propshaft seals

[ndb8fxe]

I changed my lower unit oil a few weeks back on my '96 Evenrude 90hp and found the oil to be a little milky. I was advised to refill the oil and run it again to see if water would re-appear in the oil which I did. After sitting for a day this is what I saw.

So I drained the oil again(I was planning on doing this anyway). Here's what came out.


It looks like the oil must be leaking from the propshaft seal. Does anyone have experience changing one? My shop manual says that the lower unit doesn't need be removed in order to change the seal.

I am mechanically inclined, but don't want to get into something I can't handle. Should I just spend the money and take it to my overpriced but trustworthy shop? What do you all think?

Thanks,

Chris L.

[jtburf]

Myself I would take that to the shop. simply because with out all the proper tool's you will have a heck of a time and they can do both a pressure and Vac test .... while there I also would change the drive shaft seal and might as well replace the impeller!!!! do all this and you will be good to go for a long time .... good luck ..john

[ndb8fxe]

Thanks for the reply. That's the direction that I was leaning, but I was hoping sombody would post saying that it's a really easy job. I was hoping since the lower unit didn't have to be removed that it might be easier than it would seem.

Thanks again,

Chris L.

[Richie]

There are 2 seals in there back to back. The deep one is difficult without the proper tool.I paid to have mine done and when pressure tested the seal under the water pump needed to be changed too.

[abeal2]

I replaced mine this past summer on my Evinrude 40...probably very similar. I agree with everybody else...take off your lower unit and take it to the shop. It was a MAJOR pain in the rear. You can do it while the lower unit is still on the motor but that would make it even worse.

On the other hand...the driveshaft seals and water pump were a piece of cake. You could do those and then take it to the shop and have them replace the prop shaft seal and pressure test it to make sure you installed the driveshaft seals correctly.

Just a note...if you do decide to do it yourself the two seals on the prop shaft were the same but the two on the driveshaft were different so don't get them confused on reassembly.

Andrew

[Screamin Sunbird]

The prop shaft seal is not that hard to replace. The worst part is getting the bearing carrier out of the lower unit. First remove the prop. Then you will see a bolt that hold the bearing carrier. Thats the part right behind the prop where you exhaust comes out. This may be hard to get out, and you may have to make or borrow a puller to remove it. After that there is an O ring on the outside of the bearing carrier and the prop shaft seals in the center. They are easy to change. As I said the hardest part is getting the carrier out.

[ndb8fxe]

Hmmm, To try or not to try. My water pump isn't due to be changed for another 9 months. I am or was planning on doing that one myself, but if I get the lower unit off the pump will definately be changed ahead of schedule. I may just try to do it. Still undecided, but thank you all very much for the replies. I am going to call the shop for an estimated cost to have them do it.

Chris L.

[Knockerjoe]

I have the tool to pull off the carrier if you want to borrow it. Zov5@yahoo.com

[scott_gunn]

I did it on mine, and I saved a bunch of money. It's a real pain in the neck if you don't have the right tools. Like everyone else said, the hard part is getting the bearing carrier out. I fashioned a puller out of a chain, a block of wood, a crowbar, and the bolts that were already in there.

Also, the seals will probably be hard to take out and put back in. I had to really pound on the seals to get them in. I used a spare seal I had and placed it on top of the seal I was inserting, and hit it with a hammer to avoid damaging the seal that I was putting in.

If I could afford it, I'd take it to the shop next time!

[ndb8fxe]

Thanks for the replies again. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I'm leaning towards doing it myself now. Knocker, thanks for the offer, I may take you up on it. The benefit of doing it myself is not only the savings in money, but learning something new as well. I'll let you all know how it goes.

For the ones who have done it before, what parts other than the seals should be replace while I have it apart?

Thanks again,

Chris L.

[ndb8fxe]

Well I decided to do this project myself. I ended up not taking the lower unit off the engine. While it was a pretty major pain in the butt, I did get to learn a new skill. The hardest part was getting the old seals out. I am fairly certian the propshaft seals were leaking and hope those were the only ones. Overall it took a good 4-5hrs steady work for me to complete(including reading the shop manual). I don't know if I'd do it again myself. Thanks for everyones help.

Chris L.