2011 Merc 15 hp trouble

So i bought a 2011 15hp merc for my skiff a year ago. i put on and take off the motor every trip and keep it in my apartment. i always wash the outside of the motor after every trip as well as flush it. I noticed oil residue on the outside of the motor this last trip and upon checking the oil level, discovered it was virtually out of oil!!! it doesn't look like the oil came from the oil filter.
i really can't take it to a mechanic this at this time so is there anyone that may have a suggestion or pointers on my next step? i guess im gonna change the filter and fill the motor back up with oil and run it with the cowling off. i'll check for obvious oil leaks.
any suggestions on this matter would be appreciated.

These motors must be stored the proper way.----Laying them down the wrong way will result in oil leaking out.------Most have a sticker that shows this and the manual also has these instructions.

i keep the motor on a stand upright and when transporting i lay it on the side it tells me to. thats not the issue.

You stored the engine on the wrong side. 4 stroke outboards have to be laid down on a specific side, as indicated by the flat spots on the side of the engine. As racerone said, there are decals on the engine that indicate this, and it's also explained in your manual. It is not the end of the world and I've dealt with it a million times. But what's easy to do at a fully equiped marina is often not easy to do at home. You may want to bring it in to a professional.

What you must do is mount the engine on something (as you normally would mount it on your transom,) drain all of the motor oil out, pull the spark plugs out, and pull it over to purge the oil out of the cylinders. Spray some WD-40 into the cylinders, and pull it over again to purge it out. Repeat this 3-4 times.

You say oil leaked out from it. Well, this is because it probably traveled through your intake and came out of the carb. You're also going to have to take your carb off, take the bowl off, and clean that out too. You might need to order a carb kit, because usually the gaskets don't hold together when you take things apart. After you've taken care of the carb, refill the engine with brand new engine oil. The type of oil and exact volume it takes to fill it are listed in your owners manual. Use this oil (Mercury 4 stroke oil) and do not over fill it. You will need two new spark plugs if the ones you pulled out are covered in oil. If they are suitable for re-use, use your judgement on them, clean them off, and re-install them.

Run brand new fuel to your engine and run it (either on muffs, in a test bucket, or in the water.) And do let it run for a while. Might be hard to start at first, but get it going, put it in gear, and throttle it around. It will smoke for a while at first because it's burning off all the engine oil inside the cylinders, but eventually it will dimmer off. Once your engine starts running smoothly and is not smoking, it should be fine.

When you store it, make sure it's done so on the proper side. It's a pain, and typically a mistake that most people make only once

Any other information you can give us ??----------How many hrs on it ?------How often do you check oil level.-----------You must be aware that post # 1 is very , very vague as to what the problem might be.

lsxg8gt, thank you for the response. unfortunatly i am 100% sure thats not what happened. Ive owned this motor for a year. Ive put roughly 50 trips on it. i baby the motor and can't believe i am having an issue like this on what is still a brand new motor. i know im not giving very detailed information here but is there any other reasonable possibilities on what could have caused most all the oil to drain out? there is a oil pressure indicator light on the motor that lights up during the first ten seconds of running the motor, then it shuts off. the manual says thats normal. this should be covered under some warranty.

racerone, i would like to give more info. what details can i give? i check the oil every few trips, the engine hours are very roughly an hour of run time fifty times...so about fifty hours i would guess.

poonchum said:

lsxg8gt, thank you for the response. unfortunatly i am 100% sure thats not what happened. Ive owned this motor for a year. Ive put roughly 50 trips on it. i baby the motor and can't believe i am having an issue like this on what is still a brand new motor. i know im not giving very detailed information here but is there any other reasonable possibilities on what could have caused most all the oil to drain out? there is a oil pressure indicator light on the motor that lights up during the first ten seconds of running the motor, then it shuts off. the manual says thats normal. this should be covered under some warranty.

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Where specifically on the engine did you find the oil leaking from?