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Mercruiser A-1 gear lube consumption
Wow, thanks for taking the time to give me all this info.
The oil co "jamesgangnc" wrote in message oups.com... The annual outdrive alignment is probably more of an issue the first year than subsequent ones. Things tend to settle the first year and after that it's a lot less likely to change. Of all the i/o's out there I'd say not very many get an annual alignment check. Even new ones. Is it possible you have always had a slow lube leak? Alignment problems can cause premature failure of the front seal on the drive. It has to be pretty bad though. The rubber coupling can handle moderate mis-alignment. All boats have maintenance issues. One of the hidden costs of boating. Boats are nothing like cars. You'll find that pulling the outdrive is actually pretty easy. Jet drives have gas consumption issues, expect them to consume about 25% more gas for the same weight. Pwc's have their own issues. They are a lot more like motorcycle engines than your mercruiser engine. Inboards are probably less maintenance than an i/o but certainly stilll need it. They also have some sort of transmission and a shaft and prop that always sticks out of the bottom of the boat. There is no free ride. Mr Wizzard wrote: Good information, thanks. Boat turned one year old on June 29th, and I have not had the annual maitenance done. Only maintaince I've done is change the oil (once) and had the prop off to do prop shaft maintenance (lube). I'm starting to suspect engine alignment. Recently noticed a vibration when in gear at about 1888-1900 RPM just above idle. Could engine alignment cause/induce undue forces on somehting to cause the leak ? I'll call Olympic boat center to see how booked they are for getting it in to do the annual maintenance, and check engine alignment (and check for oil leaks). Also come to find out that engine alignment, and pulling the outdrive (for engine alignment and maintenance) is something that Mercruiser says needs to be done once a year, or 100 hours (which ever comes first). That could get expensive. I'm conteplating selling this boat, and going for something else (without an I/O). Either a SeaDoo 'Sportster' (jet drive), or even some sort of larger PWC. I'm very mechanically inclined, but still don't like the notion of annual outdrive pulling, and engine alignment and all of the other maintenance associated with the I/O etc. Just a thought.... "jamesgangnc" wrote in message ps.com... There are a number of places where it can leak and not be noticed in the water. The exhaust and the bellows. There is really no way to get much of a view into the bellows area. You have to pull the outdrive and check inside the belows for fluid. And then it's still hard to tell as the grease from the ujoints and coupler sometimes creates some oily fluid if it has been heavily lubed. Did you ever have the pump impeller replaced? Someone may have not used a new o-ring between the upper and lower unit when they were split. Have you checked the lower unit for water in the lube? To do this you carefully remove the lower plug just enough to get a few drops out to see that they are not milky or contain water. If it is still covered by a warrenty you can try to get it fixed. If not then as long as there was not any water getting in the outdrive I'd be inclined to just check for water a few times a year and live with it until the end of the season. The pull the outdrive and have it pressure tested. At our house this is not the time for the boat to be out of commission :-) Mr Wizzard wrote: "katekebo" wrote in message ups.com... The consumption should be "zero", nothing, unless you have a leak. Damn, I was afraid of that. So where could the leak be then ?? And if there is a "leak", out of curosity, why doesn't it leak in the driveway? (gravel pad). As I said, I see no signs anywhere. Is there a remote chance that there was an air bubble in the line somewhere from the factory from last June when I bought it, and it just boke loose somehow? Has anyone here had experience with a leak in this new of an Alpha 1 drive, nad what was the actual cause/resolution ? However..... if you have changed the lubricant recently, it is normal that few air bubbles will remain in the outdrive after an oil change. They will "purge" themselves during the first three to five trips, and consequently the oil level will drop. If the oil level continues dropping after the first 5 trips after an oil change, then you have a leak that needs to be fixed Mr Wizzard wrote: What's normal for gear lube consumption for the newer Alpha 1? I have a 2005 Bayliner 175 w/ Mercruiser 3.0L A-1 which has little plastuc gear lube monitor. Only had it out 2-3 times this year since winter, and I noticed that the fluid level is down about 1/2 inch below the "Add" line, and I'm concerned. Its *never* gotten that low before! Today we stoped in the middle of the lake and went swimming, wading, and what not, and I looked very hard for the "rainbow", and found nothing. No signs of a leak anywhere. No smell, no film, all dry, no rainbow on water. So if the Alpha-1 was leaking/seeping gear lube, where would it be going? prop shaft seal, shift lever? I wonder if its leaking inside the bellows for the drive shaft ? is there a way to see down in the bellows from the inside? I know everyone says that it should use NO gear lube, I'm just wondering if there is any acceptable amount of gear lube that a newer Alpha-1 can consume before being concerned? I have been running it pretty hard, and longer periods of WOT, could that make a difference ? Thanks! |
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