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Sterndrive lube question

2K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  Waldawg 
QUOTE(1ProudDad @ Jul 2 2009, 09:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Looking for a little advise, please. I changed the outdrive lube yesterday and only had a quart for the job. It never made it up to the vent hole before I ran out and it doesn't even wet the bottom of the dipstick. Plus I spilled enough on my hands putting the plug back in to protect another small boat
. Why can't I top it off through the vent hole? Do I have to remove the drain plug at the bottom of the drive and fill it through there, thus spilling/wasting more oil? Any advise would be appreciated.
Make sure you install the top plug before opening bottom. This will greatly reduce what spills out while installing the bottom plug.

You cannot fill with only one plug open because there is no way for the air to escape as the oil displaces the air.
 
QUOTE(1ProudDad @ Jul 2 2009, 09:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>QUOTE(PocketChange @ Jul 2 2009, 09:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If you are confident it is pretty full and you just want to top it off, I would think filling it from the top would work. Now it might require running the boat around and checking it again as you could still trap air in between the old and new oil.
That's what I was thinking, but the service manual says to add from the bottom. I'm guessing I have at least 30 of the 32oz. capacity (also in the manual) in there, but others have said they needed around 40oz. to fill them. The capacity on the ones with the plastic lube oil monitor/resevoir is 54oz., but I don't have that. I think I'll play it safe and add from the bottom, unless someone says they are certain it's OK to add 2-4 oz. from the top.
Thanks for all the quick responses.

I suppose you could add oil from the top only with some sort of a oil squirt can (allowing air to escape), BUT, why risk the death of your outdrive? Get it wrong, and you'll have a whole lot more mess.

Good luck!
 
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