Gear oil leak from vent plug?

JGL

Participating Member
City
Limerick
While checking on my boat today, I noticed an accumulation of what appears to be gear oil on the cavitation plate along the side just under the vent plug and running back to the prop. I have a 2002 70HP Yamaha; I changed the gear oil including the fill and vent plug gaskets in the fall. Vent plug is tight; anyone have any suggestions of what may be the cause of the leak. Anything I should be looking for?
 
Putershark,
Thanks for the reply. The gearcase was filled in the Fall and I only ran the engine long enough to fog it in the driveway. If it was overfilled, would it force oil past the vent plug gasket?
 
You've either broken that plastic gasket on the vent screw or there just was some oil trapped in some of the lower unit cavities that ran down after you completed your winterizing. The later happened to me with the engine oil - wiped it away and didn't see it again.
 
Pulled the vent plug today. Found a small piece of old gasket stuck behind the new one. Would it be reasonable to assume changes in temperature while the boat has been stored on the trailer would cause gear oil to leak past the vent plug if the gasket was not seated? Winter temps. have ranged for 3 deg. F to 47 deg. F in a two week period.
 
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