Evinrude xp150 leaking oil on lower unit on the sides

**Buehler45** · 01-18-2017, 04:11 PM

Hi I just got a new boat to me. The engine runs great but is leaking a bit of oil on the sides of the lower unit. It is not leaking under the cowling at all. 1988 eliminator sprint

**pointer** · 01-18-2017, 04:33 PM

Looks like it's leaking out of the lower cowling / pans ...

Take the lower cowlings off and take a look. Likely power head gasket.

pointer

**Buehler45** · 01-18-2017, 05:07 PM

Thanks for the quick response. I will be fixing it shortly then. is it bad for the engine to run with the lower power head gasket leaking like that?

**pointer** · 01-20-2017, 07:19 AM

Once you pull the pans you'll see where the origin is. A power head leak on the exhaust side if left long enough could erode the mating surfaces.

pointer

**EMDSAPMGR** · 01-20-2017, 01:28 PM

It's probably the powerhead base gasket. Once it goes, you will get the excess exhaust residue leaking down the top of the midsection.
Likely need to pull the powerhead and repl the gasket. It's not a fatal problem that will destroy the engine. But the smoke that leaks out of that gasket area will fill the inside of the cowling when the engine is running. Much of that smoke will get re-ingested in the carbs and sucked back into the engine. That's the bigger problem.