Oily outboard

[guy48065]

This weekend I uncovered my boat from winter storage and found the outboard greasy all the way from a spot on the ground up to the head. Looks clean inside the shroud but too tight to see the very bottom of the motor/lower pan.
I can understand a leak in the gearbox where the oil sits but why would I have grime on the entire shaft housing on a 2-stroke motor?

I bought this 'toon last fall so I don't have much experience with it yet.

[FLOUNDERPOUNDER225]

More than likely carburetors draining residual fuel/oil mix, runs down from the powerhead area. Is the VRO still hooked up, or pre-mix?

[Bamaman]

If it was leaky carbs., you might want to take'em off and clean'em inside and out with a can of aerosol carb. cleaner. If you're careful, the same gaskets can be usually used again--without having to buy a carb kit.

Pay close attention to the needle valves. When they gum up, they can cause a boater heartaches and frustration.

I remember coming in from a hard day at the lake and my boat wouldn't restart. I pulled the flame arrestors off the carbs and found one going drip, drip, drip. It could have happen out in the middle of the lake.

My old 2 stroke is a 115 hp Yamaha, and I can pull the carbs, take'em apart, clean'em and have'em back on the boat in 1 hour flat. It's just not a big job--and I'm not even a mechanic. I do pay close attention to where all the adjustments screws were at previously, however.

[guy48065]

Carb problems. Swell.
I do use the VRO so I didn't run the carbs dry when I put her up for winter. I fogged the motor thru the port on the side of the primer till it stalled, then disconnected the fuel line from the tank & stored that in the garage.
Could leaving the oil line connected have pumped/flooded my carbs with oil due to temperature swings? That would be a better scenario than leaking carbs.