Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

[jmiller58]

Last weekend I launched my 1930 Chap, 5.7L, Alpha One Drive for the first time this season. I ran the boat down the lake to my slip, and then checked my bilge, bone dry. Came back to the boat 2 hours later and found about 1 gallon of water in the bilge. I checked for leaks and dripping under the engine and in the bilge area. But couldn't find anything. After sponging the bilge dry I thought I saw a couple drops of water just off the inside of the transom on the starboard side just about 2-4 inches off the boats center line. <br /><br />Since I had just had the outdrive inspected and serviced I thought perhaps a bellows didn't get attached properly. So I pulled the boat and took it back to MerCruiser Shop. At the shop they pulled the drive and looked for water in the bellows and found none. Then they pressure checked the speedo tube, which held pressure for 10 mins. Then they put the boat into the lake while on the trailer, and said they saw a couple of drops coming down the inside of the transom, and told me that the problem may be a bad seal on the outdrive transom plate. Then proceeded to tell me that they would need to pull the engine to get the transom plate off to replace the seal/gasket.<br /><br />Estimated cost: Materials $20-$30. Labor $1300-$1500. I told them I didn't want to pay $1500 for a poke in the dark, and to first apply sealant around the transom bracket and see if the leak stops or lessens. <br /><br />So yesterday I launched the boat ran it for 30 minutes, bone dry bilge, then 2 hours later checked the bilge bone dry. Then today I checked the bilge and found about a pint of water in the bilge(No rain or dew last night). Today, I ran the boat for about an hour and gained about a half of pint of new water. The water felt cold when I sponged out the bilge. So I don't think it's cooling water. I check under the engine for any drips and looked towards the transom under the engine but couldn't see anything dripping or water running down the transom. Yet the water is only accummulating where the transom meets the bilge. I even had the shop put in a new transom drain plug, just in case. <br /><br />My gut, stills says a bellows leak, shifter cable or drive shaft. Any ideas on diagnosing the problem. A number of years ago my father was getting water in the bilge so he pulled the boat, parked it on a hill and filled the engine compartment with water, and then water started draining out of the shifter cable bellows, where a leak was'nt even visible to the naked eye. I recommended this procedure to the Merc Mechnic who said that to do that he would need to put the back of the engine in water, which could cause more damage.<br /><br />How likely is it for the transom bracket gasket of go bad. The boats 8 years old. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.<br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br />jmiller

 

[sculbert]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

I would just trust my bilge pump and forget about it if it was going to cost me 1500 dollars.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

jmiller,<br /><br />It sounds like the shop has done reasonable testing and probably given you a fair asessment. <br /><br />The leak seams to have slowed down conciderably after running a bead around the collar. You could try a reverse leak test - fill the bilge with water and see what leaks out, just be careful not to fill to much - don't want water in the gimbal or spark plugs etc.<br /><br />I don't agree with Mercury blues, any leak can get worse and the consequences are obvious.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

Shifter cable bellow is a good bet if its not been replaced, but if its a transom assembly seal, I would fix it, or run the risk on the transom core sucking up water and rotting or sinking the boat, I think 1500 is steep, I had the seal replaced on my Alpha, Y pipe resealed , complete new bellows, new U-joints, lower shift cable gimbal bearing, and steering tiller shaft seal for 1600 parts and labour at a Fountain dealer, labour was $75hr and was charged 9hours that included pulling the motor, that was in 2001.

 

[jmiller58]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

OK and update on the leak, and thanks for the suggestions and insight. This morning I pulled apart the stern interior of the boat to get a better look at the inside of the transom, while the boat is in the water. What I found was a drop of water (one drop ever 3-5 minutes) coming from the lower port corner of the inside transom plate. Although it had this very slow leak there was no way it could accumulate to the pint of water I sponged out of the boat yesterday within a 2 hour timeframe. <br /><br />I left the boat open for about two hours came back and there was maybe an ounce of water in the bilge under the lower corner of the interior transom plate. I decided to run the engine to see if the leak increased, no change. Then I spun the wheel both ways, no change. Then I put my drive up into trailer position, no change. Turned off the engine lowered the drive and a puddle of water appeared in the bilge. The water was cold and I could see a very fine tickle of water coming down the inside of the transom 1 inch to the starboard side of the bilge drainplug.<br />I sponged the water out raised and lowered the drive, same puddle appeared.<br /><br />I then reached around under the back of the engine and placed a finger below the drive shaft where it goes through the transom and there was cold water sitting in the metal housing unit which passes through to the transom.<br /><br />Does this mean a bellows leak? Yet the shop pulled the drive and said after inspection the drive shaft bellow had no water in it, and that the shifter cable bellows was in fine shape.<br /><br /> Could the problem be the shifter cable bellows? I'm also thinking the water dripping from the lower corner of the interior transom bracket could have originated from the water sitting in the cut out area under the drive shaft, and not lake water coming thru the exterior transom plate seal?<br /><br />My other concern is when I felt water in the cut away area under the drive shaft I could also feel the edge of the transom core, which felt like bare plywood. I'm concerned with the transom core getting damaged. Any ideas on how I can further verify my hunches. Do I go back to the same shop who charged me for 5 hours of labor to tell me my bellows are in fine shape and that the exterior transom plate seal was bad, or find a new mechanic, and cut my losses with the first shop.

 

[Northern Eclipse]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

With a Five hour charge to fix nothing, I believe that answer is in your question....find another shop. When I had a transom leak with my Wellcraft I first used a little mirror to see what use going on under the Y-pipe and bottom of transom assembly, First thing I saw was leaking Y-pipe, First thing Mechanic saw was leaking Y-pipe, fixed it still had a leak, Mechanic was decent and not happy with boat still leaking, we then came to an agreement that he will not charge me to pull motor again, but allow him to reseal any thing that could leak, the parts are cheap, with that being the case and the transom assembly having to be seperated to replace the faulty seal anyway it only made sense to do a complete reseal job. I'm glad it was done and boat is always bone dry inside.

 

[mjttrap]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

try to tighten the bolts on the transom had same trouble last year.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Need Help on Finding and fixing a Water Leak

Take a look at the annode bolts on the bottom of the transom assembly.They need to have a rubber washer between the annode and the base of the bolt.You can also run a small bead of silicone or 5200 sealant around the base of the bolt and tighten the annode down good.Look for the leak at night with a flashlight.the flash light will allow you to see better only where you are looking.I have located some very hard to find leaks this way.Charlie