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30L Alpaha 1 Gear Lube leaking

C

carter54

New member
I have a 2000 mercruiser 3.0L

I have a 2000 mercruiser 3.0L after unwrapping my boat this year I noticed a few drips of gear lube on the driveway I didn't think anything of since I changed the gear lube before winterizing. I now seem to have a leak in my outdrive with the outdrive up a small drip of gear lube appears on the back of the fin where the upper and lower gear housing meet. What am I looking at for a leak and how hard will it be to correct? I am thinking the seal between the upper and lower gear housing but doesn't seem likely to go bad over a winter of sitting in my driveway. Thanks in advance for you help.

Chris
 
"Chris:

You may have an ext

"Chris:

You may have an extra gasket under the lower drain screw or none at all. Pull it out and check for one gasket. The oil won't drain out if the top screw is left intact. Use a 2" thin slotted (flat) screwdriver and probe the surface of the OD screw opening. The gaskets will stick in place when the screw is removed. You should see bare metal if there is no gasket. For peace of mind, check the top screw after the bottom screw is checked. Note: If you have an OD oil reservoir tank, oil may leak from each screw when removed.

Guy"
 
"Sounds like your upper shaft

"Sounds like your upper shaft seal may be leaking. I would put it in the water and see how it fares. If you have an engine mounted gear oil monitor, this will keep positive pressure on the lube oil and prevent water from getting in. You will see an oil sheen on the water at dockside near your drive if there is significant leakage. If so, you will need to remove the drive and pressure test it to be sure where she is leaking.
Rod"
 
I did check the Gear lube drai

I did check the Gear lube drain and Air plugs both are good. At first I thought the leak was comming from the gear housing vent hole but with the trip up the gear lube is gathering on the bottom of the cavitation plate. I have no idea where its comming from.

Chris
 
So there is no real way to see

So there is no real way to see what is leaking without pulling the lower gear housing off and taking a look? As far as the quantity its very small leak only a baseball sized pile in drive way over an entire winter and no visible oil slick in the water. I have a Gear lube reservoir mounted on the side of my motor and no visible drop in the level.

Is it worth it now to try and get it fixed or can it wait until the off season?

Chris
 
"I would wait till the off sea

"I would wait till the off season if you have no visible oil sheen on the water. Your lube oil reservoir will assure no water gets into your drive, so just monitor the level, as there is no telling when or if it may get worse. One thing is fairly sure; it won't likely go away by itself.
Rod"
 
"The only real way to tell for

"The only real way to tell for sure is a pressure test, which can be done with the drive leg on the boat.
Rod"
 
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