2018 Verado 300 milky lower unit oil only 130 hours

[paulswagelock]

So this is the second season for the boat and motor. Last year I changed the lower unit oil after its maiden year at 75 hours. There were a few streaks of cloudy but overall blueish green. Just drained it after the second season. Looked like water at the beginning followed by brown oil the rest of the drain. I filled it back up for now but obviously needs to go to the shop. Fresh water boat. Around the prop is spotless, no marks or fishing line. Never a sheen in the water at my slip.

Any thoughts on what went bad? is it an easy fix? Would it be warranty work? Should I be concerned with the lower unit gears now?
Not a great finish to an otherwise nice season. I have had IO boats for 30 years and never had a lower unit leak. First outboard and leaking close to new.....

 

[Henry Boyd]

Definitely too early in the game to be because of normal wear. I’d definitely try a warranty claim approach. At the least you’ll get a professional assessment of the problem.

H

 

[scoflaw]

I'd be very concerned about bearing and gear pitting. Dealer will probably downplay that and just reseal it, then it will blowup couple of years down the road, just out of warranty...possibly

 

[paulswagelock]

My dealer and all the Mercury service centers don’t want to look at it until spring. They are all too busy raking in the cash winterizing.
Decided to run it in gear on the muffs for a while, then I drained and refilled one more time. Figure it would help scrub out any remaining water.

 

[GypsmJim]

When I winterized my first I/O after the maiden year (50 hours) more water came out of the gearcase than oil. The mechanic said there was a problem with the impeller and it was pumping water into the lower unit. It got fixed and there never was a problem again. In any event, 35 years later the motor was still running fine, so I guess it didn't damage the gears.