mercuiser alpha 1 oil leak
 

I have an alpha 1 outdrive with oil leaking out of the small drain hole
on the starboard side. Not the "oil" drain hole. This hole is a
smaller drain hole on the opposite side from the oil drain and vent
holes and toward the front of the outdrive. With the outdrive in the
"trailer" position, this hole is pretty much the lowest point on the
gear housing. I think it is there to let water drain from the prop
shaft area when the outdrive is in the "trailer" position. Since oil
is coming out, does this indicate a bad prop shaft seal or an internal
seal inside the unit? I'm trying to figure out where to start and if
I'm even on the right track.

You're right about the hole, it is a water drain. Oil there is bad. Have
you checked the oil? You should before using it again. Leaking oil is
often accompanied by water leaking into the outdrive and that is really bad.
Loosen the lower plug while the top plug is still in and see if any water
comes out or the oil is milky. It could be a number of different seals.
When one goes most people have them all replaced. It takes a bunch of
special merc tools.

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have an alpha 1 outdrive with oil leaking out of the small drain hole
on the starboard side. Not the "oil" drain hole. This hole is a
smaller drain hole on the opposite side from the oil drain and vent
holes and toward the front of the outdrive. With the outdrive in the
"trailer" position, this hole is pretty much the lowest point on the
gear housing. I think it is there to let water drain from the prop
shaft area when the outdrive is in the "trailer" position. Since oil
is coming out, does this indicate a bad prop shaft seal or an internal
seal inside the unit? I'm trying to figure out where to start and if
I'm even on the right track.

On 21 May 2005 12:18:19 -0700, wrote:

I have an alpha 1 outdrive with oil leaking out of the small drain hole
on the starboard side. Not the "oil" drain hole. This hole is a
smaller drain hole on the opposite side from the oil drain and vent
holes and toward the front of the outdrive.

Just keep it topped off, and dont worry about it.

Me and the wife
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/harkra...bum?.dir=/1323

There is a shift shaft seal at the top of the cavity that the hole drains.
You can change that seal without taking the drive apart, assuming the shaft
isn't pitted or worn in the seal area. You just need to separate the upper
from lower to get at the seal. You will need a special tool to do the job
though.
JIMinFL

wrote in message
oups.com...
I have an alpha 1 outdrive with oil leaking out of the small drain hole
on the starboard side. Not the "oil" drain hole. This hole is a
smaller drain hole on the opposite side from the oil drain and vent
holes and toward the front of the outdrive. With the outdrive in the
"trailer" position, this hole is pretty much the lowest point on the
gear housing. I think it is there to let water drain from the prop
shaft area when the outdrive is in the "trailer" position. Since oil
is coming out, does this indicate a bad prop shaft seal or an internal
seal inside the unit? I'm trying to figure out where to start and if
I'm even on the right track.

If you need to tear it down I have the wrench to remove the large nut on the
upper housing. Used one time when I repaired my alpha a few years back. $55
shipped to your door!


wrote in message
oups.com...
I have an alpha 1 outdrive with oil leaking out of the small drain hole
on the starboard side. Not the "oil" drain hole. This hole is a
smaller drain hole on the opposite side from the oil drain and vent
holes and toward the front of the outdrive. With the outdrive in the
"trailer" position, this hole is pretty much the lowest point on the
gear housing. I think it is there to let water drain from the prop
shaft area when the outdrive is in the "trailer" position. Since oil
is coming out, does this indicate a bad prop shaft seal or an internal
seal inside the unit? I'm trying to figure out where to start and if
I'm even on the right track.

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...7fec62e2075f56

UPDATE:

It turns out that I had overfilled the unit. I filled it with oil in
the fully "up" position. When I dropped the outdrive to "level" and
opened the oil vent plug, several ounces of oil came out. After I let
out all of the excess oil, no more oil coming out of the drain plug.
While I take this as a good sign, I still suspect that I have a bad
seal internally. I ran the boat in the water yesterday and I'll check
the level before putting it back in the water. What makes me think I
still have a bad seal is that one of the diagnostic tests for a bad
seal is to pressure test the unit. If a good unit holds pressure then
that means that any connection of the oil reservoir to that drain hole
is not normal. I think that I've stopped leaking oil because it must
be one of the higher seals that is bad and now my oil level is below
the seal.

Does this make sense?

I also have milky oil every time I check the level. I feel like annual
replacement of the oil and checking the level every time I put it in
the water will let me run safely indefinitely but how much should
professional replacement of all the seals cost? How about if I pull
the upper and lower unit off myself and bring it in?

Chris

Water, oil, bearings, and gears don't work well together! Sooner you fix it
the cheaper the cost would be!


I also have milky oil every time I check the level. I feel like annual
replacement of the oil and checking the level every time I put it in
the water will let me run safely indefinitely but how much should
professional replacement of all the seals cost? How about if I pull
the upper and lower unit off myself and bring it in?

Chris

Yes, I know it would be better to fix it now but... This is a 25 year
old boat that is only in the water a total of 10-20 hours a year.
Can't I just limp it along by checking the level before I put in in the
water every time and do a complete drain and refill at the end of the
season? This will cost me maybe $10 a year and probably keep me going
until this boat is too old to put in the water safely. I really love
the look and style of this boat and the engine runs great. But really
this oil leak is only one of many symptoms of age. It has a ton of
little problems like this that, if I had them all professionaly
repaired, would cost more than I have invested in the boat. If I can
put $50-$60 a year to patch these little problems and make this boat
last me another 5 years, I'd be happy. I'm only asking for another 100
operating hours. That's why I asked how much to reseal the outdrive.
If it's $100, I'd go ahead and do it. If it's $500, I'll take my
chances and make sure to keep it topped off. Am I nuts?

On 24 May 2005 14:57:42 -0700, wrote:

Yes, I know it would be better to fix it now but... This is a 25 year
old boat that is only in the water a total of 10-20 hours a year.
Can't I just limp it along by checking the level before I put in in the
water every time and do a complete drain and refill at the end of the
season? This will cost me maybe $10 a year and probably keep me going
until this boat is too old to put in the water safely. I really love
the look and style of this boat and the engine runs great. But really
this oil leak is only one of many symptoms of age. It has a ton of
little problems like this that, if I had them all professionaly
repaired, would cost more than I have invested in the boat. If I can
put $50-$60 a year to patch these little problems and make this boat
last me another 5 years, I'd be happy. I'm only asking for another 100
operating hours. That's why I asked how much to reseal the outdrive.
If it's $100, I'd go ahead and do it. If it's $500, I'll take my
chances and make sure to keep it topped off. Am I nuts?

Only if the oil is going in the rivers, lakes, or other water you boat in.

--
John H
On the 'PocoLoco' out of Deale, MD

"Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it."
Rene Descartes (A true binary thinker!)