Oil Leak

[Twins 57 Fan]

Just got off the lake... A slow opener for us.

Got the boat in the driveway (it ran great all day) but noticed some oil leaking down the shaft of the motor. It is a 1996 75 hp Force Tracker. The oil leak was coming from the very top of the shaft under the big part of the motor.

Any ideas? I know i mixed the gas/oil a little too rich. but like I said I didnt have any problems all day. I also just replaced the ipeller in the lower unit by myself. (hope I didnt mess anything up.

Any help would be appreciated

[eurolarva]

Did you winterize it last year with fogging oil? If so that is probably what it is. Take a whiff of it. If it smells like gas it is unburned oil gas mix. If you start gagging it is lower unit oil and you probably have a leak. Nothing stinks worse then lower unit oil. If it does smell like gas and continues your puddle valve screens are probably plugged. This is part of the fuel recirculation system. It is pretty easy to fix if that is it.

[Twins 57 Fan]

doesnt really smell like anything but oil. I bought the boat this year so I am not sure on the winterizing aspect.

If it were your boat would you worry about it or just monitor it?

[marine_man]

What kind of oil does it smell like? Heavy gear lube, or motor oil?

marine_man

[eurolarva]

If it were mine I would open the drain plug and let a little come out. If it is milky white or water comes out you have a leak. Because this motor is new to you the following should be done. Impeller change (which you said you did) lower oil change. Most leaks in the gear housing come from a bad seal on the drain and fill plug, Prop shaft seal and drive shaft seal. So if you do have a leak it is possible to fix it without having to install a complete seal kit. The main thing with the impeller install is that the vanes go the correct way. The best way to do it is to put the impeller on the key put the water pump on top. Then while slowly turning the drive shaft clockwise push the pump down till it is seated. Congratulations on getting the lower unit back on. A lot of people will have it in the wrong gear then when it goes back together again it will not shift correctly. Main thing with that force is to run the carb mixture slightly rich and make sure the water is circulating. When a force overheats it almost always will trash at least one cylinder.