New Sea Gul owner with 1 question

[joe28]

Hello from really cold, snowy North Eastern Pennsylvania!
I'm going tonight to more than likely buy a 1969 long shaft Century 4 HP, (like ALL the Sea Gulls I've looked at they all, "haven't been run in a few years" Why is that???).
It's going to be use as a "trolling/kicker" motor for my Grumman 19' SF fishing boat, (boat and 70 HP Evinrude outboard, plus 2 Adults must go for 1600 lbs. on the water).
The soul purpose of this motor is to push us up and down the St. Lawrence River outside Clayton N.Y. at 2-3 MPH trolling, as well as a back up in case the Evinrude sheets the bed and leaves me out there cursing. ( So this is fresh water use).
I been reading ALL I can on these motors, got the spark plug, all important lower unit oil supplier (Napa Auto Parts), as well as a good 2 smoke oil, (same as I use in my Evinrude). Got the exhaust depth so it'll fire up nice and easy.
Parts can come from Ebay.
The one question I have is maintenance of the lower unit.
Say I use it to troll with that day.
End of the day I put the boat back on the trailer, pull it next to my cottage and head back to Pa.
The boat/motor(s) can sit for 2? 3? weeks til I get back up to use them again.
Should I drain the lower unit IN CASE any water got in there, so there won't be any rust or?? forming??
Thanks!
Joe
Sometimes I'm just too anal about things...................

[Oyster 49]

Welcome! If you are using a good oil that will mix with the water to form an emulsion, then you will be fine changing the gearbox oil a few times per year. Keep an eye on it and keep it fresh. If the engine is going to stand unused such as over winter, then it is worth changing first.

[joe28]

Thanks!
I dunno IF it will mix, (Napa "Stay-Lube" SAE 140).
The site I looked at was for Sea Gulls, (I typed in "British Sea Gull Lower Unit Oil" and it came up, British Sea Gull Parts.com)
All the years I've spun wrenches on cars, trucks, bikes, I can't ever remember pulling a drain plug and wter/oil ooze out.
I didn't think gear oil would mix or stay mixed.
I guess I can do a "Science Test" and mix some water into some oil and see the result!
I have seem "marine" lower unit oil come oozing out "chocolate-milk like" when a seal had given up.
I guess I'm just MORE nervous cuz I can't just run to the nearest dealer or hop onto line and have the part in a few days.
Joe
I've been told I think WAY too much!

[Collector Inspector]

G'Day Joe

Nice to hear from you..................a little bit of cold down here would be welcome at the moment.

Seagull reduction boxes do let in water. That is how they are so as to make sure that bronze bushes etc are lubricated.......yes some oil can get out so water He comes in etc.

Not a lot mind you everything being as it should be.

BUT

If you are leaving a few weeks outside during arctic jetstreams.....................drain the box completely. Any moisture left in side will turn to ice and expand..............

Just a Thought.

Cheers

B

[Hugz]

Just as a matter of interest early Rolls Royces where designed to leak oil out of the rear gearbox bushes so no part was dry.... or at least that's what RR mechanic told me. Same era too. Had to wipe with rag before each MOT.

[Collector Inspector]

Anything made in England.......................leaks oil.

B.S.A. called it a "Total Loss Replacement System"

You are probably very correct Hugo.



B

[Keith.P]

It's all retrospective, Like most things, what could be manufactured at the time and the materials they had to work with.
I suppose a seagull looked modern at out point in its life.

[joe28]

Yes, my BSA lived with a piece of cardboard under it, I used to say it was "marking it's spot"!
The MG I had for a year dribbled too, they say to lube bushings and bearings.
I ended up buying the S.G., (I KNEW before I went to look at it it was mine)!
One tip to keep in the back of your head...........
When it 7 degrees F. out, 140 gear oil DOES NOT MOVE!
I went to check spark. Wrapped the starting line @ the pulley, gave it a good yank, about pulled my arm of it's socket!!
I thought at first the motor was seized, was about to walk away and bid on a S.G. on E-bay, when it hit me.......GEAR OIL!
Took 1.2 hour with a heat gun and a propane torch to get it kinda/sorta spin, (no spark).
It spent the night in the boiler room here at work, clean/ adjust the points and now nice blue arch!
Drained the oil, cleaned the carb, looked it all over. I think I'll drop in 90 sea to fire it up.
When I got int boating a guy at the dock (people are ALWAYS ready to give advice), told me NEVER to leave old oil in my lower unit- unless I want it to freeze and crack the lower unit case.

[Vic]

One tip to keep in the back of your head...........
When it 7 degrees F. out, 140 gear oil DOES NOT MOVE!

7°F is cold! In real money thats about -14°C

The Seagull owners manual says that in cold conditions SAE 90 oil can be used or even an engine oil in freezing conditions, and that in above average conditions SAE 250 will be satisfactory but the oil must pour.

[Hugz]

What is the viscosity of oil recommended for the SD's (wartime)? I seem to recall it was 320 which is what we call runny grease downunder.

Motor oil freezes @ -40C. I would imagine this is where the emulsification factor comes in with our oil/water gearbox mix. Might leave this discussion to the chaps nearest the poles...

[phil]

I remember reading somewhere in Seagull literature that SAE 30 motor oil should be used below 32 F. The bushings ( bushes for you Brits) would have to be pretty good to hold that in once the weather warmed a little, best to put it in cold I guess. Cold gearbox,cold oil.

I have never had a problem with gearcases being damaged when left with gearoil in them and stored in a unheated building with outside temps to -20F. After all they are only supposed to be filled to the bottom of the plug hole with the motor standing vertical. Of course, there are a few of them that are self-draining.

[atoyot]

Hello from really cold, snowy North Eastern Pennsylvania!...
The one question I have is maintenance of the lower unit.
Say I use it to troll with that day.
End of the day I put the boat back on the trailer, pull it next to my cottage and head back to Pa.
The boat/motor(s) can sit for 2? 3? weeks til I get back up to use them again.
Should I drain the lower unit IN CASE any water got in there, so there won't be any rust or?? forming??

In my observation and in concurrence with the others, oil is certainly important though it's easy - really easy - to obsess and over-analyse these things. Think of it this way: The term "Oil" is meant as "not air" and "not water alone". Your NAPA store SAE140 works a lot better than cooking oil or melted butter, though the latter two would beat a sharp stick in the eye. Another thing to consider is that a major duty of a lubricant is to wick away the heat of what friction does occur despite the lubricity of the chosen medium; Outboard lower units / gearboxes don't get really hot, least of all Seagulls with their low RPM and high reduction. If you doubt the lubricity of the emulsion formed with water and oil in your gearbox after about 4 hours of running, just take some between your fingers and see Therefore, as long as there is reasonable slippery-ness inside the box, and not runny and thin to the point that real friction occurs, you're doing it fine.

Mine use the same gearbox oil though I don't run these often enough to change it out except seasonally. I just think it's an amazing era of engineering, beautiful in its simplicity. Before over-thinking the lubrication issue, consider that many of these members here have Seagulls that are older than I am (pre-'57) and they have operated AND LASTED these many years with the emulsification method of heavy oil mixing with the lake or ocean water they're run in.

Welcome to Seagulling.