Posts: 3480
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | I think we have two different situations being discussed here.
One is draining and replacing the lower unit oil and the other is making sure the lower unit has all the water drained from it so nothing freezes and cracks.
To get the water out, lower and raise your motor a couple of times. In most cases, a lower unit is designed to self-drain when in the vertical position...but for some reason, water does get trapped somewhere inside. so...by raising and lowering the motor, that water gets dislodged and drains.
A little bit of water is not going to do damage when it has a place to expand and is not trapped. Many times you hear of lower units cracking due to water intrusion into the gear case, and this happens when the water freezes and expands, it has nowhere to expand and cracks the lower unit.
If I interpret your main question correctly, you just want to ensure the water is drained from the water tube, impeller and such before storage. Do as above and you will be all set.
It is good practice to drain and refill the lower unit gear case (as described in the previous post) which guards against any water freezing in the gear housing. Water intrusion into the gear case happens when a seal goes bad. By changing the lower unit lube, you will be able to get a good idea as to if water is getting in (the lube will be milky-colored if water is getting in...not clear as it should be). If the lube is milky, it is time for a seal replacement and possibly a lower unit rebuild (in case rust forms). Again, if I interpret your question correctly, I think the water drainage is just getting the water out of the system...not water in the gear case.
Steve
Edited by VMS 11/29/2006 8:25 PM
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