Just put the 2002 fiesta vee 270 in the water from marina over winter service..leak!!! Help!please..

maxwell

Hey guys..what a nightmare weekend...after launching her and docking ..i notice the bilge going on and off,,definate leak..but can not find out from where!
is it possible the 2 through hull water intake pipes(Toilet and Ac) are leaking water in?sealant around them is not great looking.
 but...yes ,back plug is in...all freeze plugs ..on engine... 4 of them seem tight...good amount of water coming in..i put it back on the trailer..quickly...can not tell...where..its coming from??was good all last season...boat was not running ..and docked.. but...water kept coming in???checked small  bellow casing...(the leaker some say)..looked intact..although the big one had a big split..but other boaters said thats not a probem..its an exhaust ..is that right?
i am pretty sick about this..any suggestions??thanks.

randy56

Put some water in it, see where water come's out. Your on the correct path. through hull fittings, drain plug sealed good ? , let the trailer jack down as your boat is setting level in the water.  good luck

YYZRC

Replace the bellows if they are torn. 

maxwell

Hey Randy..Thanks again for responding..your saying put a hose in it ,and fill the bilge on the trailer?..or put it  in the launch and leave it on the trailer?..confused...
could it be coming in from the torn  exhaust bellow?
I replaced the chaulking on the 2 through hull water intakes with expoxy..then more 3m marine sealant,,have to let it cure..wont be back up until thursday..fingers crossed...
the maddening thing about this..is that it floated in marina no problems all last summer..now this...

maxwell

thanks as well..YYZRC..I plan to have the bellows replaced and a good redo of the bravo lower unit.where needed..corrosion stuff..fittings ect...any ideas on how many $$$ that will cost?

Aqua_Aura

Exhaust bellows won't let water in the boat if torn. They actually have a hole in the bottom of the bellow to begin with. 

Fill the bilge on land enough to cover the thru hulls to see if water comes out the thru hulls. If it a very minor leak they may not drip since there isn't much pressure pushing thru them as opposed to the weight of the boat displacing water when floating. 

If you still have trouble finding it then back it in the water on the trailer with the hatch open and have someone looking for leaks. The drive line bellow should be easy to spot a leak as you will see or hear it dripping in from the inside. 

If the thru hulls are leaking they need to be properly re-bedded you can't just put sealant around them and expect a good result. 

maxwell

Question..replaced float switch in center of hull..(lots of depth of fiberglass there right?)..had to tap new whole on one screw..was careful i thought..old screw ,...I chalked and left in.

When  boat was out of the water ..there was water all around the new  float switch,in the bilge and it was not leaking out of the boat from bottom..is it possible that with the boat .."IN' the water..the pressure would force it leak from that screw  whole..?

also ran chalk around the whole i/o fixture where it connects to the transom..even though, it looked tight..for whatever that was worth..

maxwell

thanks Aqua..rebedding means replacing?with gaskets and stuff right?a complete yank out and redo??would the expoxy,at least hold for the summer sitting in the water, you think?..or not likely?

Grahamu

@maxwell, instead of worrying about your caulking why don't you do as suggested and fill the bilge with water (while on the trailer) covering the thru-hulls and check the bottom for leaks. Chances are, if as you say the water was coming in fast, it will show up noticeably if that's the problem and then you can deal with it. I doubt a screw hole would leak that  fast. If you find no leaks you probably have a transom and/or drive leak.

YYZRC

Look around the engine and make sure all of the blue drain plugs are in place. Also check that the residual engine heat loop on your water heater is intact. 

I agree with @Aqua_Aura - put her back in the water. A leak as bad as you describe should be immediately evident. 

maxwell

YYZRC..have  not done the winterizing myself yet on this boat.last 2 years had the marina do it..looking for this  cause of leak yesterday,.. as a possible source..I.found 3 blue freeze plugs on the port side of engine and only one on the other side..is that all there is?  FOUR??or did I miss a hidden one?..its a 5.7

the ones I found were screwed closed,but one was not really tight..took a one quarter turn...That would not be it ..right?.or could be...its possible he forgot  the one that I can not see??..location?

thing is.... it was still filling up... causing the bilge to go off every 10 to  15 minutes..even without the engine running..!

guy at the marina is new ,..so not really  confident he did everything right..thing is..the leak is ... BIG.!...I agree it may not be the thuhulls..to much water..too fast..scared me man!Ran for the trailer!.All...between  big storm fronts,in a hurry.. to get it out..of the water..unfortunetely the bilge emptied. Just as I was  loading on the trailer...the way it goes for me lately..

Grahamu.I.will ask marina/restauraunt for a hose thursday..I think it may be something worse too..drive leak??from the shifting cable bellow?...or something..(looks O.K...if a bit stiff)..its just that last year..it floated fine,..in marina all summer.

maxwell

After hitting the stump last year...and hearing a  suspicious..." tic" in the I/O( bravo 3)l... every 10 seconds,or so..when motoring forward..after that... I am just beside myself..insurance company made a note and said I should evaluate THAT problem..when I first put it into the water this year.and let them know about a claim...one problem ..the darn thing will not float long enough to test it out..!
After having a deer jump over the front hood of truck on the way up to marina ..almost crapped my shorts! last weekend..and the boat almost sinking ,..I  am thinking of just calling it over..Marina guys will take all summer to  get to the  beast..to fix anything big...anyhow..boy is the better half giving me the business..what to do..??will try all your suggestions..thanks guys..

YYZRC

I would bet that the source is related to winterizing given that you didn’t have this issue last year. Have you verified the hoses from the engine to the water heater are ok? Common for them to be missed. 

Dream_Inn

Can you just dip the boat in the water while still on the trailer and then go in bilge area to see if there are any leaks? I would put it partially in, not all the way for the transom assemblies or bellows to leak, but initially just for the lower back half of hull.  Then dip it to complete floating.  All of this with trailer still there (in case you need to pull it).  That is enough water that you should be able to see it coming in, especially if you start out dry.

I'm with YYZRC.  Probably a hose disconnected somewhere, although I'm not sure water would get thru the water pump thru the motor and into the water heater hose just while sitting.  But, it would easily happen while you were running the engine.

maxwell

Thanks YYZRC..I will definitely check those Hoses..on thursday..boats 4 hours north..of me presently..one can only hope its the "easy Fix"..fingers crossed..thanks for everything!..

maxwell

Yep..Dream Inn..thats the plan..will do..otherwise...I ran the engine for about 10 minutes to get to the dock..then shut it down..will still check. for hose from waterheater...location of that water heater?..I'm new to these big boats...where on engine does it connect.?.will trace it back I guess...all hoses good and tight on engine..checked that first..

YYZRC

He said “launched and docked” so I assume the engine was running. The water lines to the water heater flow a lot of volume when disconnected (personal experience). 

Grahamu

If you find no leaks when filling the boat on the trailer undo the garboard plug to drain all the water out with bow up before backing into the water. The bilge pump always leaves some water in the bilge.

Pat310

Try running on the muffs while on the trailer and check bilge.  That will eliminate raw water from the engine

Ian

YYZRC said:

He said “launched and docked” so I assume the engine was running. The water lines to the water heater flow a lot of volume when disconnected (personal experience). 

I agree, pumping through the heat exchanger if disconnected will flood quickly. Also from a prior experience.

maxwell

Ian..the heat exchanger /water heater ,...would be located, where, in the engine compartment?...on a 2002 fiesta vee 270..please..?
just trying to figure it all out.Check...The residual heat loop..right?

randy56

follow the 3/4 inch rubber hoses, and all rubber hoses. I'm reminded now mine leaked also. So I did away with it and looped the hose back to the engine block. problem solved.

randy56

maxwell

Thank you Randy! will look for this element first!

randy56

They also ran water through the water heater from the engine block, as an additional heat source. Mine also leaked which I by passed. then eventually changed the water heater. 

maxwell

Randy..Where in the heck on the boat ..is that bugger?

Pat310

This is how I eliminated water heater loop on mine
Two hoses laying below the loop are the ones that go to water heater

Willhound

maxwell said:

Randy..Where in the heck on the boat ..is that bugger?

Look for a squarish metal box, off white usually, with an electrical wire and hoses running into it. On my 2000 270 it was in the port side of the engine compartment.

maxwell

Pat310,,,thanks for the pic...you guys are great!

maxwell

Will hound...you may have solved a big problem for me.I will see on thursday....I owe you.
Thank you!

maxwell

Hey everyone..in doing research..I think I may have found the problem. Possibly.I am thinking....its the bellows.???.I was told a large crack in the exhaust bellow..the lower "big One"..was not a problem..and I was also told ,that the shifting cable..bellow ,is the "Only one".... that can sink it..is this true?I only saw these 2 when inspecting..the bravo 3 double prop mercruiser I/0.we have....now, from some videos..it looks like there are 3 bellows..an upper one .Large..(possibly not viewable without dropping the out drive) a shifting cable one..small..(looks intact)and a  lower one.. large.(Exhaust?).with the large gaping  crack..(possibly from the guy who bottom cleaned it)could this crack in the lower one be the leak?..or any of them?