Water in lower unit?

[Blue_Runner]

Originally Posted by phatdaddy

Forgot to ask, when u service, do you put fresh washers on screws, could be something that simple

CHECK THIS FIRST - one of my friends kept getting water in his LU. He would change the oil before he used it every time. Come to find out he did not have drain plug gaskets on either of the drain plug screws. So of course water was coming in.....

That is one thing - the other which Phatdaddy alluded to - those drain plug gaskets are cheap and should be replaced every time you change the oil. If you fail to do this they can wear out, get brittle, compressed, etc. over time, leading to water intrusion. Bottom line if you aren't already, spend $5 on the drain plug gaskets at every oil change. I've been doing this for 15 years and never a sign of water intrusion with over 1000 hours.