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1989 5.7 L Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

M

minderaser

New member
1989 24' searay cuddy 5.7 liter 260 hp Mercruiser Alpha I

Quick back ground on mechanics on lower unit. Found fluid a little milky end of 2008 season. I changed the fluid then stored and then in the spring of 2009 had the lower/upper seals changed along with impeller & all boots & Refilled with synthetic all done before dropping in water. I asked the mechanic a few different times to change my Gimble then but he insisted that it looked good as if it was just recently done. It ran all 2009 season no problems.

Ran about ten times this year so far and I checked the oil a week ago and it was clear and perfect looking. A couple days ago I started hearing a little clunck after shifting into gear but nithing to alarming. Went tubing yesterday no apparent problems. Took it out first thing today, got it up to speed then all of sudden engine bogged down as if I was towing a boat. So then I put in wake gear and stalled. Nuetral started up engine runs fine I take off it seems to be driving ok but then i smell gear lube burning and smoke (gear lube spraying on engine?) is coming from engine compartment. :mad: I Look there is gear lube in my engine bay and it smells real bad. I was outside of the marina so I limped it back in and when I got to the dock it sounded pretty dry back there.

Then the really confusing part is water is now heard leaking in the back of the engine somewhere and I am taking on water making my bilge go off several times while it sits there waiting for me to retreive the trailor. When I got home I checked the fluid it was Milky Green...

I know I'm fricken heading back to the boat mechanic but can anybody give me an idea of what just happned to me and what I'm looking at for damages $....

Thanks
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

start by pulling the drive, boot may have gotton some water in it taking out the gimbal.
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

Update:

I went out and drained the oil and then re-filled to push out any water to perserve gears.

Well after I filled it I looked down and there is a .22 caliber size hole in my lower unit and fluid is coming out? Something blew through that? The boat still drove back to the dock and I found no pieces of metal in the oil? Plus I still have the issue with oil in my bilge so something really went hay wire down there

I'm already thinking lower unit and possible just a whole new reman.
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

the oil could be leaking from the carrier seal in the upper. you need to remove the drive now to check for water intrusion.could be as simple as a gasket or o ring.If this hole is opposite the fill/drain plug, it`s supposed to be there. it drains the cavity where the shift shaft is.lose too much oil and you will lose the upper gears.
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

Okay Bt doctor your making feel a little better. So this hole is on the right side facing the rear and as you said opposite of the drain plug but higher up.

So let me ask this. Without running the boat after I filled it back up this faulty carrier seal or something else would be enough to allow a lot of the clean oil to just pour out of that little hole? So obviously a seal is missing and now the oil is just flowing in the cavity you say is for overfill?

I'm tempted to try the job but I have never messed with boats just my bikes and cars so far.

Do you know whay could have possibley bogged down my boat? Do you think the seal got sucked and chewed up by gears? Or something in that nature. Something slowed my boat right down and then it appeard fine but that is when the fluid started coming into the engine quickly.
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

leakage from that cavity could be upper unit driveshaft seals, shift shaft seal, water pump base seals, cracked case.
PM`d you something
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

Anybody else ever have this happen to them?

Could a failed prop shaft seal do all I have described above?

(Blow gear lube into engine bay, also allow water to leak in fairly rapid into bay and then new oil is just pouring out of the small weep hole just above/back on the prop shaft housing. Plus I think I have some oil coming out of the prop area)

Plus could a prop seal binding etc be enough to bog a 260hp boat down at planing speed?
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

a prop shaft seal leaks from the propshaft.
002.jpg

if water if allowed to remain in the boot, the drive gets eaten away. the oil you have coming thru this hole (12:00 O`clock)into the boat means the oil is leaking from the carrier seal and going into the boot, thru the bearing into the bilge.
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

Ok

so most likely I have a few things wrong.

Not to keep pestering you but how is the oil now just freely coming out of the weep hole on the drive without any pressure. Am I just completely missing a seal soemwhere else or is the carrier seal the culprit?
 
Re: 1989 Mercruiser Alpha I Help!

MC1.jpg

very similiar to your drive. oil level is supposed to be to the vent screw but if water is entering the drive , it will displace the oil. oil does float on water.leaks out the carrier into the boot.
 
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