1989 Merc 20 Hp

[mas3]

Hello All

 

I just bought a used boat

 

To my concern when I chacked the lower unit oil water came out (yikes)

 

I noticed a torn washer on the lower plug

 

Ran up to Gander mountain bought Oil and found a gasket for the lower fill plug

 

 

Placed the muffs on the motor and she started up

 

I see no cracks in the lower unit

 

However when the motor runs awhile water starts spilling out from the top of the pivot for the motor

 

Is this normal or do I have a bad seal?

 

Serial Number 0B269125

 

Thanks

 

Mike

 

[thomas15]

If it were my motor I would take the entire lower unit apart and replace all gaskets, seals and the water pump (impeller). Now that you have run the motor, recheck the gear oil and see if there is any more water in it. When you run your muffs, you only need to turn your faucet about half way, too much water pressure is not good.

 

My advice to you is take it to a repair shop and have them look over everything and make the necessary repairs. Do it now before the shops are indundated with springtime repair work. From the looks of it the motor was not maintained properly. You should have several of those washers on hand just because.

 

Also, you should get the shop manual for your particular motor. Good luck.

[mas3]

Thanks

 

Picked up 4 of the o-rings for the lower unit gear oil

 

I will re-check the oil and replace the gaskets with new ones.

 

I spoke to a dealer they are already swamped

 

They said what I experienced is quite common, they suggested to replace oil and o-rings run it and re-check for water.

If water is present I will need a pressure check, and seal kit replacement around 250.00

 

I will keep an eye on the oil and update this post

 

Thanks

 

Mike

[WIGuide]

It's most likely due to the bad 0 rings. Mercury for whatever reason has the worst design for those. Most of the time they tend to fall apart when you unscrew them. Run it and recheck the oil for both discoloration as well as excess metal shavings. If it's milky there's an issue and you're probably going to have to replace all the seals. The extra water coming out might be a different issue. Make sure the water coming out of the tell tale is not hot to the touch or excessively warm. Also, be sure to turn your hose on FULL when you run it with the muffs. On a even on a 20 hp the volume of water that can run through those is more than a lot of people think and you're not going to hurt anything by doing so.

[Robeng]

Agreed with above as my 1991 40hp ELPT is very similar. Always glad to help with what I know and don't know.