Milky oil in outdrive

"Hi, I am a very novice OMC ow

"Hi, I am a very novice OMC owner, but I am fastidious about having things right. I checked the oil in my Cobra outdrive and it was full on the dipstick. I had a full service done on it by a marine mechanic late 2007 , and I assume the oil was changed then. My question is, the oil is a blue green color, how do I know if there is water in the oil as people talk about it being milky. I am not sure what I am looking for as in color etc. Can someone help.
If it does have water in it what time frame do I have to get it repaired? Should I not use the boat until the oil is changed / checked out?
How do people get on with boats that are moored full time? Do they find they have a problem when it is too late?
Thank you in advance for your response."

"Sounds like he probably put s

"Sounds like he probably put some Mercruiser Hi Perf lube in there. If you haven't used it for a while you can quickly pull the drain screw out on the very bottom for a couple of seconds. If there is water it will be down there and come out first. If you have water in there, first thing to check is behind the prop for fishing line, this will cut through the prop shaft seals very quickly. After that the oil should be drained and a pressure / vacumn test should be done to try and locate the leak. Most guys don't check/change their lube until the fall when they do they winterizing for the year, that way the fresh lube sits in there during thr winter and your ready to go again in the spring."

"Hi Bob, Thanks for the quick

"Hi Bob, Thanks for the quick reply. It was a Mercruiser dealer that did the service. Does it do any damage if there is water in the oil, or should I do it immediately? The Boat is curently in the water for my trip this weekend, so I won't be able to look at it till after we return and it is lifted out of the water."

"I wouldn't sweat it if th

"I wouldn't sweat it if there is a little bit but you don't want to leave it over the winter especially if you are in an area that goes below freezing, the water will separate from the lube and can freeze."