davidh82
Member
Hello all! I hope that everyone is having a great February.
I had an issue with my 2010 Bravo One unit this weekend and was hoping to share my experience and get your thoughts. I apologize in advance if this is a long post.
My wife and I took the boat out for a weekend trip, launched on Saturday and came back on Monday. During the day Saturday, after stopping for lunch, the Smartcraft alarm went off notifying us that the gear lube reservoir was low. I immediately stopped the engine and found that the reservoir was in fact nearly empty, I filled it and went on. I wasn't too concerned at this point. I had changed the fluid not too long ago and figured that there probably had been air in the system.
I began to get more concerned when we got to our destination and found that the reservoir was empty again. I topped it off and made a mental note to keep an eye on it, not wanting to ruin the weekend. Sunday morning I was relieved to see that the reservoir had not lost any fluid, so I figured that the prop shaft seal might be leaking only when underway.
I had to fill the reservoir again once on Sunday, then again on Monday morning. I was getting more concerned at this point as the leak appeared to be getting worse. Fortunately it was a quick trip to the ramp on Monday morning and was relieved to get the boat out of the water.
A quick inspection of the gimbal area made the issue quite evident. I could see that the hose going from the outdrive to the gimbal housing was disconnected and the plastic fitting in the gimbal housing was broken. The reservoir was completely disconnected from the outdrive and leaking right out. It appears as though the condition had become gradually worse through-out the weekend, to the point where the lube was leaking right out.
When I got home I immediately pulled the drain plug from the outdrive and was really dismayed to see clear (un-mixed with gear lub) water drain out for about the first minute of draining. After that the milkshake came out. Since the gear lube hose is below the waterline, it must have been sucking water right into the drive. I regret driving the boat in this condition, but the damage is done and we had a great weekend.
In an attempt to flush out the drive I immediately pushed three quarts of fresh gear lube through the drive, allowing it to flow out of the broken reservoir hose. I then drained this fluid, and finally filled the drive with clean fluid.
Looking ahead, the repair itself seems pretty straightforward and I've already ordered the parts. Looks like it is going to be a bit of a tight fit, but nothing I can't handle. What I'm much more concerned about is any damage I might have caused by running the drive in this condition.
I guess it doesn't make sense for me to ask anyone to guess what damage may or may not have been incurred. But, is there a way to visually inspect the outdrive to look for any damage that may have been caused? I'm not sure yet if I'll need to pull the outdrive to replace this connector / hose, however if I do have to pull the drive I figure I might as well conduct a pressure test and any other visual inspections needed.
Other than the reservoir losing fluid, the boat ran great. No performance issues, no strange sounds or burning smells coming from the outdrive. Also did not see any metal shavings in the gear lube. Hopefully these are all signs that the damage was minimal.
Thanks in advance for reading this thread, looking forward to getting everyone's thoughts.
Thank you!
-Dave
I had an issue with my 2010 Bravo One unit this weekend and was hoping to share my experience and get your thoughts. I apologize in advance if this is a long post.
My wife and I took the boat out for a weekend trip, launched on Saturday and came back on Monday. During the day Saturday, after stopping for lunch, the Smartcraft alarm went off notifying us that the gear lube reservoir was low. I immediately stopped the engine and found that the reservoir was in fact nearly empty, I filled it and went on. I wasn't too concerned at this point. I had changed the fluid not too long ago and figured that there probably had been air in the system.
I began to get more concerned when we got to our destination and found that the reservoir was empty again. I topped it off and made a mental note to keep an eye on it, not wanting to ruin the weekend. Sunday morning I was relieved to see that the reservoir had not lost any fluid, so I figured that the prop shaft seal might be leaking only when underway.
I had to fill the reservoir again once on Sunday, then again on Monday morning. I was getting more concerned at this point as the leak appeared to be getting worse. Fortunately it was a quick trip to the ramp on Monday morning and was relieved to get the boat out of the water.
A quick inspection of the gimbal area made the issue quite evident. I could see that the hose going from the outdrive to the gimbal housing was disconnected and the plastic fitting in the gimbal housing was broken. The reservoir was completely disconnected from the outdrive and leaking right out. It appears as though the condition had become gradually worse through-out the weekend, to the point where the lube was leaking right out.
When I got home I immediately pulled the drain plug from the outdrive and was really dismayed to see clear (un-mixed with gear lub) water drain out for about the first minute of draining. After that the milkshake came out. Since the gear lube hose is below the waterline, it must have been sucking water right into the drive. I regret driving the boat in this condition, but the damage is done and we had a great weekend.
In an attempt to flush out the drive I immediately pushed three quarts of fresh gear lube through the drive, allowing it to flow out of the broken reservoir hose. I then drained this fluid, and finally filled the drive with clean fluid.
Looking ahead, the repair itself seems pretty straightforward and I've already ordered the parts. Looks like it is going to be a bit of a tight fit, but nothing I can't handle. What I'm much more concerned about is any damage I might have caused by running the drive in this condition.
I guess it doesn't make sense for me to ask anyone to guess what damage may or may not have been incurred. But, is there a way to visually inspect the outdrive to look for any damage that may have been caused? I'm not sure yet if I'll need to pull the outdrive to replace this connector / hose, however if I do have to pull the drive I figure I might as well conduct a pressure test and any other visual inspections needed.
Other than the reservoir losing fluid, the boat ran great. No performance issues, no strange sounds or burning smells coming from the outdrive. Also did not see any metal shavings in the gear lube. Hopefully these are all signs that the damage was minimal.
Thanks in advance for reading this thread, looking forward to getting everyone's thoughts.
Thank you!
-Dave