To avoid pumping all of the gear oil into the drive with the POS quicksilver hand pump I decided to pre fill the drive by pouring the lube in before installing the top cap. The question is, how full is full? All the way? Up to the fill plug? Some other level? This drive has the remote bottle on the engine.

Thanks.

Should take 3 qts

DONT POUR IT IN FROM THE TOP OF THE DRIVE,YOU WILL GET AIR POCKETS AND THE DRIVE WONT BE FULL.FILL IT FROM THE BTM,UNTIL THE RES BTL IS FULL,THAT IS WHY THEY MAKE THE [POS]PUMP.

DITTO!!!!!!!!

You have to fill it from the bottom. Taking out the top plug allows the air to escape when you fill it.

X 3
Because if you run it the way you filled it , Then this will happen to your drive.

I hate that little pump too........so I bought a $10 garden sprayer and fitted the drive attachment to the end of the hose. Now I buy drive fluid in 5 gallon buckets (much cheaper), fill the garden sprayer, then pump it up and let it fill from the bottom hole as it should. I can fill both drives without re-filling the garden sprayer.

Inspector,
The drive should be filled from the bottom, till it comes out of the upper hole, then install the plug and fill till you see it enter the bottle. Let it equalize and then pull the hose off the bottom. That is the only way to make sure you dont have air pockets, like in the inner gear bearing area.

I have put together a 5gal pail pump if you are interested. Uses quick disconnect fittings for ease of use. Although it is a bit more than the garden pump (I used that for years and got tired of the leaky part) it is a good quality pump and high quality fittings. PM me if you are interested.

Dick

I took a drill pump and hooked the POS tubing with the screw in fitting to the discharge and a piece of garden hose on the suction side. Hook the fittng to the drive and put the hose in the big merc hi perf oil container and fill the drive really quick.

When i read this stuff , It makes my head hurt !

I don't use that pump, but I also have a reservoir to hold more fluid. I take off the top cap and fill it up. Leave the TOP CAP OFF. About every 30 minutes, I go into the garage and look at it. If low, I add more until it starts coming out of the top level plug. I do this about every 30 minutes until I don't see any change in the level. MOST IMPORTANT, I go to sleep, wake up the next day. If it is low, I will continue to put more in. After a while, all the air bubble will be gone. Fill up your reservoir. Run your boat a little and check your reservoir, as it will go down if there were any air bubbles left. I have been doing this for over 10 years with no problems. If you have a reservoir and you are patient, no problem. If you don't have a reservoir, you could be making a big mistake; nevertheless, I had a boat in the past that did not have a reservoir and I still filled it up from the top cap and I never had a problem.