Water in gear oil

A

asteven221

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 Jul 2003
Messages
1,414
Visit site
When checking the oil level last weekend, I noticed that there is the sign of water in the reverse gear of our boat i.e. milky colour.

I expect that there is a slight leak from the oil cooler which I will need to sort, but does anyone have any advice on removing the water/oil from the gearbox ready for fresh oil refill? Normally I would just suck the oil out from the dipstick tube with an electric pump. I suspect it doesn't remove all the oil which means that it's likely the water will be left at the bottom which I can't get to with the tube.

My ideas are:-

Would running the engine for a few minutes to create a oil/water mixture and then removing it as a combined mixture work?
Or perhaps trying to suck the water from the surface first now that the boat has been idle, with the idea that the water is sitting at the top of the oil.
I could then run the engine to create a mixture of oil and the remaining water and suck that out?
Any better methods?

Incidentally, it's a ZF IRM220.
Also, I am not sure if the drain plug is accessible which might be a better bet, however I am not certain all the fluid will drain. If there is some left then I suspect it will be the water?

As always - any advice much appreciated.
 
the drain plug on an IRM220 can be a swine to get out. worth trying but don't go at it with a lump hammer as the casing is not very thick in that area. If you can't get the plug out, then running the engine for a few minutes to whip it all up would help in recovering as much water as possible, but I think you will need to plan on a three or four oil changes before all signs of the water goes. Once its clear keep an eye on the colour / clarity of the oil thereafter because the clutches in the gearbox have paper surfaces and the water may have damaged them (sorry to ruin your day). Fingers crossed they will be OK.
 
Last edited:
asteven221 said:
When checking the oil level last weekend, I noticed that there is the sign of water in the reverse gear of our boat i.e. milky colour.

I expect that there is a slight leak from the oil cooler which I will need to sort, but does anyone have any advice on removing the water/oil from the gearbox ready for fresh oil refill? Normally I would just suck the oil out from the dipstick tube with an electric pump. I suspect it doesn't remove all the oil which means that it's likely the water will be left at the bottom which I can't get to with the tube.

My ideas are:-

Would running the engine for a few minutes to create a oil/water mixture and then removing it as a combined mixture work?
Or perhaps trying to suck the water from the surface first now that the boat has been idle, with the idea that the water is sitting at the top of the oil.
I could then run the engine to create a mixture of oil and the remaining water and suck that out?
Any better methods?

Incidentally, it's a ZF IRM220.
Also, I am not sure if the drain plug is accessible which might be a better bet, however I am not certain all the fluid will drain. If there is some left then I suspect it will be the water?

As always - any advice much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Oil floats on water so it will be at the bottom of the casing.

The zfIRM 220 is a very easy box to strip down and remove, its light enough for one man to lift.

I would remove the box and split the casing to clean out the gears and casing.

There is a drain plug at the bottom of the casing , you could drain it and pour in some new oil to flush out what's left in there but if you want full peace of mind take it out.

I would get the gear cooler pressure tested first before you do anything else.
 
Last edited:
oGaryo said:
nope, still don't get IT.. are you saying the water or the oil will be at the bottom of the casing
Click to expand...

Water at the bottom , it will drain first.

The op could also pour some new oil in to flush out the emulsified oil.

As I said a strip is better as the dirty oil will be in the clutch packs.
 
Can oil look creamy for any other reason than water contamination? I'm thinking of a relatively cool gearbox and the oil and the oil going cloudy due to getting stirred up and the creaminess being mistaken for cloudiness. Any simple tests that can be done?
 
some outdrive oils and outboard gearbox oils are very opaque but are a distinct blueish colour. Some machine cutting oils are cloudy but I think most lubricating oils are translucent when fresh, hot or cold. A simple test for water is to heat a small sample of the mixture on a hot surface. If its got water in it, the water will boil and make the sample start spitting and crackling.
 
colhel said:
Can oil look creamy for any other reason than water contamination? I'm thinking of a relatively cool gearbox and the oil and the oil going cloudy due to getting stirred up and the creaminess being mistaken for cloudiness. Any simple tests that can be done?
Click to expand...

I had exactly this. When I Started the engines after a gear box oil change the oil became clowdy initially. We suspected that a leak had developed during winter lay up however it turned out to be small air bubbles that vanished after 10 - 15 min of warm up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

ianc1200
Sureseal shaft seal.
2
Replies
20
Views
536
ianc1200
ianc1200
O
“The Dog that Didn’t Bark:” Yanmar. 4L HASTE.
Replies
2
Views
276
oldgit
O
S
Rain water leak opinion
Replies
3
Views
299
Sailor2000
S
S
Mysterious rain water leak
Replies
2
Views
338
Sailor2000
S

Share this page

Top