeenking charts? I rarely look at charts for
fishing around Chesapeake Bay. If you are close to the "edges," there's
no water, even a half mile out in some places (maybe 2'). Most of the
fishing places I go to don't require the use of charts, When you're in
the middle of the Bay, you can, in most areas, see both shorelines.

Seriously, I do take a gander at my book'o'charts if I'm heading
somewhere I haven't been. There's not much to hit in the Bay, although
running aground in the mud is a problem.

In NE Florida, I lost paint on the props the first day in the water.
Lots of shallows to fish over, shallow oyster beds, et cetera. But not
much like that up here.




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Gearcase full of water
 

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 22:32:21 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

There's not much to hit in the Bay, although
running aground in the mud is a problem.

==================================

Mud: good

Jumping rocks: bad

They are particularly annoying when the chart shows not even a glimmer
of trouble, and you went through exactly the same area the day before
without hitting anything. The good news is that aluminum I/O props
are a lot cheaper than bronze Bertram props.

Gearcase full of water
 

it's amazing what fishing line can do !!!!
don't blame the engine, or dealer.....
next time check your prop, for fishing line which gets in the seals, thus
the water..... not rocket science here.

"habbi" wrote in message
...
I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took it
out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There are
200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner but it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked it
and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


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Gearcase full of water
 

noah wrote:

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 04:49:59 GMT, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 22:32:21 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

There's not much to hit in the Bay, although
running aground in the mud is a problem.

==================================

Mud: good

Jumping rocks: bad

They are particularly annoying when the chart shows not even a glimmer
of trouble, and you went through exactly the same area the day before
without hitting anything. The good news is that aluminum I/O props
are a lot cheaper than bronze Bertram props.

We, Nor'easterners, also have "jumping rocks" in our rivers and lakes. We also
have "stump thumpers", and a Northern version of "crocodillia nastiosis", the
dreaded "Prop-ogator".

These little known reptilians inhabit waters throughout the Northeast, and
contribute a great deal to the local economy.

Regards,
noah

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
...as you were. :o)


Growing up on the Connecticut side of the Long Island Sound shoreline, I
was always astonished at rocks popping up in places where I just *knew*
there couldn't be any. Sometimes during an extra-low tide, nature would
reveal herself and I'd be horrified at the sight of jagged-edged "reefs"
that could only be a few inches under my boats as I sped over them.
These were unmarked, too. Not on the danged chart.


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Gearcase full of water
 

I took off the prop and no fishing line, both plugs were tight and the seals
in perfect condition and like I said I pressurized it to 20 psi and sprayed
soapy water around the shaft, shift rod and driveshaft seals and no bubbles.
The only thing left would be a vacuum test which I did not perform. Anyway I
sent it off to the dealer yesterday. Come to think of it the prop was loose
and beat up on the shaft but the shaft itself was true as I rotated it. How
do you find the Mercury props with removable plastic OMC hubs. I have 2
motors with these props and they always seem to get loose.
"Billgran" wrote in message
om...

"habbi" wrote in message
...
I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took it
out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean
pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it
was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There are
200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner but
it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked it
and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably
corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


Hi Mark,
Since it had more water than oil, your dealer should open it up and
inspect
the internals. Chances are the bearings will be pitted or rusty and
probably
grooved a bit from the inadequate lubrication qualities of H2O. If that is
the case, the dealer should turn in for a new g'earcase assembly after
talking with the factory. Was there fishing line around the shaft? Was a
drain screw loose? Was the prop all beat up causing a wobble on the shaft?
The owners manual said that you should change oil every 100 hours and
check
it every 50. Now there are 200 hours on a commercial motor, according to
your post. When you get the new one, your best bet is to institute a more
frequent maintenance interval.

Bill Grannis
service manager




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Gearcase full of water
 

I fail to see (with through prop exhaust and the propshaft seal WAY back in
there) how fishing line is such a concern. Other areas are the drive shaft,
shift shaft and porosity of the case, gaskets, etc. Also, a slight bend in
either drive of prop shaft might not show up under a pressure test but can
leak under a load at normal rpms.
LD

"Joseph Stachyra" wrote in message
...
it's amazing what fishing line can do !!!!
don't blame the engine, or dealer.....
next time check your prop, for fishing line which gets in the seals,
thus
the water..... not rocket science here.

"habbi" wrote in message
...
I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took it
out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean
pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it
was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There are
200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner but
it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked it
and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably
corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


---
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Gearcase full of water
 

FISHING LINE, has been the cause of water, getting in behind the prop, for
many years. If the boat is in salt water, worse yet.... the seals get
destroyed by the fishing line binding in due to the rotation of the prop,
the water gets behind the seal, thus water will raise, to its level, thus
the gear case gets contaminated with water mixing with the gear oil, any
easy check, if the boat is small enough to be on a trailer, the owner
should notice a leakage of oil coming from the seal dripping on the ground,
thus you lose your gear oil, the salt water, will then takes it place,
doing a lot of nasty stuff, like eating at your lower bearings, that are on
the shaft to the prop. it can also get costly to change all that stuff.
Next time at a good dealership, ask about seal damage, from fishing line.
The man stated earlier, in his posts, that this boat was not checked, like
it should because it's too damn big. If he can afford a 31 footer, this
is no big problem.

"LD" wrote in message
nk.net...
I fail to see (with through prop exhaust and the propshaft seal WAY back
in
there) how fishing line is such a concern. Other areas are the drive
shaft,
shift shaft and porosity of the case, gaskets, etc. Also, a slight bend
in
either drive of prop shaft might not show up under a pressure test but can
leak under a load at normal rpms.
LD

"Joseph Stachyra" wrote in message
...
it's amazing what fishing line can do !!!!
don't blame the engine, or dealer.....
next time check your prop, for fishing line which gets in the seals,
thus
the water..... not rocket science here.

"habbi" wrote in message
...
I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took
it
out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean
pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it
was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There
are
200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner
but
it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked
it
and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably
corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


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Gearcase full of water
 

"habbi" wrote in message
...
. I have 2
motors with these props and they always seem to get loose.


Are you torquing the prop nut to the recommended 70-80 ft.-lbs.?

Bill Grannis
service manager

Gearcase full of water
 

Joseph, I'm well aware of what can happen once water gets in the gear case,
perhaps more than you, since I've had it happen many, many times over the
last 25 years. In my little duck boat (w/a 25 Johnson) I've hit things and
cracked the case. I've hit things and shattered props. I've hit things and
bent the prop shaft. I've sucked in enough mud to not only wear out the
impeller, but also the ss housing and groove the drive shaft. Once I've
gotten water in, I've had it freeze and put more cracks in the case.
(Did'ja ever have to put a heater under the foot so you could melt the ice,
so you could turn over the prop??) In addition, I've wrapped so many weeds,
ropes, decoy lines (I use 100# mono on mine.), I have nicks in the housing
where I've cut these things off. The back side of the housing (junction to
the prop) is actually tapered and polished from wear of lines, weeds, etc.
BUT---I've NEVER found line that made it all the way to the prop shaft to
put pressure on the seal. Have you? Or, are you just repeating what you've
heard?
Incidentally, I also have a 200hp merc on an old V20 Steplift (only for
about a year). I've picked up line around the prop twice but none made it to
the shaft. So, I stick by my earlier statement, based upon my knowledge of
the design of these two engines (but I won't say it CAN'T happen, just that
there are many other possibilities). Maybe habbi's engine is different and
will easily allow line to wrap around the prop shaft and mash against the
seal which somehow opens it??
I will say that a "good" mechanic with analytical thinking abilities and
diagnostic abilities is extremely rare. I'm guessing there's maybe one for
every thousand parts replacers. BTW, it's NOT always evident that you've
got a leak just because you raised the engine , and as you said, "the owner
should notice a leakage of oil coming from the seal dripping on the ground".
There's a lot of other forces at work when you're rotating a 10# prop down
there at 2000 times a minute.

Bottom line--"habbi's" mechanic should NOT assume the lube and water
transferred through the prop shaft seal, replace that and send him on his
way. The mechanic should KNOW the cause. With a pressure and/or vacumn
check with or without prop/driveshaft rotation and shift shaft rotation the
problem should be located
LD

Gearcase full of water
 

I have seen it - ONCE.

But the main reason for checking and removing any stray line is so they
can't "blame" it to void warranty work.

-W

"LD" wrote in message
nk.net...

BUT---I've NEVER found line that made it all the way to the prop shaft to
put pressure on the seal. Have you? Or, are you just repeating what
you've
heard?
Incidentally, I also have a 200hp merc on an old V20 Steplift (only for
about a year). I've picked up line around the prop twice but none made it
to
the shaft. So, I stick by my earlier statement, based upon my knowledge
of
the design of these two engines (but I won't say it CAN'T happen, just
that
there are many other possibilities). Maybe habbi's engine is different
and
will easily allow line to wrap around the prop shaft and mash against the
seal which somehow opens it??
I will say that a "good" mechanic with analytical thinking abilities and
diagnostic abilities is extremely rare. I'm guessing there's maybe one
for
every thousand parts replacers. BTW, it's NOT always evident that you've
got a leak just because you raised the engine , and as you said, "the
owner
should notice a leakage of oil coming from the seal dripping on the
ground".
There's a lot of other forces at work when you're rotating a 10# prop down
there at 2000 times a minute.

Bottom line--"habbi's" mechanic should NOT assume the lube and water
transferred through the prop shaft seal, replace that and send him on his
way. The mechanic should KNOW the cause. With a pressure and/or vacumn
check with or without prop/driveshaft rotation and shift shaft rotation
the
problem should be located
LD

Gearcase full of water
 

I'd be real interested in the outcome, what caused the leak, what the fix
was, etc.
LD

"habbi" wrote in message
...

Gearcase full of water
 

The dealer phoned me today and said they did a pressure test and vacuum test
and no leak at all, the drive and prop shaft are perfectly true, they
checked the 2 seals on the drain/fill plugs and both looked fine. And like I
said I am 100% sure both were very tight when I removed them. They said the
only way warrantee would replace internals was if a seal was leaking. The
prop was beat up and a bit loose not only fore and aft but side to side as
well so Bill like you said the prop vibration must have been enough to let
water in the prop shaft seal. Anyway I guess all I can do is keep using it
and keep a constant check on the oil level (which I should have been doing)
and hope the internals were not too corroded, pitted etc..
"LD" wrote in message
link.net...
I'd be real interested in the outcome, what caused the leak, what the fix
was, etc.
LD

"habbi" wrote in message
...




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Gearcase full of water
 

Habbi said: snipAnyway I guess all I can do is keep using it
and keep a constant check on the oil level (which I should have been doing)
and hope the internals were not too corroded, pitted etc..

Habbi,

Wrong answer. You have options. Your best course of action, IMO, is to have
the gearcase inspected and any needed repairs done. If you continue to operate
the engine as is you are taking a big risk of untimely total failure. The cost
of a new gearcase may not only be much higher than a repair now, but the
inconvenience and danger of a failure at sea may be unacceptable.

My experience indicates that breakdowns only occur at the worst possible times
in the worst possible conditions. Of course, YMMD.

God luck, you sure will need it.

Butch

Gearcase full of water
 

I'll bet they didn't put a dial indicator on the shaft to ck if it was bent
or loose. A couple thousandths bend will open up the seal when running.
I've seen a guy put a pressure on for maybe 30 min., let it sit on the
bench, come back and say it's tight, "ready to go".
In your case ------------
1. It was never filled, or,
2. You or someone else removed the lube and replaced it with salt water,
or,
3. It LEAKED!
Which of these 3 choices do you think is the most likely. Ask the dealer
Where did the lube escape from and where did the water enter. Most likely
from a slightly bent prop shaft, I'd say. But it could be a mfg defect, (an
imperfection in a seal surface, or fit of a seal into a bore, or porosity in
the foot or,???). If the dealer knows his stuff he will know, or at least
has the skill to find out Where the Leak is so he can FIX IT. You WILL do
damage (to the tune of approximately $2000), if you don't get this fixed.
Also, I fully agree with "Butch" in his response to you except the "YMMD"
(What does that mean? :-)

Please keep us posted.
LD

"habbi" wrote in message
...
The dealer phoned me today and said they did a pressure test and vacuum
test
and no leak at all, the drive and prop shaft are perfectly true, they
checked the 2 seals on the drain/fill plugs and both looked fine. And like
I
said I am 100% sure both were very tight when I removed them. They said
the
only way warrantee would replace internals was if a seal was leaking. The
prop was beat up and a bit loose not only fore and aft but side to side as
well so Bill like you said the prop vibration must have been enough to let
water in the prop shaft seal. Anyway I guess all I can do is keep using it
and keep a constant check on the oil level (which I should have been
doing)
and hope the internals were not too corroded, pitted etc..
"LD" wrote in message
link.net...
I'd be real interested in the outcome, what caused the leak, what the
fix
was, etc.
LD

"habbi" wrote in message
...




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Gearcase full of water
 

YMMD = Your mileage may differ.

Butch

Habbi's gearcase is "still" full of water
 

habbi wrote:
I have a 2001 250 Johnson XXL which was new in May 2003. I just took it out
and drained the gearcase. It was full of water, not milky oil, I mean pure
water, the end had about a tablespoon of milky oil. I am 100 % sure it was
full of new clean oil when I put it in the water back in May. There are 200
hours on the engine. I know I should have checked/changed it sooner but it
is a 31' work boat and hard to remove from water. I pressure checked it and
no leaks but I have not vacuum tested it as I do not have the pump and
gauge. Anyway dealer is going to cover it under warrantee. Should the
warrantee cover a complete rebuild as the internals are probably corroded?
Or will they just change the seals?


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I resisted as long as I could hoping someone; just about anyone else;
would state the bleeding obvious, which is;

(i) This is just more of the same bad design from OMC & when the Bills
bleat "they all do it" I don't feel any better as you won't when you
find out how much this piece of crap will cost you to "fix" but even
then it won't be "fixed".

(ii) The problem with these OB legs is the very fact that they are
sealed!!!;

(a) In use they get hot because the drive elements (gears bearings
etc) are all deliberately under designed (go through the books & for the
HP etc they shouldn't even work at all, the fact they do for the short
time they do is a miracle)

(b) The main reason they do work is the case is alloy & can dump the
massive heat made by the undersized parts straight into the water,
however the transport to the case for that heat is mostly the via oil.

(c) The case is tight (small) that there is lots of expansion so they
deliberately leave a tiny bubble of air in the top to allow for it, the
idea being, this re-expands when you shut down & the leg very very
quickly cools so contracting the oil level inside.

(d) The OMC BS ideas about positive & negative pressure testing re
just more of the same from this bunch of idiots, because the only time
the leg sees positive pressure is as it heats up & expands but at this
time the totally unsupport from the powerhead input shaft is thrashing
around like a rubber band (again get off your arses & have a look in the
books, the shaft is way too small for the HP in any premises & even if
it were the "right" size it's unsupported (bearing in the middle) over
too great a length not the flex around (the fact it's soft SS is just a
side curse:-))

(e) So now the leg is heating, oil & alloy expanding, the input shaft
is flexing all over the place & the bubble of air in the top is
"supposed" to just compress?? In a brand new setup it might for a while
but after that it just escapes out the top seal under the water pump.

(f) You shut down the leg cools as it contracts, where is no air
bubble left to expand so the leg sucks water back in, end of story the
design sucks, literally.

(g) Next time you use it the same happens but with a twist (little in
house joke there don't fell bad if you missed it:-)), this time there is
NO AIR BUBBLE to absorb the expansion!! So the leg pressure goes sky
high, in so doing it crushes the seals tighter & tighter trying to
contain it, but with all the other things, vibrating prop (see how tight
they want it & then think about why??), input shaft flexing around at
5000rpm etc etc & they soon give up, letting a little of that now water
oil mix out, till you shut down again & it cools, now it's even easier
to suck more water in.

I know you're not really interested in anything but throwing money at
brain dead dealers Habbi but................ there is a "fix" to
mitigate against the effects of yet another OMC design defect:-)
(somewhat ungracious I freely admit, however I can assure you it does
work:-)

(i) Put new seals in it, as it heats the extreme pressure mentioned
above makes the lip seals push harder cutting into the soft SS shafts,
(again more poor OMC design) so replace all the seals, yes your shafts
are already damaged, but they're not worth replacing, sorry 'bout that
chief.

(ii) If you think the first part of this post bothers you Habbi try to
stay really calm now on:-) You need to;

(a) Put a small copper tube into the leg, some here bore a hole in the
top filler plug & silver solder the tube in there or you can get all
creative & thread a fitting into the top (roof) of the gearcase so the
modification stays totally inside & out of sight.

(b) However you choose (we always give free choice:-) you then run the
tube up the leg (inside if keen, clever & cunning or outside if you want
to get lots of queries from onlookers at the wharf:-) into the engine cowl.

(c) Up in the engine cowl you put an oil reservoir. There is room it
just doesn't look like it:-). People here use all sorts of things from
an upturned sauce bottle with an air bleed in what was the bottom, to a
snazzy looking auto bottle (those early coolant recycle bottles with the
hose going into the bottom are popular) Again exercise some free choice
here!!!

(iii) So what happens now is;

(a) There is no air bubble in the top of the leg, any left gets
squeezed out within the first few hours of use:-)

(b) As the leg gets hot the oil expands but meets little resistance &
just goes back up the tube into the oil reservoir.

(c) As the leg quickly cools it never shows a pressure less than the
outside water because the reservoir is well above it so the leg will
always suck oil down rather than suck sea water in. Yes even on your
damaged shafts:-).

(d) The seals & shafts will last many times longer because they never
see high leg pressures.

If you want to get a better understanding of what I'm talking about
you're always welcome to come down here & I'll have the blokes show you
over a proper Taipan OB to see how it should really be done, although
prepare yourself, the transmission(s) is actually "designed" so the
major elements are 6" in diam!!! & that's just for 80 HP @ 4000rpm!! OR
if that is too much for you:-) Maybe try having a good quiet look at any
Mercruiser IB/OB drive & you'll see that this is exactly how they do it.

No no honestly you're welcome; it's no trouble at all; no no please
Habbi it's my pleasure to be able to help; yes I know it's christmas but
surely you must have got some other presents??; Oh stop it Habbi I'm
blushing now; honestly all I really want is a simple thanks for the info.

K