losing gear lube...and my mind

cnollego

Member
Sep 8, 2022
75
Boat Info
2003, 220 Sundeck
Engines
5.0 MPI, Alpha Drive
2003 SD220, 5.0MPI Alpha - Gen II 248 hours

So bought boat last Summer. Had impeller changed along with gear lube and engine oil all at Marina.

Got it out this year and after two or three small trips (approximately 30-40 mins each) came back and put it on the lift.

Went to take it out this past week and got a loud alarm. found the gear lube resevoiur close to empty.

No lube in the bilge or near the inside of the transom. No lube showing on the outside of the drive.

Marina checked the line running from the outside of the transom to the drive and it wasn't leaking.

Filled it up and took it out for a gentle drive. After a 20 min drive checked and no fluid leak. Went another 20 and it was down about 1/4. filled it back up and it was good for the rest of the day.

No idea where it's leaking. no residue when i put it on the lift where it spends the summer. No oil showing in the water.

Thoughts on where it's leaking? Shift shaft or oring for the gear lube to the lower leg. Getting into the exhaust and blowing out (since i can't see to find any trace anywhere else).
No smoke or vibrations/wierd noises. I know i need to pull the drive but was just wondering if any of you had run into the same issue.
 
This happens to me once in a while. After getting the lube changed at the end of the season there are air pockets left in the lines. I use the boat a few times and the fluid gets low enough to set off the alarm. Fill it back up to the line and I'm generally good for the rest of the season. I'm surprised your marina didn't mention this. I'm told that this is fairly common. I'm betting with no visible leak you are good to go.
 
Most likely it's air pockets as mentioned. Especially if it wasn't filled from the bottom up to/into the reservoir bottle. Even then, you can get some air pockets that eventually get displaced by the gear oil.
 
Prayers for not a prop seal. Fresh water so doubting corrosion will set in that fast if stored on the hard most of the time.
 
Probably just a lot of air in the drive there's a ton of places for air pockets to get I had to add to mine also
 
If you ever drained your out drive and saw how long it took for all the oil to get out of there that would explain the air pockets I think
 
And even if it is filled from the bottom, there will be air pockets if the drive was tilted up During the fill process.
 
Ok, so it kept losing lube. About 1/8 of quart from the reservoir on my last trip which was about 45min round trip

Had the marina pull the drive and there was no evidence of oil leakage. They separated the drive and found the carrier under the impeller plate was leaking lube out the low water intake.

I had them change the impeller last fall during winterization after which they pressurized it and determined it was sealed.
Wish they would have just changed the carrier at the same time. but if it's not leaking...what are you going to do.

Since this is a new to me boat (I know outboards) I'll start doing this maintenance myself since I'm now more familiar with the I/O operation.

Shaft, u joints, carrier/gimbal bearing and bellows all looked good.
 
What do you mean leaking out the lower water intake could you explain that a little bit for me please
 
The vertical row of water inlets in the lower leg of the outdrive. I was only visible from time to time...in very small amounts.
 
I 3rd or 4th air pockets…… just keep an eye on it
Did you read my latest post...thinking your post and my update were in sync. Not air pockets...i wish it would've been.
 
Ok I understand, sorry. That sucks. Hope all works out
 
No worries...and not a big deal repair. I just wish they would have replaced the carrier when they serviced the impeller. I would suggest that if you or anyone else gets the impeller replaced to have them throw a new carrier in every other year or so.
 
No worries...and not a big deal repair. I just wish they would have replaced the carrier when they serviced the impeller. I would suggest that if you or anyone else gets the impeller replaced to have them throw a new carrier in every other year or so.
Good that you got this taken care of.

Generally speaking, replacing the carrier that often is way overkill and definitely not needed. This is one of those "replace when you need to" kind of things. If you hit 20 years on it, sure, go ahead and do it for good measure. But it's not a normal maintenance item.
 
Good that you got this taken care of.

Generally speaking, replacing the carrier that often is way overkill and definitely not needed. This is one of those "replace when you need to" kind of things. If you hit 20 years on it, sure, go ahead and do it for good measure. But it's not a normal maintenance item.
Assuming you replace the impeller every 2-3 years, I would think the forty bucks would be better than chancing having to pull the lower unit again and waste the oil and labor costs.
 
I think Lazy Day said it best. Should have asked them to replace it after 20 years even if it passed the leak down test.

Well, here's to another 20...I'm sure something else will break or wear out long before then.
 

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