saildrive water leaks
Printed From: Laser 28 International Class Association
Category: Laser 28 General
Forum Name: Maintenance
Forum Description: All the things to care for your boat
URL: http://www.laser28.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=458
Printed Date: 27 November 2024 at 12:28pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.03 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: saildrive water leaks
Posted By: bal149
Subject: saildrive water leaks
Date Posted: 20 May 2011 at 7:27pm
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I drained my oil today and got about 20 cc of water-not good- I have not taken off the prop yet but I did consult the shop manual-no help-Can I change the seal without taking off the lower section of the sail drive?
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Replies:
Posted By: khardy
Date Posted: 22 May 2011 at 9:36pm
No. But taking the lower "clam shell" is not hard.
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Posted By: frfletch
Date Posted: 27 May 2011 at 1:33pm
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Before you dig into the sail drive, check for the possibility that the water may be coming in through the oil drain screw, or the other screws in the side of the sail drive. The fiber washer on the oil drain screw could be compromised. The best way to check this is to get the boat out of the water, drain all the gear oil out of the sail drive, then refill with the thinnest oil you can find. Or use paint thinner! Let it sit overnight and see where the leak comes from. Before putting back into service, drain out the thin oil, or thinner, and refill with the old gear oil. Then I suggest draining that and putting in new gear oil. This will flush out the thinner oil or paint thinner or whatever you use. You may be into a $3.00 fix instead of a $300 dollar fix.
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Posted By: frfletch
Date Posted: 27 May 2011 at 1:36pm
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One thing I should have mentioned in my last post: When you fill the sail drive with thin oil, fill it to the very top of the stick to place as much pressure on the leak as possible. You may also be able to rush this test by applying some small amount of air pressure at the dip stick tube to push the thin oil through.
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