Outboard Problem??

[Bad Obsession]

I have noticed that my outboard appears to be leaking lower unit fluid. I am posting pictures of this. I have never seen this before so I am wondering if anything is wrong with the outboard. I have drained the old lower unit fluid and replaced it. There wasn't any water or metal filings in the old fluid. Does anyone know what is wrong with the outboard? If so, how do I fix it or get it fixed? How expensive might this be?The outboard is a Johnson 4.5 horse power. I believe that it was made in the 80's but I am not sure of the year (I bought my boat second hand this past Feb.) THe boat is a 1982 Hunter 22.

 

[John P12805]

Oil Leak

Obsession,Your photo looks like a failed seal on the oil drain/fill plug. A Johnson dealer probably has a new plug with a new seal in stock. I replaced mine along with a new water pump and seals this past winter. Good luck.

 

[Tom s/v GAIA]

My moneys on the gasket between

the 2 sections of the leg. as far as cost, let your fingers do the walking. Find the nearest Johnson dealer, show him where its leaking and see what he says.good luck!Tom s/v GAIA

 

[Bill4867]

ASAP

The color of the oil would indicate water intrusion. Drop the lower unit and replace the seal and while your that far replace the impeler.

 

[Pete]

Bill is correct !

the oil looks like it has water mixed in it. It should be a amber brown/clear color if it looks like choclate (like yours) it has oil/water mixed in it.lower unit need to be resealed. any dealer can do this work or and good outboard mechanic can.they can also vacume and presure test it.On a engine this old I would also relpace the entire water pump not just the impeller as well as the prop shaft seal. You will have a "like new" lower unit. Parts should be under $100. labor should be about two hours. Good Luck !

 

[Bad Obsession]

Fixed the problem

Thank you all for your help. I ended up taking my outboard to a mechanic (I have done a lot of business with him in the past with my motorcycle). I found out that he had a three week wait on getting things worked on. I didn't want to wait that long and loose three weeks of sailing time. The mechanic took a look at the outboard and he told me that it was a seal that was over the gear houseing that was probabily leaking. He gave me a part number and told me that it was an easy repair. I got the part from NAPA Auto. It was only $6. Armed with the new knowledge, I took the lower unit off of my outboard. I removed three bolts and got it to slide right off. I then removed 6 more bolts and removed a plastic bracket that was over the lower unit. I found the leaky seal and pulled it off. I then put the new seal on and put everything back together.  Thanks to a lot of good guidance from my mechanic, I saved a lot of money by doing it myself. Breaking down the lower unit is really simple and once you have looked at it, it isn't near as intimidating. Oh, btw, when I broke the unit down I found out that the water pump had been replaced recently.

 

[James19955]

Reassembling lower unit

Just read this info and wanted to ask - What is the secret for re-assembling the lower unit?I just rebuilt my pump on a Johnson Sailmaster 6 and putting the lower unit back together was a real B$#%^. Lining up the gear shift and the main drive shaft were relatively easy but getting the water tube which fits into the water pump was maddenning. Got it all done with some jiggling and a stick to help get things aligned.I am now wondering if the tube was broken or something?Any thoughts - I hope I dont have to replace anything for the next few years but want to understand why it was not as easy as the earlier posts suggest. ThanksJames