Water leak in Bildge

dazeoff03 · August 2014

I have a litre an hour water leak .Hours have been spent trying to find it ..It doesnt appear to be on the engine anywhere .hoses clamps drains all dry..AND it only leaks when the boat is moving .......We have had the engine in drive and used mirrors ect. to no avail .We even tied paper towel under the engine and rear area .........dry.............The water is cold and clear .....Would a shift bellows do this ????.. Any help would appreciated , before i lay in the engine compartment while the boat is moving at a good speed ..Tell me it cant be the seal on the transom yoke ,????? please

rinker312 · August 2014

Daze. What boat we dealing with here? What drive? Have you checked all thru hull fittings? Does your boat have fresh water system? If so have you checked all fresh water fittings etc... Certainly could be shift bellows but you would think that it would leak all the time then unless it is a very fine cut and only let's water in when you turn the wheel or something. That may be something to try. Start engine and while in neutral turn the wheel back and forth to see if that triggers the leak. Something else to try might be to get some paper towels near the bottom of the transom area to see if they get wet at least that will narrow down the search a little. Not sure what you mean by seal on transom yoke. You mean the gimbal ring seal? If so you should be able to see this by laying on top of the engine and look where the steering arm goes through the transom. Shove some paper towels in there and see if there is moisture in there. That was my problem a couple years ago.

Let us know on the above and we will go from there. Good luck.

frenchship · August 2014

Welcome,

Daze. What boat we dealing with here? What drive?

MarkB · August 2014

do you have a raw water pump? My friends fitting was loose and it leaked while underway only because it had a special pick up to get water while on motion.

mvn · August 2014

Check the speedo pitot tube behind the engine on the transom shield. The plastic fitting breaks easily allowing water into the bilge only when underway.

Mark

Lifes Good · August 2014

Only water during running not sitting. Hummmm...

Bellows really only leak when sitting. On plane the are out of the water.

Engines dry but water in bilge....

So my logic takes me to a forward compartment as the boat planes water moves south....

Check freshwater system for leaks.

Check shower sump for leaks. Like a lose top.

kneedeep · August 2014

There was a recent thread about bravo 3 steering pins leaking. I have water in my bilge & suspect this is the cause. I'm bringing my boat to a merc dealer for winter storage & will find out for sure. If your leak is through the steering pin, you will be able to see it. The other thread has pictures posted that will show you where to look.

kneedeep · August 2014

I'm not sure if running or not running matters for the steering pin leak??

dazeoff03 · August 2014

thanx..........still working on the problem .......could it be in the exhaust somewhere at the rear area ...?

rmrstlmo · August 2014

I just found out one of my bravo III's is leaking where the steering arm goes through the transom. It only leaks when the boat is sitting. Good luck.

pepmyster · August 2014

Looks like that is also going on in mine.........

rinker312 · August 2014

Highly recommend the JR marine fix to you guys. I'm on my second year with it and no problems or water at all.

gearshift · August 2014

Yes, I agree with the above. The Stainless steel steering pin from JR Marine is not only superior to the Mercruiser pin, it is much less expensive. They even have a 30 minute video on how to perform the job. (if that's your problem)

I installed a mercruiser pin 10 years ago in my 1992 Rinker 260. It lasted 10 years, but started leaking again. I went with the JR Marine to save some money and put in a quality pin.

www.jrmarine.com

TikiHut2 · August 2014

The bushing gets tired and starts to wallow, causing the leak. Not a fun job.

PartsMan · August 2014

The mercruiser steering pin rusts and corrodes ruining the seal. The stainless steel pin from JR Maine will not rust.

rinker312 · August 2014

If I recall, there are two bushings that the pin slides into a small one at the top and a bigger one in the middle. Both being a major PIA to remove, I think I ended up having to drill one out. Then there is a seal that kind of sits somewhat flush with the exterior of the transom assembly where the pin goes in. I was very surprised what a small flimsy seal this is. Since this is a major component of keeping your boat afloat, I would have expected something a little beefier. the nice part is, that after the JR marine kit is installed, if you ever have to replace that seal again, it should be pretty easy to do. I have a parts list that I ordered for doing this job. If anyone is interested I can see if I can post it somehow. Let me know.

frenchship · August 2014

Rinker 312.
Can you pls send me the list as I am going to order two. Only one is leaking so far but might as well do both of them.
thanks.
Paul

rinker312 · August 2014

Here are my notes, now you may not need all the parts on this list, as I did some other stuff, but this will put you in the ball park. Hope it helps

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020499/uploads/editor/5c/0cpa2b4aoart.jpg

frenchship · August 2014

Thanks for the Infos
Paul

rinker312 · August 2014

I did the work myself and yes I watched the video. It was a little scary drilling little tiny holes in the transom and then cutting them out, but it all turned out well. I didn't need any of the special tools that JR marine said you would need, I was able to get in with regular wrenches. If you have any questions on the process I will be happy to help.

rinker312 · August 2014

Well, the marina should do what ever you tell them to do, but if they don't want to do it, I would find someone else who will. First off it will be cheaper, second, If you pull the engines and do it the old way, you are just setting yourself up to have to do it all again in a few years. If you do the JR marine fix, next time you have the problem, it is really a pretty easy fix. I used what I always have for seating a seal, the proper size socket that is the same diameter as the seal. I have a metric impact set and I believe one of those sockets worked just right.

rmrstlmo · August 2014

My marina guy told me last week that the JR Marine kit was the way to go. He has done them both ways (JR Marine and Merc kit). He said removing the engines was the last resort. He'll be doing mine in the next week or two.

Black_Diamond · August 2014

RY: you can pull that B2 pretty easy with a friend, you might need a 3rd friend to help install, mainly to get the splines to line up. A piece of wood on a floor jack with someone(s) to hold it while you get in position works too. Do it with the prop off to save the weight and other issues.

rinker312 · August 2014

Agree with diamond. I've often done my bravo iiis with a jack on my own. But one friend makes a huge difference.

Dream_Inn · September 2014

RY, I'll send my son down to you!

I know of two boats in my marina that had this done just this year, pulling the motors. (actually one is a member on here - Eagle's Nest)

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Water leak in Bildge

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