OMG. First look into FPC gearbox ...

[Henk]

Is this right?

We bought this engine yesterday, running. Moving prop and flywheel by hand did not feel like anything untoward, no play or clunckyness. Checked Gearbox oil, which didn't look good, so opened up the box. Looks like a mixture of emulsified oil and grease. Big white lumps, but no gear teeth I think

I'll clean and fill with proprietary oil.

[Keith.P]

The big white lumps could be grease or salt crystals, which are more common if it's been used in salt water.

[Charles uk]

Clean with old 2-stroke fuel then post a picture!

[Oyster 49]

I would scrape the excess away and leave soaking overnight in paraffin or similar. As you say refill with correct oil after cleaning and you are good to go. Maintain often and it will last for years

[Charles uk]

It might make sense to renew both oil seals in this lower unit, as it's permitting some water in which shouldn't happen.

Using old 2-stroke mix to degrease works well & after evaporation leaves a thin oil film.

[Henk]

.

[Henk]

Thanks for the reassuring replies. I've cleaned the gunk out, and will properly degrease before putting it all back together.

I didn't see any oil seals, are they easy to replace.

There is a small amount of wear/play wear the shaft runs in the bronze bush in the front of the housing, how much is too much ( a piece of string? ) ?

This engine is going to see a fair bit of action, both fresh and salty, so I'm planning on regular oil changes. If you change the oil often, how much of a problem is water ingress?

[Henk]

A few pics of the cleaned up parts.

[Charles uk]

The oil seals are where the shafts go into & out of the gear box, the lower is under the silver cap where the prop shaft enters the gear box.

John should have them in stock.

[Henk]

Thanks Charles, I'll be having a look.

Edit
Found it, do you just pull the ring off?

[headdownarseup]

There's 1 where the top of the pinion shaft goes into the top of the box. You'll need to get the pump housing and driveshaft off before you can get to this though.
The other 1 is at the front of the gearbox, where the prop shaft comes out and your prop attaches. The round metal ring should just prize off to reveal the oil seal behind it. If in doubt HEAT. Chances are it might be stuck on there pretty good due to corrosion.
Both seals should still be available from John.

Apart from that it looks fairly normal after a while in the wet stuff. The oil starts to look like milky coffee, as does yours.
Old 2 stroke fuel is about as good as you'll find to clean this muck away to see what's left.

As far as play/wear in the shafts and bushes, you'd have to re-assemble the box with all its parts and re-assess using your best judgment.
I try and aim for as little side to side or up/down movement in the prop shaft as i can possibly get, as this is the first place where your oil will leak from the box as well as the pinion shaft. I think new bushes are available somewhere if yours are too far gone. Take your time with it and don't rush.

Jon

[Henk]

Thanks Jon.
I reassemble and check, before deciding on the bushes. The propshaft has very little wear marking, but certainly nothing to worry about. The pinion has a little up and down play, but none sideways. I've not removed the gearbox from the tubes, I understand that releasing the pinion from the shaft can be hard work, I was planning on reassembling and test running in a bucket, to see how the cooling water runs through.
The clutch release was somewhat slow, which I expect is down to the sliding parts being gunked up. Is the large spring likely to need replacing, or do they last forever?
The sparkplug fitted is an A-7, is that the right one?
Thanks.
Henk

[Charles uk]

The lubricant looks the way it does because it contains a large quantity of water, the top seal gets the most wear, as the pinion shaft is rotating two & a half times faster than the prop shaft, so it would be a very good idea to change both of them. lack of maintenance caused the corrosion inside your lower unit, you can either fix it or ignore it, your choice.

The majority of drive shafts pull off the pinion shaft quite easily, as sealed boxes have stainless ends on the pinion shaft, they are real easy!

[Henk]

I'll go for a big strip down i think then, it seems worth it in the end.

[headdownarseup]

The gearboxes are fairly straight forward.(that big spring should last for ages as long as there's plenty of oil around it)
The operation of the clutch will depend on how much corrosion there is around all the workings. Simple stuff once you've worked out what needs doing.
It's the engine that probably suffers more with corrosion, especially after saltwater usage and then a total lack of tlc afterwards. It's the salt that does all the damage to the cast iron, and if you're unlucky will split the block if it's been left unattended for years on end. That's why we keep on about flushing the motor after EVERY TIME it goes into the salty stuff. The consequences don't bear thinking about, unless you enjoy working with seized nuts and bolts, and relish the thought of drilling out sheared bolts and screws. (not my cup of tea)

I'm a mechanic by trade, and i absolutely hate trying to drill out old and crusty nuts and bolts, let alone trying to re-thread a stripped or cross-threaded whatever. Trust me when i say it's mind numbing

A little bit of tlc goes a very long way with these seagulls. They perform well once they've had a close inspection and any corrective work carried out.

Sleeves up and get stuck in.

Jon