Beta won't warranty leaky gear box

[FecklessDolphin]

I changed and checked the gear box oil of my new Beta 30 at 50hrs. At 105hrs it would not shift and I found gear box was dry. After removing it we filled it and set it on a shelf and over a few weeks the fluid leaked out. I sent it to Beta who said the drain plug, which I had never touched, was loose and they admitted it can vibrate loose. But they are refusing to warranty. They said I should have checked the transmission dip stick more frequently.
Anyone have similar experiences?

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by FecklessDolphin

I changed and checked the gear box oil of my new Beta 30 at 50hrs. At 105hrs it would not shift and I found gear box was dry. After removing it we filled it and set it on a shelf and over a few weeks the fluid leaked out. I sent it to Beta who said the drain plug, which I had never touched, was loose and they admitted it can vibrate loose. But they are refusing to warranty. They said I should have checked the transmission dip stick more frequently.
Anyone have similar experiences?

Beta is correct in making this decision, you and you alone are responsible for maintaining the fluid levels in the engine and transmission. Not noticing an increasingly large amount of oil in the engine tray is a maintenance failure and failing to dip the gearbox oil level and identify the source of the leak is another.

[mvweebles]

I know it's not what you were hoping to hear, but I agree with skipperpete. If the issue is indeed it drained out the drain plug, it's something you should have picked-up on.

[gonesail]

You went 50 hours without checking fluid level?

[boatpoker]

I agree with the above posts. We never turn the key before checking all fluids and hoses.

[FecklessDolphin]

Thanks for the interesting perspective

It is fair amount of work and a bit of contortion to get to my tranny dipstick. To notice the leak I would have been looking for 600cc in a 4' deep bilge

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by FecklessDolphin

Thanks for the interesting perspective

It is fair amount of work and a bit of contortion to get to my tranny dipstick. To notice the leak I would have been looking for 600cc in a 4' deep bilge

Thats unfortunate but I don't see it as Beta's fault.

[OldManMirage]

I can say from experience you will get no sympathy on this forum.

And, to be fair, in this case it is clearly an owner's responsibility to check fluids.

Yes, it sucks. But it is pretty cut and dried.

[Tin Tin]

It is all in the operating manual, which reads pretty similar to other small marine diesels. Also the Beta manual say to change gearbox oil at first 25 hrs as well.

[massnspace]

Originally Posted by FecklessDolphin

Thanks for the interesting perspective

It is fair amount of work and a bit of contortion to get to my tranny dipstick. To notice the leak I would have been looking for 600cc in a 4' deep bilge

You have a 48” deep bilge in a 36’ boat….

????

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by FecklessDolphin

Thanks for the interesting perspective

It is fair amount of work and a bit of contortion to get to my tranny dipstick. To notice the leak I would have been looking for 600cc in a 4' deep bilge

In the same theme here, it’s not Beta’s problem your boat is badly designed for access.

But, on a more constructive note, you really should at the very least have a catch pan for oil under the engine and transmission. Dumping oil, even by accident, can be an expensive fine. Even if you don’t get caught, oil in bilge water makes a stinky mess.

Finally, your sloppy approach to maintenance is a great example of why so many marine diesels die a very early death. Your engine’s manual makes clear that fluid checks are required daily, or after 8 hours of operation, which ever comes first. You don’t get a pass because it is hard to do.

Even more important, you are required to change the gear case oil after 25 hours of operation, which you seem to have also blown off. Maybe through ignorance (you read the manual?) or forgetfulness (keep notes) or laziness (can’t help with that). That failure would have a significant impact on the longevity of this piece of equipment.

These requirements are not put in there as a warranty “gotcha”, they are required for the life and reliability of the engine and drive train.

[roryboy]

QUOTE: To notice the leak I would have been looking for 600cc in a 4' deep bilge END QUOTE


Letting oil drop into a bilge so that it is pumped overboard by the bilge pump is not only irresponsible, its illegal

[ttex]

This forum reminds me of my dad. I love it.

"Oh, you made a mistake, did you? Here is a list of reasons you are an idiot."

[skipperpete]

A little ray of sunshine might be that a gearbox run dry isn’t subject to the same catastrophic harm as a main engine run without lube oil, often its only the idler or a tapered race that fails. Just before the pandemic a local yard installed a new engine and saildrive….. on the maiden voyage the saildrive seized and physically stopped the engine …. No one thought to fill the saildrive with oil. The installer bought a new saildrive and got the customer back in the water and on his way a week later. The autopsy on the dry saildrive revealed only 2 collapsed bearings so it was repaired and re sold.
The OP’s gearbox never even stopped the engine, it just refused to change gear or engage so the damage might not be too severe.

[parkstone bay]

50 hours use is (very roughly) a year's work for many yacht engine. You didn't check the gearbox oil level for a year? (Total lack of sympathy from a guy who checks his fluid levels once every 2 or 3 months).