Milky V-Drive fluid, 2011 RZ4

[b_jackson_03]

I just went and winterize my boat. Everything went smooth until I cracked open the V-drive and found a thick milky colored fluid. Does anyone have any experience with this problem?!

[ajnesbitt]

Water has infiltrated your v-drive. You need to identify how it got in and remedy it.

[ajnesbitt]

See this thread.

http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...-getting-in-it

[boardman74]

Here is my post form that thread. First thing i'd look at…

The V drive has a serviceable cross over tube inside it. I'm talking in your water cooling line. There are 2 o-rings on each side where the caps fit on. One on the inside to seal the trans fluid in and one on the outside to seal the water passage. You could have slightly froze one winter and have a hairline crack in that cross over tube(not likely) or you could have a cut or leaky o-ring(likely).

[b_jackson_03]

Thanks Andy, that definitely helps a lot! I bought the boat in May and do not know what happened to it prior to me buying it but I can recall water filling up in my bilge, (hoping it I traded the vent tube). My boat is stpred at the lake about 4 hours away from home. Do you think I could just deal with this at the beginning of spring or is it something I should deal with before the winter months? It is stored in an enclosed storage unit. Thanks again for all your help!

[Jetdriver]

You don't want to leave water inside any of these components, you're only asking for trouble. I always store my boat with fresh fluids in the winter. Make sure you get all the water out of your bilge as well. If it freezes on the vdrive shaft seal boot it can mess up your whole world in the spring when you launch the boat.

[b_jackson_03]

That's the answer I expected to hear but definitely didn't want to hear. That 4 hour drive sucks when it's not to play.

[scoot18]

I had the same experience in my 22Ve. I noticed this condition two years before the true reason showed it's self. I changed the fluid and never experienced any real problem. The spring of 2015 when getting her ready for the season I had water spraying on the starboard side of the engine under the manifold. It was the V drive oil cooler that had got damaged over the winters, I never knew it was there and never drained it. I also learned that it would have drained it's self when pulling the water drain plugs from the V drive if I would have had the nose of the boat cranked as low as it would go on the trailer. I replaced the cooler which I'm sure prior to the external leak it was seeping internally allowing water to mix with the V drive oil. After that no issues, it did take a few cycles of fluid change to clear most of it out though. The other things suggested are certainly possible as well, but this may be something to check for as well. As far as the 4 hour drive, if it is the oil cooler, replacing it now or in the spring really would give you the same outcome.