b95 BF50A 4S Oil Leak

"My 50 horse Honda runs great.

"My 50 horse Honda runs great. I turely love this engine. About two weeks ago back a tthe dock after a day on the Gulf, I noticed oil leaking from around the cover over the transition case. I removed the cowling and saw oil and water pooled around the base of the powerhead and draining down around the exterior of the transision case. The dip stick showed clean oil and when I drained the oil pan the oil was clean. Inspection of the engine showeed no oil residue above the base of the valve cover. I replaced about 3/4 quart of oil and ran the motor in the yard for about a half hour. I experienced no additional leakage. Yesterday, I put the boat in at Seminole and ran about 6 miles down river. At the end of this run I found the same type of situation had occured and oil and water draining fron around the base of the power head and no water in the oil system. The drain hose from the valve cover looks to be in good shape. Any ideas?"

"I took the boat up the Flint

"I took the boat up the Flint River and experienced the problem again. After running at 5500 to 6000 rpm for about five minutes I removed the cowling and found a mixture of oil and water in the drain area at the base of the powerhead with no signs of water on the dipstick. After I got home I removed the valve cover and found nothing that readily appeared to be a problem. However, I cleaned the sealing surface and gasket and replaced the cover. I then hooked up the hose and ran the engine in the yard for around a half hour at 2500 to 3000 rpm. This time I stuffed paper towels around the base of the power head in an attempt to figure out where the oil was coming from. No leak. Next I'll try this again with the boat in the water at higher RPMS."

"The Oil Pans on this model ar

"The Oil Pans on this model are notorious for corroding-through when exposed to salt water. Flushing the engine, with a hose, will NOT help. The oilpan is hidden inside the cowling just below the engine. Only immersing the engine in FRESH water, to a depth mimicking the water level of the floating craft, will rinse these outside oil pan surfaces."

"The oil pan is too low on the

"The oil pan is too low on the engine to be the source of the oil as you describe. Check the seal on the oil filter. Sometimes people leave the old seal behind when they change the filter. Double seals = dripping oil. Other than that, the most likely source of oil would be the drain tube from the valve cover to the oil pan. May want to remove this tube and inspect it, it's not too hard to remove with a pair of long needle nose pliars. are the clamps that hold the hose on in good shape? These clamps tend to turn to rust bucketrs in no time."