|
|
Posts: 20258
Location: oswego, il | I came home from fishing today and found an oily sludge all over my stransom saver from my '96 25hp johnson. It is coming from a small bb size hole on the port side of the lower unit. There is an upper and lower hole, it is coming from the upper one. This hole is on the opposite side about where the upper drain/fill hole is. I drained my lower unit oil and it was fine but the sludge looks like gearlube/water mix. Anybody know what could be causing it? |
|
| |
|
Posts: 395
Location: NW WI | Not knowing this motor well but I would bet that you are losing a seal somewhere and gear lube is pushing out. It's a matter of time until you start seeing water in the lube. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | Yep, you got a seal going out. |
|
| |
|
| Don't be so sure it's a seal. Could just be unburnt fuel that made its way down. It looks much the same as waterlogged gear lube sometimes. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Todd,
Pull off the cowl and see if you have a stream of gunk running down into the lower unit housing from your carbs. If so, it's possible that's your culprit. if not, perhaps it's a seal going. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUabDrfjATY |
|
| |
|
Posts: 20258
Location: oswego, il | Thanks for the input everyone. I will take the cowl off when I get home from work. Sled, always love that video, still funny. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | a classic indeed! |
|
| |
|
| hiya
I'm betting it is nothing more than exhaust build up and water mixed... Extremely dark brown to almost black... If memory serves me correctly, there are a few places water can be expelled on that motor in addition to the outlet just below the engine cowling.
If you have a motor flusher, hook that up and see where water comes out... If water comes out of it, you you should be fine. Over time exhaust residue builds up on the midsection of the lower unit where water flows through it due to submersion and normal flow under operation. Nothing I would be too concerned about.
If you are using normal Johnson oil, you could try a synthetic for a while and see if that cuts down on the gunk... Non synthetic oils tend to not burn as cleanly, thus more smoke and residue... Something to try if you choose...
I wouldn't be too worried about it...
Steve
|
|
| |
|
Location: Altoona IA | Agree with VMS. I have experienced both situations. Two strokes are classically dirty engines and not all oil is burnt. As time passes oil builds up in the mid-section especially if you mix heavy or are idling for long periods at a time (oil injected). When the motor is in the water, there is water in your mid-section up to what ever level it is on the boat. When you pull out and tilt up the motor (assuming) you trap a small amount of water in the midsection. The small holes are there to drain the mid. As you go down the road the wind blows this oily water on your transom. However, I wouldn't always assume it's build up. I have seen where it continues to weep oil (much cleaner and green) from the hole while in the driveway. Usually a hot summer day as the oil expands in the lower unit. This indicates bad seal. Usually a shift shaft seal. I agree with VMS on switching to a synthetic. That solved my problem with the residue in my midsection on my older 225 Merc that I run stupid amounts of fuel thru. If it continues after that or you want some peace of mind, the best bet would be to have the lower unit pressure checked. Usually under $50. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 20258
Location: oswego, il | Thanks for the input. I never got above trolling speed all weekend. I have been using amsoil and staybil for over 5 years in the motor. I took it to a shop just to be sure, getting if the water pump impelled replaced if nothing else. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 272
| I would say that's your deal right there. "Never got above trolling speed."
I throw our old 6hp two-lung, two-cycle engine on my boat in springtime for a trolling kicker for walleye trolling. That thing pukes out a snuff tin-sized pile of puke on the garage floor after a night on the water. Its a 89ish vintage Johnson. The puke resembles lower unit oil that's had water beaten into it.
There is no mistaking the smell of 80/90 weight lube.. Swab yer finger in there. If you gag, its a seal going out. If it smells like an exhaust pipe, its unburnt oil. No need for getting wrenches out if its the latter.
I try to run the junk out of my motor at the end of each night by running the kicker wide open for several minutes.....but the goo after hours of idle speeds must build up in the exhaust ports and it just eventually drips out. Your exhaust is cooled by water, which is why it appears white-ish.
Welcome to the wonderful world of idling two-cycle engines.......they were made to be beat, not babied. You could try running 100:1 instead of your normal ratio, or going with Amsoil or one of those. I run my stuff pretty thin as it is, because that's all this little engine ever does is idle. I've not found a way around the daily pile 'o puke, if this is what you're doing with your engine.
-Eric
Edited by muskie-addict 7/7/2011 11:30 PM
|
|
| |
|
Posts: 20258
Location: oswego, il | I have had a boat since I was 16 and never seen this before. It was my 2 cycle oil in the exhaust. Just glad it was not something more serious. I have been using amsoil since I got it and this repair shop did not reccomend it for this motor. |
|
| |
|
Posts: 3508
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hiya,
Keep using it... Amsoil is one of the best and cleanest synthetic TCW-3 oils you can find. Going back to Johnson oil might be cheaper, but you will get even more of the oil buildup with that...especially if you troll a bunch with it..
Steve |
|
| |
Oily sludge coming from my 25hp Johnson