harmful leak part 2

[ssaamm]

Thanks for the help!! I drained the lower unit and refilled it. It was a grayish green color, but not the dark color of the drippings from before. I put a piece of cardboard down so I could tell what color it was. I removed the prop, and there was a piece of monofilament wrapped inside. I get the impression that I have a damaged seal that a dealer should check out. Is it ok to use the boat for the rest of the season or should I take it in soon. Again, thanks for the advice!!

[Surface Tension]

Refill it and use it. Check the level before you hit the water.

[kwkfsh]

There is a quick and easy way to test the lower unit and seals. See if you can borrow or rent a lower unit pressure tester. All you do is take the top vent screw out and screw in the end of the testers hose, pump it up to the test pressure.(once at 4-6psi for 15 min. and once at 13-15psi for 15 min.)If the pressure holds and does not leak down then your seals are AOK. If it does leak down more than a minor amount (say 10%) then the gearcase needs some work ASAP in order to avoid what could be quite expensive repairs. As far as the dirty black oil dripping it is probably just some unburned oil mixed with exhaust carbon coming out of prop hub, this is quite common, but it can certainly freak someone out. Just take a look inside the the exhaust behind the prop and see if the same stuff that is leaking is present there.