PsyGrad
New Member
I have read most if not all posts on leaking drive oil in to the bilge and outside. It would seem like the most logical way to start is go from your resevoir bottle and work back toward the drive, checking the cap on the resevoir, the seal for the cap, the resevoir bottle for leaks, the line going from the resevoir to the fitting on the transom, and then remove the drive to see if there's any fluid in/around the bellows and judge from there. I own a 2001 215 Express Cruiser. I had the boat repowered last year with going from a 5.7 TKS 240hp to a 5.0 MPI 260hp. I went out this weekend and put the boat in the water after using 2 or 3 times this year already, and went to start her up, and got the drive monitor alarm, shut it down, and found very low fluid. Filled it up which stopped the alarm, went on about my day, after a rest start it up again and no alarm, after another rest drive alarm again and very low fluid. Fill with fluid which stop the alarm, and go back to port. Get back on trailer, get home, and drive fluid is very low again..but not empty at anytime. I tried to look for leaks, notice some fluid in bilge but not too much as others have described. My problem is that I can visually check the resevoir and some of the line but once it gets back to the transom things are so tight i can't see much. First question is how does one go about working in there. Second is what's everyones opinion about cause, and third, who can you go to to fix. Current dealer mechanic rate is $125 an hour...and I am sure it's going to take them several hours just to find it. Is there a marine mechanic certification that I can look for to select another perhaps less overhead driven dealer/mechanic???
