Was draining my lower unit and the first cup or two was straight water, then oil. Pulled prop, braid fishing line was there. So hoping just a prop seal. I wont be getting it in until spring and is stored in a freezing garage. Anything I should be doing other then just adding new oil until spring? I have a half quart of used oil would that work?
Wish i could run the new oil to work it in, how really dont want to get everything wet again as its clean and dry and no temps above freezing in sight.
Any reason you don’t just take the lower off and take it to the shop now? Give them time in the off season to get it ready for next spring.
X2. Easy to unbolt and pull off. Just remember to put the motor in forward gear as your first step.
-J.
What engine do you have? Many YouTube videos to walk you thru the process of removing the lower unit for your motor. Contrary to what some might say, not all engines use the same procedure for lower unit removal.
Bob, once in a while the seals will continue to do so after you pull the string out.
That said, if the water you were in was shallow and sandy I would be worried about sand getting trapped between the two seals and it will cut a groove wrecking a pricey prop shaft.
As of today our little shop is booked out into the middle of January already so I would highly recommend you schedule it somewhere long before spring is even a thought due to parts availability, right now I have seven prop bent prop shafts to replace and six lower unit overhauls to do next month, and that is if all of the parts show up on time, several of them have been ordered since late Sept.
Well, at least you found the likely culprit. However…
First immediately fill the lower unit with oil and tilt the engine to distribute the oil. In my opinion it doesn’t matter what type of oil. Personally I would use 5W30 because it’s thinner and will distribute more easily. The purpose here is to prevent corrosion from all that water that got into your lower unit.
Then I would drain the oil and refill with clean gear oil.
Unless line is removed very quickly, like as in you backed down on your own line and immediately shut down the motor, then you probably damaged the seal. But hopefully not the shaft.
The 2 of these seals that I’ve done because of wrapped line were totally trashed, but luckily the mono and subsequent mud or sand contaminated oil didn’t wreck the shaft or lower unit.
I’d get it to a mechanic as others have mentioned. The problem with waiting to see if it leaks is that you have to use the outboard a good bit. Well that use puts you well into the new season by the time you figure out you have a damaged seal … Now your outboard is sitting in line at the shop behind 500 others…
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