Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

[firesafesmith]

Hello all,

We currently have a early 90's, 21' Four Winns, inboard/outboard is an OMC 5.0 Cobra. Apparently, the boat has been taking on water lately so we've trailored the boat for now. I've attached a picture of what I think is the drive bellow with holes in it. After reading this forum.....it seems like this may be the exhaust bellow I'm looking at and my problem is elsewhere. Can someone please help me identify why the boat is taking on so much water. I literally had to run the bilge pump for 20 minutes after stopping to pull a skier for about 5-10 minutes before I could get the boat to plane out.

 

[wikiedickie]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

Hello all,

We currently have a early 90's, 21' Four Winns, inboard/outboard is an OMC 5.0 Cobra. Apparently, the boat has been taking on water lately so we've trailored the boat for now. I've attached a picture of what I think is the drive bellow with holes in it. After reading this forum.....it seems like this may be the exhaust bellow I'm looking at and my problem is elsewhere. Can someone please help me identify why the boat is taking on so much water. I literally had to run the bilge pump for 20 minutes after stopping to pull a skier for about 5-10 minutes before I could get the boat to plane out.

i have a 91 four winns and my boat takes on a lot of water not like you said but alot. i keep my boat on the water on a mouring and it seems like if i dont go out to it every few days the bilge pump will kill the battery. i cant fin out where all this water is coming from in mine also. i changed the bellows and look in the engine compartment with a flashlight to see if water was coming in and i found noting. do you know if you have water in your outdrive bellos when you remove the outdrive? keep me informed about this problem and if you could fix it.
thanks
sam

 

[Don S]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

Yes, that is the exhaust bellows, and those are normal drain slots.
Pull the outdrive and check for water in the ujoint bellows.
Yes, pulling the drive is the only way and about a 10 minute job.

 

[firesafesmith]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

You're the man....I thought those holes seem too symetrical to be an accident. Unfortunately I'm a rookie at this, but I could really use a couple of photos illustrating the drive bellow, location, etc...that might steer me in the right direction, or should I buy the OMC factory service manual like others have suggested on similar threads.

 

[firesafesmith]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

Will do....We're getting water in our ski compartment in the floor! not to mention the water under the engine where the bilge is. I'll definately let you know though.

 

[Don S]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

Absolutely get the OEM manuals. (as in more than 1). Each model year had a set of manuals. Engine, fuel, ignition/electrical, drive, etc. Do not go looking for a early 90's set. Get the model of the engine and get the proper set

 

[firesafesmith]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

thank you sir. I'll be sure to let you guys know how things turn out.

 

[flargin]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

You're the man....I thought those holes seem too symetrical to be an accident. Unfortunately I'm a rookie at this, but I could really use a couple of photos illustrating the drive bellow, location, etc...that might steer me in the right direction, or should I buy the OMC factory service manual like others have suggested on similar threads.

probably better to have a manual, but the lower unit is pretty easy,

remove the trim cylinder bolt, hold up the cylinders.

remove the 6 bolts, slide the unit backwards... slide is sometimes a liberal word.

re-installation is pretty easy, but you have to ensure the shift linkage is correctly captured...

 

[CCman1]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

I have a 1994 Chris Craft with a 5.0Lite OMC (Ford) and OMC Cobra outdrive. I also have a leak in my outdrive that was driving me crazy trying to find. What I ended up doing was to lower my boat into the water still on the trailor and then got into the boat and looked for the leak around where the outdrive mounted to the transom What I found was that the water was coming in from where the exhaust mounts to the Gimbal housing. I got a service manual and found that there is a O-ring gasket between where the exhaust mounts to the Gimbal housing. I am trying to determine if this gasket can be replaced without pulling the Gimbal housing off which requires pulling the motor ((I have a question posted on this forum). Anyway, since I just found the leak I have not yet attempted to replace this gasket. That is going to be my winter project. Anyway, you may want to lower the boat into the water still on the trailor and try to see where that leak is coming from. Would be interested to know if you found the leak and how you fixed it?

 

[firesafesmith]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

I have a co-worker that suggested the exact same thing. I've taken the boat to storage and plan to attack the situation this weekend. It would be really nice to find where the water is coming in from. Last time I was out, I launched the boat, but never started it. I lifted the engine cover and I could hear water trickling in, so of course I decided to trailor the boat and investigate it further. I'll be sure to provide photos with commentary once I tear into it and see what the problem is. thanks for the help.

 

[firesafesmith]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

After researching the available manuals and taking your response into consideration, I'm afraid I may be pursuing the wrong manuals. To date, all I know so far about the boat is that it's a 19ft 8 inches 1992 four winns horizon boat. Hpwr 185. OMC 5.0 cobra engine and outdrive. I've attached a photo of the manual I believe is the proper one. Is this the only manual I'll need? At the bottom, you'll see "Frequently bought together". Are those the manuals you were referring to?

http://www.amazon.com/Clymer-Cobra-Stern-Manual-1986-1993/dp/0892876107

 

[CCman1]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

By the way I found the water is coming doen from the bearing plate on the bottom on the transom plate. My guess is the actual leak is from the O-ring gasket that is between the exhaust mount and where is bolts to the Gimbal housing. Since there is supposed to be holes in the exhaust bellows my guess is the water is seeping past this o-ring gasket.

 

[skeat]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

If water is coming in from the back, around the drive and you can't identify it, be suspicious of a soft or rotted transom. Unfortunately they are susceptible to that. I had the same issue with my 89 four winns and hoped it was just the transom seal. I had to replace all the wood in the transom and while I was at it did most of the stringers and replaced the floor. The wood on the boats of that era wasn't sealed very well and the carpeting, being wet all the time, didn't help.

 

[Knotenuftime]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

Same problem here, except on my 4.3 my exhaust Y had developed a rather large hole in it. Lack of saltwater removal from previous owner. After cruising for a while is the water in your bilge pretty warm ? If so might want to look there

 

[cr2k]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

There are several bolts (on the inside of the boat), some you can see and get at some you cant, that tighten the transom ring and sandwich the transom. tighten as many of these you can get to. Then pull the little top cover on the transom plate (outside), clean the whole perimeter and put a bead of under water rated silicone or Life seal around the whole thing. This may stop the water leak until the transom rot gets a lot worse.

 

[firesafesmith]

Re: Possible bellow problems? I almost sunk the boat Sunday

Thanks.
A b
Quite honestly, I don't believe the transom is rotton, but it's definately something to consider. The boat is in great shape, but we definately have a small leak somewhere. What would allow water to get up in the ski well at times? Is this a good indication that the transom is rotton, or the transom seal is broken? I'm not completely sure how the hull vs. the transum vs. the ski compartment (or false floor) are constructed exactly, without taking the transom completely off.....of course, so I thought I might ask. I'll probably just check for another manual regarding the possible figerglass and/or wood issues for illustrations before I go tearing into it that deep.

I do know my little brother takes the boat out at times, beaches the front of the boat on a sand bar (island) and trims the motor down to somewhat anchor it in place. If trimmed too low at this configuration, this would put all the weight of the motor on the seal itself and cause a significant leak correct?

There are absolutely no signs of holes, rotting, or damage of any kind along inner or outer side of the transom (ski well & back bench seat different story) that I can visually see, and there are no signs of fiberglass holes, scrapes, scratches, or dents on the bottom of the boat where the transom and bottom of the boat meet.

So far, it has to be one of the following: a bellow, a bad o-ring, a leaking seal around the transom penetration, or a rotton transom. I'll be sure to let you guys know what I find. thanks again for everyone's help