Merc/Quicksilver Hi-Performance Gear Lube Question

jason78

jason78

Active Member
TECHNICAL Contributor
Sep 3, 2008
3,662
Fort Mill, SC / Lake Wylie
Boat Info
1997 20 Outrage
Engines
200 Merc Offshore
I have a question here about the Merc/Quicksilver High Performance drive lube. I recently had my mechanic change the Gear Lube in my drives along with some other items. As normal, I had to add some to the reservoir after a little use from the "burping". When I went to do this, I noticed the lube he put in was Green in color rather than the Blue (High-Performance) lube I have been using to top off for several years. I know the Bravos require the "Merc High Performance Lube" and that is what I have been topping off with.

I have done some reading around this morning and it sounds like (from what some have said), the Merc High Performance Lube can be either Blue or Green depending on what OEM supplier Merc bought from for that specific batch. Has anyone ever seen Green Merc High Performance lube? Also from what I read, the Standard (Premium) Merc Gear Lube should be a Brown/Amber color which this definitely is not. I have never seen regular Gear Lube to compare it to.

I do trust my mechanic and he is well qualified and known to be one of the best in the region for repairing drives so this is not a mistake I would expect him to make.

I just want to make sure the drives did not somehow get filled with Regular (Premium) Merc Gear Lube rather than the High Performance Lube. He is out of town right now and I have left him a message based on advice from a fellow CRS member. Just want to figure out if High-Performance can really be Green or Not. I have always seen it Blue but then again I have only opened 2 or 3 bottles of it before.

Thanks
Jason
 
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To me it looks blueish greenish but thats just me - I'd say you have the right stuff in there as your right, the standard stuff looks like oil.... If your really worried draw some out of the reservoir and put some of the fresh stuff in an identical syringe or test tube then judge the difference - it may just look really different through the cloudy reservoir as opposed to the stream comming out of the fresh bottle
 
Thanks for the responses! I noticed the difference on the paper towel when I had to wipe some off the cap that seeped through the vent in the cap on the second drive. I just dipped my finger in the reservoir and wiped it on a paper towel. I then wiped some from my fill bottle next to it and there is a noticeable difference in color. The lube in my drive is a Dark Green and the Lube in my bottle is Blue or maybe Blue/Green. What is in the drive could not be mistaken for having any Blue tint in my opinion. Good news is that it is NOT Brown so I guess that rules out the standard “Premium Merc Gear Lube”.

I will report when I hear back from my mechanic. I have read on other forums where people have stated that the Merc High Performance GL can be Blue, Green/Blue or Dark Green depending on what OEM supplied that particular batch. I am more inclined to trust statements made by folks I know at CSR though. I still wonder if there is any truth to that theory about the different colors.

Jason
 
Henry Boyd said:
I'm with Ididntdoit, you could just as easily call it blue as green.

Henry
Click to expand...

I just filled my drive units this weekend with fresh High Performance gear lube, after having both of them off for maintenance and new water pumps. Mine was a blueish color. I would suspect that the color you are actually seeing may be from mixing with some of the old/used lube that remained and mixing a bit.
 
Photo

drive_fluid.jpg
 
Gunn said:
I just filled my drive units this weekend with fresh High Performance gear lube, after having both of them off for maintenance and new water pumps. Mine was a blueish color. I would suspect that the color you are actually seeing may be from mixing with some of the old/used lube that remained and mixing a bit.
Click to expand...

I considered that at first as well but he specifically told me he drained the everything out including the reservoir so I don't think that is it.

Presentation said:
Photo

drive_fluid.jpg
Click to expand...

Yes, Pres, that is the exact color of what is in my "top-off" bottle. The lube in the reservoir is noticably different; a Dark Green. I will try to post a photo if I can at some point.

Strange thing is after a bunch of "Googleing", I seem to have found others with this same question. Some on CSR as well. It sounds like some of the comments were several years ago. I have not seen a definite answer yet but I guess if they bought a 55 gallon drum a couple years ago before the manufacturer was switched, that could be the reason too??
 
Humm interesting, I never really thought about this to much before until i read your post, I believe there is a difference in the color between the Mercruiser Hi-Performance Gear Lube "plus" (Black bottle) & the Quicksilver Hi-Performance Gear Lube (Silver bottle) that does not say "Plus" on the Silver bottle.

On saturday I did a job to a friends boat and we used the Quicksilver Hi-Performance Gear Lube (Silver bottle) from wal-mart and it was definitely green to a lighter green then what i'm used to seeing come out of the black bottles. The black bottles seems to be a little bit darker in color to me.

Jason I'm guessing your guy will tell you he used the quicksilver and not the merc black bottle like in Presentations photo.

P.S, The quicksilver from wal-mart in CA is $10.96 a QT, and a dealer is 15.00+ a QT.:wink:

So i think the question should also become what color bottle did everybody use that has already posted to this thread? Black or silver?

image.php
 
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Boat Tech said:
Humm interesting, I never really thought about this to much before until i read your post, I believe there is a difference in the color between the Mercruiser Hi-Performance Gear Lube "plus" (Black bottle) & the Quicksilver Hi-Performance Gear Lube (Silver bottle) that does not say "Plus" on the Silver bottle.

On saturday I did a job to a friends boat and we used the Quicksilver Hi-Performance Gear Lube (Silver bottle) from wal-mart and it was definitely green to a lighter green then what i'm used to seeing come out of the black bottles. The black bottles seems to be a little bit darker in color to me.

Jason I'm guessing your guy will tell you he used the quicksilver and not the merc black bottle like in Presentations photo.

P.S, The quicksilver from wal-mart in CA is $10.96 a QT, and a dealer is 15.00+ a QT.:wink:

So i think the question should become what color bottle did everybody use that has already posted to this thread?
Click to expand...

The plot thickens. My HP Gear Lube is Quicksilver branded and it is Blue, very close to if not exactly like what Presentation posted and his was the Mercury branded product.

The only things listed on the Merc site as Merc Branded is the High Performance+ and the "Premium" GL. It also says Premium is only to be used in Outboards.

I will ask that question when the Mechanic calls me back.
 
This a new one for me, too. I've ways thought of it as bluish-green and not really skewed towards one hue or the other. I'm curious to hear more about this.

Ummmm... You know how when you wear shaded sunglasses.....:grin:
 
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They are both synthetic. The non-synthetic looks like motor oil. The "quandary" is Q vs M and whether or not color changes due to supplier changes.
 
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I need to start buying it by the gallon! The Bravo1 takes alot more than the Alpha1. Has anyone seen gallon jugs for sale?....Mike.
 
They are both the same. Also a synthetic blend not a full synthetic I have used both and no problems
 
CV-23 said:
I need to start buying it by the gallon! The Bravo1 takes alot more than the Alpha1. Has anyone seen gallon jugs for sale?....Mike.
Click to expand...

Lazy Daze said:
2-1/2 gallon.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree with Dennis. 2 1/2 gallon is what I purchase.

When I change the gear lube I install new drain screw gasket seals. The blue one is the older style, Merc part # 191833. The yellow one is the new improved one, Merc part # 830749. This new style has a rubber coating. Its not uncommon for these gaskets to fail, particularly if someone is trying to save $0.80 and reuses the old one, causing water to get into the drive.

I buy the lube, gaskets, & pump here:
http://www.mertenmarine.com/servlet/...ube/Categories

I buy:
Mercury Gear Lube High Performance 858065K01 - 2.5 Gallon Price: $99.69/per 2.5 gallon plastic bottle

Mercury Gear Lube Pump - 2.5 Gallon 850730Q1 Price: $17.33/each

Mercury Seal - Gear Lube Drain Screw 830749 Price: $2.60/each - get 2
 
Well I spoke with my Mechanic yesterday. As I expected, he told me it is definitely High Performance Merc Gear Lube. He told me that is all they use on anything in the shop. He also told me he has always seen it be Dark Green as well. He has been a boat mechanic for 15+ years and has all the Merc certs and also ran two of the service departments at local Merc dealers so I am inclined to believe him. He said they buy it in a 5 Gallon bucket. So I really don't know what the deal is with the different colors. I guess it is possible that the 5 Gallon Buckets are made by a different supplier? Don't really know but after a week of searching on the web, it seems there are multiple reports of the Merc High Performance Lube being reported as Dark Green and Green Blue with the difference in the two colors noted.

Maybe a call to Merc is in order? Just to solve the mystery of the colors.
 
How much lube consumption is too much? Site galss empty after about 40 gallons of gas going very slow?
260 Sundancer with 496 (375 hp).

Mike
 
Mike,

Even if that was after the first 40 gallons of the season and a lube change, it sounds like a bit too much. You need to keep an eye on this. It might be that the drive was refilled incompletely, or it might be a leak. Depending on the leak it may take time to show up. I had a leak in our BIII last summer that took a couple of weeks to visibly show up. We had rapid oil loss from the sight jar that for a couple weeks that seemed to be just disappearing. It turned out that it was the drive shaft and seal at the top of the drive. It took a while for sufficient volume to build up behind the gimbal bearing and then it leaked down the bellows into the bilge.

Henry
 
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