Gear oil for Mercruiser alpha one?

blackrandomapple

blackrandomapple

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Looking to change gear oil in my alpha one drive..

Is there a difference between normal motor oil a marine oil apart from the price, I have heaps of different types of oil in the garage for bikes, cars etc
I cant see why marine oil whould be any different when its doing the same job?

The only think i need to know is what weight is recommened?

Thanks, James
 
blackrandomapple said:
Looking to change gear oil in my alpha one drive..

Is there a difference between normal motor oil a marine oil apart from the price, I have heaps of different types of oil in the garage for bikes, cars etc
I cant see why marine oil whould be any different when its doing the same job?

The only think i need to know is what weight is recommened?

Thanks, James
Click to expand...

James, in my opinion it's not worth the attempting to save a few quid for an essential part of keeping an Alpha One drive worth a couple of £K working correctly. Others may differ in their opinion but the safe option is to go with the manufactures recommended lube.
 
The manufacturer recommends oil that meet certain properties and are specifically designed for the use (eg. tolerant to moisture).

You may skip the engine manufacturer private label oil, but should stick to recommendation. Even for gear oil (which is not engine oil).
 
Im not to worried about the cost, I just didnt want to spend money when i could have used something i already have! Will get on the case and go to my local marine supplies and get the good stuff!!! :)
 
Are you changing the lube yourself James? presume you know about filling the Alpha One (gen II?) from the lower drain hole if you are? Are you changing the impellor whilst you're at it?
 
I only bought the boat this year and was told it was serviced and didnt need another service untill end of season, i wanted to change the gear oil as a peace of mind. Yes i will be doing it myself but i wont be changing the impeller just yet. Im not sure if it Gen I -II was made in 1992 if that helps?
 
blackrandomapple said:
I only bought the boat this year and was told it was serviced and didnt need another service untill end of season, i wanted to change the gear oil as a peace of mind. Yes i will be doing it myself but i wont be changing the impeller just yet. Im not sure if it Gen I -II was made in 1992 if that helps?
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I think they stopped production of the Alpha 1 Gen 1 drives around 1991 so if I right (I may be wrong) it could be either. post a picture of the drive to be sure.
 
oGaryo said:
Use the High Performance lube James, the bluey green stuff.r
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You mean the original Merc oil, AKA "green death"?
Beware! In this specific case, using something else is not a matter of saving a few quids, but rather of saving the outdrive.
We discussed that in this previous thread:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?330662
...and you can find much more about that in the offshoreonly US forum, if you're interested.
 
Not the best pic in the world but its the only one i have to hand!
mkdeo3.jpg
 
MapisM said:
You mean the original Merc oil, AKA "green death"?
Beware! In this specific case, using something else is not a matter of saving a few quids, but rather of saving the outdrive.
We discussed that in this previous thread:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?330662
...and you can find much more about that in the offshoreonly US forum, if you're interested.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I will have a read! :)
 
It is. The Alpha is the best outdrive in its power bracket, period.
And I'm pretty sure that they improved it with the Gen 2 in many respects, though I can't remember the details.
In fact, I like/know much better the Bravo, but that only makes sense for big blocks.

PS: back to your original question, the weight of gear oil is 75W-90.
 
Last edited:
MapisM said:
It is. The Alpha is the best outdrive in its power bracket, period.
And I'm pretty sure that they improved it with the Gen 2 in many respects, though I can't remember the details.
In fact, I like/know much better the Bravo outdrive, but that only makes sense for big blocks.
Click to expand...
Well it hasnt givin me any real problems yet, im new to inboard motors and so far i am enjoying the ease of working on it.. replaced trim and limit sensors with no problems, just have what i think is a water leak and getting mixed views on the problem... but that another thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?357895-Water-exit-Alpha-one maybe you will be able to help?

Thanks!
 
Sorry, I've seen your other thread but as I said I don't know the Alpha well enough to give you a sensible answer.
 
I know people that have been using Castrol SAF-XO in their drive for years without any problems
 
MapisM said:
You mean the original Merc oil, AKA "green death"?
Beware! In this specific case, using something else is not a matter of saving a few quids, but rather of saving the outdrive.
We discussed that in this previous thread:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?330662
...and you can find much more about that in the offshoreonly US forum, if you're interested.
Click to expand...


each to their own but have never personally experienced the crud in the bottom of the ressy like your pics in the other thread and for me, I'd prefer to have manufacturer gear in there rather than open up the possibility of accusations of drive failure due to using something other than their gear. just not worth it
 
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