Where's my final gear oil going??

[Denis O]

I have a 3.0 Mercruiser inboard which, although 7 years old has only been used for 19 hours, all this year. Before it went into the water it had a full service with all the fluids renewed.

After the first trip I noticed the final gear oil resevoir was filled to the brim. Over the 19 hours the level has dropped and is now at nromal level so around 1 inch down from the top.

Is this likely to be normal usage due to newness or should I be looking for a leak. I shall be buying sone oil to keep it topped up today.

 

[lovezoo]

Assuming you have an Alpha outdrive and you are talking about the drive lube monitor in the engine compartment, then yes, it is normal for the level to drop as air is "burped" out of the system after an oil change. Just top up as necessary and it should stop dropping once all the air has gone.

 

[Denis O]

Yes and yes and thanks for putting my mind at rest. New oil will be procured and topped up as necessary.