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BF 200 Lower Unit not draining

darrin_p

New member
When I attempted to change my

When I attempted to change my lower unit oil it did not drain. I opened both the drain and fill and very few drops of oil came out. I attempted to put oil in the fill (top) hole and still very little oil came out. when I remove the fill hose it was under pressure and blew oil out of the fill hole. Any suggestions?
 
"You should fill the gear case

"You should fill the gear case from the BOTTOM hole with the top hole plug out.

This prevents an air lock that can fool you into thinking the case is full when it is not.

There are little pumps that they sell at auto parts stores that screw on the top of oil bottles and that makes it easier although I had to fabricate a tip that would fit on the pump's hose and be small enough to put in the Honda's plug hole.

You need to keep a seal on the lower plug hole, either with the lube tube tip or the pump hose, and push gear oil in until it runs out the top hole.

Then, install the lower plug and you can be confident that the gear case is full.

If you filled the case the last time from the top, that could explain why you didn't get much out this time.

Or, you have a plug seal or a propshaft seal leaking and you caught it just as it started running dry and before any water got in. Better find out and fix that if you think that's what may have happened.
Good luck."
 
"Darrin,

Have you put a sti


"Darrin,

Have you put a stiff wire up into the drain hole as well as into the top hole to see if any debris is blocking it?

I think you are in the Southwest area (based on your email address), so it probably is not water in the lower unit that may have turned to ice.

Jimmy may be right as to almost no gearlube, but the pressure buildup with both screws out does not make sense.

Also,

Jimmy,


Seasense makes a little pump that you are talking about(fits Evinrude/Johnson and most Mercury's) and it includes an adapter that will work with Hondas, Yamahas, and most Tohatsu.

This verbage says it includes an adapter, but it is not pictured. I use the adapter all the time. It does fit all Hondas except for the very early 75/90 HP that used a Mercury gearcase.

http://www.iboats.com/Fluid-Pump-Lube-Pump/dm/view_id.56375

The adapter alone is around $3 or $4. So this is a pretty good price."
 
"How long since the lower unit

"How long since the lower unit has been drained and refilled? Assuming that the unit was filled properly in the first place, it's likely that you have a blockage at your lower drain hole. Could be any number of things, but likely debris or filings that have accumulated there. Try pushing a soft wire up the drain hole. If that does not work, try blowing pressured air up the lower drain hole. It is not unusual for the Honda lower units to spin off a lot of filings in the first 200 to 300 hours of use. Lower unit lube should be changed every 100 hours."
 
"Thanks for the tip Mike. I ha

"Thanks for the tip Mike. I have been getting fed up with the little adapter that I made because it requires me to fiddle with it to keep it sealed. And, that is a very good price.

Let us know what you find Darrin."
 
Fianlly got a chance to work o

Fianlly got a chance to work on it. I put the adapter in the bottom hole and when i pumped it oil began coming out the top. I pumped a little in the bottom letting it come out the top then removed the adapter from the bottom. It immediately began draining. Never found what had it plugged. refilled it and everything looks good. Thanks for the help.
 
"Darrin,
You shouldn't co


"Darrin,
You shouldn't consider the job done yet. Like you said, you don't know what was causing the plug but it could be an issue. Also, how much gear lube were you able to get in there. I don't know what the capacity of your motor is but it should be in your owner's manual. If it were me, I would immediately drain it again to verify;
1 that it is filled with the proper amount and
2 is there any debris in there as WD Neal pointed out.
If it is not full or you don't make sure you flush out any filings or debris then you could have major issues coming soon.

Also, you don't know why it was pretty empty to begin with so you will be wanting to keep a very close watch for any leakage out of that unit. Especially around the propshaft. When was the last time you pulled the prop and checked behind it for fishing line or cord wrapped around the shaft? That is the number one propshaft seal destroyer. While you have the prop off, you can take a look at the seal. If you leave the engine in the upright position, a leak may be evident just from sitting.

And, remember, sometimes boating can be fun!
"
 
"I'm with Jimmy on this on

"I'm with Jimmy on this one. I would be very curious about what caused the blockage and why. If I were in your shoes, I would immediately drop the lower unit and inspect it thoroughly. These lower units are pretty rugged, but if something has come loose in there, you are headed for some serious problems.

Ditto on the prop shaft inspection.

Whenever I drain oil or gear lube, I inspect it closely and use a magnet to see whether there are filings in it. The 200 and 225 Honda lower units will always have some filings, but, after the second change they should be very very small (like baking soda), and in very small amounts."
 
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