www.iFourWinns.com

Is there anyway the gear oil would get into the bellows besides a leaky seal........seen when removing the outdrive completely off?

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[img][IMG]http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii566/swedcars1/th_boat2012.jpg[/img][/img]

2008 H190 Four Winns (Volvo Penta 4.3L 225HP)
2009 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 Porsche Boxster.....recently SOLD

If you are sure it's gear oil and not grease from the gimble bearing or u-joints, then yes the thing to check is the input shaft seal where the driveshaft enters the upper unit. These can leak for a couple of reasons, one, if you had water leaking in the bellows for a long time, you can get corrosion on the input shaft and that corrosion can cause the seal to leak, two, if the drive has a seal leak, it can let in water that will eventually start to over-pressurize the drive and when the drive oil heats up during use, it can force it out the seal.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

It seems to be a puddle of gear oil, but the unit was totally full when checked before removal. I wondered if there was a way it got in the bellow as the unit was being removed (i.e. came from something being unbolted or separated).


Thanks!!!

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[img][IMG]http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii566/swedcars1/th_boat2012.jpg[/img][/img]

2008 H190 Four Winns (Volvo Penta 4.3L 225HP)
2009 Nissan Pathfinder
2002 Porsche Boxster.....recently SOLD

The drive should be sealed whether its on the boat or not. If it is actually gear oil (sounds like it) you have a leaky input shaft seal.

Yep there is no way that gear oil can leak out from removing the drive. Either the seal leaks, it was overfilled, or there is a seal leak that caused it to suck in water as it cooled off and that can pressurize the drive enough to make a seal leak. Other causes are rust on the shaft where the seal rides or excessive wear or run out in the input bearing. But on a boat that new those are very unlikely.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I have a lube bottle on my engine with a hose that runs back to the drive. Could it be that hose?

I have never looked at that system, but it probably comes through the transom at some point, so if it leaked there is no way the oil would find its way into the bellows.

Some years back I had a seal leak in my Cobra, what happens is that when running the drive the oil gets hot, then when it cools off a vaccum develops and water can get sucked in through the leaky seal. So much that the drive can get over-pressurized. When I pulled the boat out that season, I knew something was wrong as soon as I checked the gear oil, when I removed the dipstick in the top cap, oil spurted out under pressure (as if it was overfilled but it was not). When I drained the gear oil you could see the water. I took the drive to the shop and they resealed it (this was back in 05) and it has been fine ever since. But I/O gearcases have a lot of places where they can leak water in so it's worth checking and changing the gear oil every season, even if you did not run a lot of hrs. Otherwise you will never know if there is water in there.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Happened on my H200....leaking input shaft seal for sure.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4