Water in motor oil

[harvey lee]

I changed oil on my 2006 4 stroke 50hp Merc today and found a small amount of moisture in the oil.

Could it be from condensation as it was stored outside in the cold this winter or could it be a head gasket?

Maybe something else?

I thought I would run it 4-5 times and then pull the oil plug and check again. I flushed it out very well.

[marine_man]

I suppose it could be Tom... how much are we talking about here?

I agree with your plan though, regarding seeing what happens after a couple more runs.

marine_man

[harvey lee]

I called Merc and they said yes, a bit can get in the oil from condensation in the 4 stroke 50-60hp motors.

He also said that the 75-115hp get even more. He simply said change the oil and your good to go.

It was not much water Rob as the dip stick was at the mark and not overfull.

It should be in the manuel as one would not want to change their oil in the fall. Also maybe so little it would not hurt anything but I hate to see milky oil from a block.

[BudMan]

I may be old school, but I Always change my oil in the Fall that way my engine sits with clean oil in it. Then before I go out in spring it is checked again and run a couple times and changed again. I feel oil is cheap as compared to what it costs to fix them . By the way , never had a problem yet. knock knock...........

[theoilman]

Excellent chance it is from condensation over the winter. Change it and keep a close check on it - each time you use it for the next several times for sure.