can some one please help

pulled lower unit to replace the impeller recently and it went without a hitch. ran it in the yard after rpair and all was well. parked it in the garage and that was it. heading out on a trip next week so i went out to charge the batteries and noticed gear oil on the ground. i know its gear oil from the smell. drained it to check for water but there was none. so i go back into my memory to go over everything i did and the only thing i can come up with is the shift linkage coming out of the lower unit. this is a force 1996 75 hp elpt. now the shift linkage is threaded into the lower unit. in order to line it up with the hole on the motor i had to back of the threads at least 1 turn. is it possible the linkage needs to be tightened all the way?....will gear oild leak from there if its not?. any help would be appreciated...thanks in advance

Back up a sec. What colour (Canadian spelling) was the oil. The honey colour that you add to the lower unit, or was it blackish/brownish/grayish kinda burnt smelling (like what would drip out of the exhaust after you ran it in the driveway?

If it was the latter, that is normal and a common mistake. Burnt/unburnt oil and gas collect in the exhaust housing. When you are on the water they slither down and go into the lake (one of the reasons many lakes ban 2 strokes). What doesn't end up in the water usually drips on the road during the trailer ride home.

However, when you run in the driveway it has nowhere to go but on your pavement or garage floor and that's where it's seen and often mistaken for "gear oil".

So, are you certain it's gear oil????

its gear oil

pressure test the gearcase to look for your " certain leak "

pulled the bushing around shift rod. seal seemed ok but the o ring slid right off...very loose. i checked for leaks everywhere else and the only place i see lube is around shift rod. parts ordered. cant get it pressure checked until wednesday and i had the parts overnighted. i am pretty certain the o ring is the problem