[Brian]

removed the lower drain plug on the outdrive and out came fresh looking gear oil. I believe this was a good sign. I will stop off at the dealer tomorrow to check on the price and availablity of the parts needed. I will look through the web page to see if the how to's give details on this process of outdrive removal and seal replacement.

Thanks,
Brian

[jmills224]

The drive removal is going to be the easy part. If it turns out to be your gear end yoke seal thats going to get progressively more difficult. You will need a torque wrench and a special spanner wrench for the castle nut that holds your gear end yoke/bearing pack in the upper gear case. Also, if your seal is leaking its probably because at some point it got water into the bellows and rusted/pitted your gear end yoke. Yoke replacement requires a bit more savvy.

While your at the part house go ahead and get a mercruiser manual for your drive. Read up on pulling the drive and pull it to see what you got. If you got oil in your bellows then start reading up on seal and probably yoke replacement. If its something you want to tackle then give it a shot...you can save alot of money. If it looks too involved don't be afraid to load up your drive and take it to the mechanic of your choice.

~J

[mkasch]

I also had the same problem and warning sound would stay on after ignition turned on. My mechanic took everything apart because there were no leaks but had oil in bilge . He resealed everything and problem was solved for 400 dollars ouch.

[AirNavy]

Old thread, but here's a link to some good info for good measure: http://www.mercstuff.com/howdoi.htm

[Sin or Swim]

Originally Posted by S.L.P.

Brian,
I recently had a similar problem w/ my Bravo III. Slowly losing drive oil, could not see any on the water, none in the bilge and none around the reservoir. Turns out the seal in the outdrive to transom was leaking. All the missing oil was inside the bellows. a new seal fixed everything. After running for several hours the oil level stabilized and topped i t off with an ounce or two and had no problems since.
good luck
steve

Hi there! we are having the same problem with our oil disappearing....as brand new boaters I need to ask...this oil in the bellows, can it damage anything? If that is indeed where the oil is going, can we still use the boat or should we pull itout immiediately and get this fixed?
Thanks for your thoughts!

[S.L.P.]

ck for water in the outdrive. If it looks milky, fix it as soon as possible.
The oil in the bellows shouldnt have too much of an immediate detrimental effect , but it shouldnt be there. Have it serviced as soon as you can. If the outdrive hasn't been removed and serviced in the past few years, then it time to git it done. Check the condition of the bellows also.
The Muskrats around home have developed a taste for bellows and transducer lines.
I need a good recipe for Muskrats: