96 225 PM gear case oil

[whipper]

How should you check the oil in the leg/gearcase. What is the level ,should be. Is it like a diff, put your finger in and if there good,if not top up? And where the heck is the plug. Sorry for Q new to outboards and need a manual. James

 

[fishnfireman]

The vent plug is just below the cavitation plate on Starbrd side of a Sportmaster LU.
The fill/drain plug is just above the prop shaft looking from behind. They are just a slotted screw.

With the propshaft level the fluid should be at bottom of hole.
HOWEVER a lot of us have had trouble keeping shift shaft seals in the LU.
One thing that has helped is to not fill all the way.

 

[ziemer]

If you're not sure of the level, you might as well change it. The Mercury High performance gear oil is about the best you can use for the money ($10.00/qt.), and it's easy to change.

You will need to get the little pump that Mercury sells that fits on top of the quart bottle. It's also about $10.00.

Pull the bottom drain plug out, just below the propshaft and then pull the vent plug under the cavitation plate. Let it drain good. Once it's empty screw the end of the pump into the drain and pump it up until it runs out the vent hole. Put the vent plug back in and trim the motor up to about 30-40 degrees and unscrew the pump in the drain and re-insert the drain plug.

That's it. The longest part is waiting for the old lube to drain out. :wink:

 

[whipper]

oil

Good thing I asked, thanks. I have a bobs nose cone but located drain/fill screw on the port of my lower under the cavitation plate. When I checked the starbord I thought my Aly foil might be covering it then I saw it. Thanks again,James

 

[whipper]

lube

I dont follow instrutions well I guess! I wanted to see were the level was so i undid the vent plug seeing none I undid the drain over a bucket to just top it up with the oil and pump ready. The drain plug droped in the bucket darn! Oil draining alover my hands as I try to stuff the nozzle in the hole. Onece I pumped it to the vent I dug out the drain plug from the bucket and quickley tryed to thread it in with slippery hands on a skrew driver while loosing very little. Then put vent plug in and cleaned up the mess! Well mission accompished anyway and Im not right at the top,this was the first time checking it since breakin not realy low but not to the top and still isnt but close. I put rtv in the train hole filling it in flush because to me the cavity is only a bubble maker, that stuff just diggs out when ya need to do it again.....FOLLOWING PROPER PROCEDURE! James