Dark Lube at draining

[reelworld]

I drained my outdrive lube today and was surprised at how black the lube seemed to be. It did not have any water in it and only minor fine shavings on the magnent that i would consider normal. It has about 130 hours on the lube. Has anyone else noticed this? I think it will be fine and the unit has performed great for two seasons now. Also I'm using a Amsoil marine gear lube.
Thanks.
Dan

[Technical Support]

With 130 hrs on it it will be pretty dark. I would recommend changing the gearlube at least every 100 hours, or once a season if you put less than 100 hrs on per year.

Tech Support

[reelworld]

Yes 130 is a lot of hours, but this boat is in freshwater from May to October and hauling out is a major time consuming expense. That is the reason I'm using Synthetic gearlube. The Oil looks great and I'm going to put it into clear jars to let it settle and get a closer look at it. My concern is that it is taking the paint off the inside of the housing if there is any inside it. I was happy not to have any water in it and it has performed well.
Thanks'
Dan

[Xeno]

If the engine is running a little on the warm side, the exhaust running thru the OD cooks the oil a little and it turns the oil darker sooner. Proper exhaust temp is a must for ODs.
Xeno