we got an alarm and it looks like it’s due to the gear lube being low, is it possible to just top off the oil at the monitor without draining and replacing all of the oil at the lower unit?
You can most certainly top off the gear lube monitor if it is low. If the gear lube monitor is empty, however, you will want to see if you can find out where that gear lube is going. If no leaks are present or visible, it might be best to drain the gear lube entirely to make sure you're not leaking gear lube through a seal in the lower unit and also letting water in at the same time.
If you're leaking gear lube in the area of your propeller, you likely have a failed propeller shaft seal. These keep water out of the lower unit and gear lube in. We do not have a video showing the repair of this, unfortunately, as it is a fairly intensive process. We recommend contacting an authorized service center for the product you own to have this inspected and repaired as many times it requires specialty tools.
As long as your gear lube was filled from the gear housing and you have gear lube present in the monitor, you may top it off in the monitor. In the event gear lube is not present in the monitor, then we recommend adding from the gear housing fill hole.
Just did this for the second time. Only had the boat for a couple years and changed once last year. Question. I let the oil drain through the outdrive until this year. When I dumped the reservoir out I found about a quarter inch deep sludge on the bottom. Google search resulted in comments that sludge was common but really? Can't be good so I cleaned it all out. What causes this and why? Also, had some iron filings on both drain plugs. Again Google search resulted in comments that it is normal but I believe the prior owner and myself have about 500 hours on the Bravo III outdrive. I only had 30 hours on last years use due to a mech issue so we didn't use the boat all summer. Does this sound normal? Oil was dark but not burnt.
It could be that your gear lube monitor hasn't been draining each time, which would mean the lubricant in the monitor is aging. Depending on the climate you operate in, the gear lube monitor could also be accumulating some condensation from time to time. While gear and bearing material wear is normal and can be seen in the gear lube or on the magnetic plugs, larger shavings or metal chunks would be an indication of damage within. We'd recommend keeping an eye on these plugs again during your next lube change. If finding metal on the plugs is a consistent issue, you may want to chat with your Mercury Marine dealer for guidance in your specific case.
You can most certainly top off the gear lube monitor if it is low. If the gear lube monitor is empty, however, you will want to see if you can find out where that gear lube is going. If no leaks are present or visible, it might be best to drain the gear lube entirely to make sure you're not leaking gear lube through a seal in the lower unit and also letting water in at the same time.
Maybe have a oil pads ready for clean up before starting... as the amount of oil out of the top plug was unacceptable. Could have saw it was near, put a oil pad there and do the last 1-2 pumps.
Filling from the top can trap air pockets within the lower unit in the gears and bearings. Once those pockets work their way out, the gear lube level then will be too low. It is best to fill from the bottom.
Yes it is. However, the process will take longer as all of the gear lube in the monitor will need to travel through the hose and the upper and lower drive before draining out.
There is another way! Using a oil vacuum can the same thing we use for removing oil from engines thru the dip stick. Put the hose in the monitor bottle and suck out the oil. You can also use a Brake sucker used for bleeding brakes. Same Idea and alot faster then removing the bracket tipping the bottle upside down.
The team here at Quicksilver Products does not recommend product modification. However, you're welcome to contact the manufacturer or an authorized service provider for the product you own to see if they have any suggestions or procedures you can follow.
We always recommend referring to the operator's manual for the product you own for specific instructions. In this case, we reference checking the seals on the drain and vent screws upon removal, and replacing as necessary.
This guy is so lost... When filling the monitor tank...after the top plug has oil coming out....replace plug WITH NEW GASKET. Then continue pumping lube from the bottle that will fill the hose to the monitor tank. Keep pumping it until you are about 6-8oz short or so (Side of bottle will show...and just need to the hose and the bottom of the tank filled). Then stop, disconnect pump from lower drain, and replace with a new gasket and plug. Then fill up monitor tank the rest of the way. Don't need 2 people, or keep checking your work. As if 64 Oz is needed, then as you get near the bottom (6oz left) of the 2nd bottle, you know the monitor tank is not going to overfill. He doesn't mention checking the bottom mag plug for debris, using new gaskets
