water in lower unit

[tbone444]

i found water in lower unit while changing oil.what could be the cause of this how do i fix it?

[robert graham]

The drain/fill plugs have flat fiber washers on them that may be worn out or cracked, the prop shaft seals may be worn out or damaged, remove prop and inspect for fishing line wrapped around shaft and under seal, causing damage/leakage, If those items are O.K.,then drop the lower unit and inspect/replace either the drive shaft oil seal or the shifter shaft oil seal. Outside of a crack in your lower unit, those are the seals that may be leaking.
It's possible to run a pressure test on your lower unit to determine which seal is bad, if it's not obvious with inspection. Good Luck!

[Tucker]

If you're lucky enough to solve that problem with new washers, I would find religion. Same with monofiliment around the prop shaft. I never get breaks like that. Like Mr. Graham says, presure test is the only way to find out for sure. Wonder if you can take the lower unit to a shop for testing? They could tell you exactly where the leak is. Fortunately there is a pretty recent threat here with pics, and some pretty good input from Rodbolt about replacing the drive shaft seals. That's my bet, that shaft is spinning 5500 RPMS.