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V drive oil leak


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Help! I have a 2005 Wakesetter VLX and my V drive is leaking oil. Any ideas of typical leak areas. Is light supposed to be on when under 1200 rpm? Should I only worry when light is on over 1200? Supposed to be on family boating vaacation this weekend! Cry.gif

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Yes the light is supposed to be on under 1200 RPMs. If it stays on over 1200 RPMs then you are low on vdrive oil (5w-40w). If it goes off over 1200 RPMs, but flashes when you hit wave or boat wake then you are slightly low. If it goes off over 1200 RPM, then you are good to go.

Do you see an oil leak or is the light that is concerning you?

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On the right side there should be an oil pressure switch. Check that. THey do go bad from time to time.

Page19_jpg-1.jpg

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Thanks! I will check that. i had a mechanic look at it and he stated that it had no oil pressure and that it needs a new oil pump. That will take time to get the part and pretty much i am out of the water for 2 weeks. My gut instinct says that is not the issue but am not a boat mechanic:) The walter v drive light goes out after 1200 and only goes on if the oil is low. Seems to be a pretty good leak though because we have to add every trip. Oil accumulates in the center. The light is on at idle, is that normal?

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On the right side there should be an oil pressure switch. Check that. THey do go bad from time to time.

Page19_jpg-1.jpg

Page19_jpg-1-1.jpg

Thanks! I will check that. i had a mechanic look at it and he stated that it had no oil pressure and that it needs a new oil pump. That will take time to get the part and pretty much i am out of the water for 2 weeks. My gut instinct says that is not the issue but am not a boat mechanic:) The walter v drive light goes out after 1200 and only goes on if the oil is low. Seems to be a pretty good leak though because we have to add every trip. Oil accumulates in the center. The light is on at idle, is that normal?

Myn is on at idle. It goes out like mentioned above (around 1200 rpm). If it is on past that, you are low.

Link to comment
On the right side there should be an oil pressure switch. Check that. THey do go bad from time to time.

Page19_jpg-1.jpg

Page19_jpg-1-1.jpg

Thanks! I will check that. i had a mechanic look at it and he stated that it had no oil pressure and that it needs a new oil pump. That will take time to get the part and pretty much i am out of the water for 2 weeks. My gut instinct says that is not the issue but am not a boat mechanic:) The walter v drive light goes out after 1200 and only goes on if the oil is low. Seems to be a pretty good leak though because we have to add every trip. Oil accumulates in the center. The light is on at idle, is that normal?

Myn is on at idle. It goes out like mentioned above (around 1200 rpm). If it is on past that, you are low.

On my Walter V Drive, I was told it was splash lubricated. When the gear spins in the oil pan it splashes oil up and around for lubrication. I didn't think there was a actual oil pressure pump. When I had a leak it came from the oil pressure switch. The switch was bent when I received the boat new. It was leaking from the stem. Got a new switch and some red silicone sealant and changed it out myself. Good as new and no more leak. You might also want to check the bolts that hold on the pan and the drain plug. The exploded view above should show you where to look. To find leak I cleaned the entire drive with paper towels,then filled oil to top line of dipstick and ran the engine till I found the leak. One other thing to note, the drive has a overflow valve. It is at the front of the drive looks like a dipstick,but it's screwed on. If you look close you'll see the vents under the topof cap. My Walter Vdrive will lose a little oil every trip out because we mostly surf and the boat is listed over to oneside or the other causing some oil to leak out the vent. Check the oil pressure switch for residual oil and also the cap with vents. If your only losing a little it could be from those spots, especially if you take a lot fo sharp turns or list the boat in any fashion.
Link to comment
On the right side there should be an oil pressure switch. Check that. THey do go bad from time to time.

Page19_jpg-1.jpg

Page19_jpg-1-1.jpg

Thanks! I will check that. i had a mechanic look at it and he stated that it had no oil pressure and that it needs a new oil pump. That will take time to get the part and pretty much i am out of the water for 2 weeks. My gut instinct says that is not the issue but am not a boat mechanic:) The walter v drive light goes out after 1200 and only goes on if the oil is low. Seems to be a pretty good leak though because we have to add every trip. Oil accumulates in the center. The light is on at idle, is that normal?

Myn is on at idle. It goes out like mentioned above (around 1200 rpm). If it is on past that, you are low.

On my Walter V Drive, I was told it was splash lubricated. When the gear spins in the oil pan it splashes oil up and around for lubrication. I didn't think there was a actual oil pressure pump. When I had a leak it came from the oil pressure switch. The switch was bent when I received the boat new. It was leaking from the stem. Got a new switch and some red silicone sealant and changed it out myself. Good as new and no more leak. You might also want to check the bolts that hold on the pan and the drain plug. The exploded view above should show you where to look. To find leak I cleaned the entire drive with paper towels,then filled oil to top line of dipstick and ran the engine till I found the leak. One other thing to note, the drive has a overflow valve. It is at the front of the drive looks like a dipstick,but it's screwed on. If you look close you'll see the vents under the topof cap. My Walter Vdrive will lose a little oil every trip out because we mostly surf and the boat is listed over to oneside or the other causing some oil to leak out the vent. Check the oil pressure switch for residual oil and also the cap with vents. If your only losing a little it could be from those spots, especially if you take a lot fo sharp turns or list the boat in any fashion.

The more I look at that schematic I don't see a pump per se except the whole drive unit itself. Not much can go wrong unless your experience a grinding noise or not able to change gears or some kind of slipping. Water just runs through it just like the tranny cooler. The water is moved by the raw water pump. The oil in the Walter V drive is not pumped around under the same pressure as your transmission is because of the vent. Your transmission has to move the ATF from the transmission housing to the cooler and back. It has what I would consider a pump. I see no such thing on the Walter vdrive.
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Keep in mind the Walter V drive does not hold very much oil if I remember right I think it's less than a pint.(half a quart).

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