I've got a little metal pump and I'm not sure where I got it. It does screw onto the bottles. I fill from the bottom and when the top plug spits oil, I just put the plug back in and keep filling from the bottom until the reservoir is full.

DO take the reservoir off and clean it after you drain (unless it really looks clean).

My pump works good, I use it twice a season, I always fill from the bottom. I rarely have to top off the reservoirs after a drain/fill.

The first time I poured the lube in the top cap after removing for inspection. I had to refill the reservoirs on both of my first 2 runs after the lube change - obviously air pockets.

I like Audacity's method
 

I've been doing it this way on my Bravo, drain, pull the top cap, look at all that i can see (XZ gears looked like new at 25 hrs with 740 ftlb single cat). clean magnet if there is anything at all.

replace plug, remove fill level plug and dump it in from the top til it comes out the vent hole. The air pocket story if BS. If...... there was a cavity that would trap air it would trap it regardless of weather you filled it from the bottom or top- simple science.

For those who are not sure- plug your sink drain, put a clear shot glass upside down but hold it on a slight angle so water can get in- now run the water, as soon as the water reaches the entire rim of the shot glass the air is trapped and the glass will no longer fill leaving the air pocket. If the shot glass had a small hole in the bottom (top, when it is upside down) the cavity would blled off and fill. If.... there is such a cavity in the drive- it will not have any bearings or gears in it that need lube- that is for sure.

always monitor your fill bottle.

If you want to get a better idea what's going on you can take a sample of the drained oil and send it out for analysis- about $10-$15 of peace of mind.

Thanks everyone for all the responses.
Piece of cake with good advice. :D

Call me stubborn, but I did it the old-fashioned way and pumped from the bottom. It took like 15 minutes from beginning to start with not a hitch. Ran the boat yesterday, and it's staying level in the bottle without having to top it off even once.

Thanks!!!
:cool:

Re: I like Audacity's method
 

You like doing it another way, that's cool.

Merc recommends only fill from bottom, with good reason for it. Wouldn't necessarily tell people their other concerns are BS. Just my 2 cents, especially if it's new member, new boat owner who might not know better.

The shotglass example is not really very accurate. You're not filling the drive from outside the perimeter as in the shotglass example, you're force filling from bottom of shotglass and purging the air through the hole in the top as the level rises. If the shotglass is level (like the drive) with a hole in the top, forcing water up into the glass will purge most if not all the air out. Might never get every air pocket out, but at the very least you minimize it.

Try using a milk bottle or water bottle, poke a hole in the bottom. Turn it upside down, now attach a hose to the thread opening and turn in on. The result is air volume being forced (replaced) by the water, as the air escapes the hole you punched in the bottom of the bottle.

I agree to disagree!
 

Kelley- you're very constructive in your feedback and I respect that.

My anology with the shotglass was not intended to represent the drive but a pocket in the drive- in which case my sink example is exactly like filling the drive. The only thing that would be different is if the water were coming up from the sink drain- this would be closer to pumping from the bottom. The net result would be the same- air trapped in the shot glass- unless of course it was vented from the top as mentioned. If visualizing does not work- just try it.

Merc does several things that the rest of the world does not agree with or at the very least may not be the best way to do things.

they told me directly that drive showers were not needed yet they are documented to significantly reduce oil temp. They recommend seasonal fluid changes but how many of us opt to change engine and drive oil at 20-25 hrs?

I suspect in the case of pumping in from the bottom- they have these neat little pumps to sell, they want to encourage you to go to an authorized merc dealer for service, and they don't want to tell joe consumer they have to take the top cap off the drive. if they were to do this- warranty issues could surface before the drive actually pukes (perhaps after the warranty has expired) and there is also consideration for the less than mechanically inclined who may carelessly introduce foreign material to the gearbox whether it is cigarette ashes, bottle caps or dust from a dumptruck driving by. ( I used to overhaul jet engine gearboxes and we were anal about contamination of the environment)

Just trying to clear up any confusion on my observations.

Happy boating!

Cattitude, good reply in return. :)

Agree, very true. And considering some of the most common things they sell under their own name with the 1000x markup, they should be ashamed of themselves :D :D

Amen.