water in boat 1988 sea ray 4.3 litre

[merls bait shop]

Hello, I haven't posted in awhile, I have water in bilge area of boat ? alot. 4.3 liter sea ray 20 ft. checked everything on engine. the only thing i can think of is the boot for the speedometer cable has a small tear in it, would this cause water to enter ? help !

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,...... My 1st Guess is a hole in the drive bellows,.....

My 2nd Guess is, a rotten transom,.....

The best way to find a leak, is crawl in there, 'n Look,....
A digital camera can put yer eyes, where yer head won't fit,......

 

[QBhoy]

Is it a bowrider and has it been raining ? My bowrider leaks like a sieve when it rains.

 

[harringtondav]

I had a torn shift cable bellows. I once moored with drive up, and the tear opened up. 1" of water in the bottom of the ski locker w/in an hour or so. So yes, a bad shift cable bellows or drive shaft bellows will let water come in.

Go with Bondo's advice. '88 is old. Very old if you have original bellows. If you change out the shift cable bellows, change all of them. You'll be 70% into the pain.

 

[poconojoe]

Yep, that tiny shift cable bellows can sink your boat. What condition are the other bellows? When were they last changed?