ok- time to get started on my bellows repair

dalek · March 2018

I totally concur with aero3113.
Those 12 point flange head bolts are going to be HARD. They are forged, not machined.

skennelly · March 2018

Socket slightly smaller than the head of the bolt. Pound it on and then impact wrench. Old trick for getting off rounded lug nuts.

Another option grind a slot in the bolt head that would allow you to get a flat head bit.

rasbury · March 2018

Guys, I tried the heat- the Irwin sockets do fine- just not breaking loose. I drilled off the top two before the storms hit...will try the other two as soon as I can...

davidbrooks · March 2018

Ras, Dont feel bad. When they took off my TA last summer the mechanic told me it normally takes 3 days of heat, cool and break free. Even then....he said he normally breaks bolts. Bottom line he said he rarely gets a TA off in a manner that allows it to be reattached. Told me to start shopping for a new one.

rasbury · March 2018

Thanks, we will see...i might be a little more motivated to get it off to reuse than mechanic would be! It is what it is....

GMSLITHO · March 2018

Been following this post if your transom is in good shape no soft spots your almost ready to put it all back together and you’ll know you have everything good as new If not better

rasbury · March 2018

Not there yet but we will see shortly. This has been a big learning experience for sure!

GMSLITHO · March 2018

Yep pulled a motor on my 19 well craft twice

Dream_Inn · March 2018

Alswagg said:

When reinstalling transom assembly’s , we always replace the seal and add a bead of 3m 4200 sealant to the assembly

Exactly what was done with both of my transoms last year. There were a couple spots you could actually see where it slightly oozed out.

rasbury · March 2018

wow, so sounds like the merc seal is not 100%- I would assume the transom if in acceptable condition would be as flat as the day it was built or does it fatigue a bit over time? I will for sure do that. I will get that trans asy off this weekend if I have to break out the chain saw.

Handymans342 · March 2018

Some boats had a high spot on the inside causing stress to make the TA crack over time .

Handymans342 · March 2018

Use a straight edge to confirm after its out and cleaned up

Dude_Himself · March 2018

When I bought my 280EC it had a bead of caulk around the transom. I caught it at the time, but everything else about the boat seemed well maintained and the boat had been spring serviced by the local shop and had a clean bill of health.

I had to replace the HVAC - compressor valves were stuck. The batteries both failed the second trip out. Trailer brakes converted to EoH to handle the steeper ramps here. And I spent a lot of time replacing the chartplotter/transducer. But I never looked at the caulk.

I've been thinking about that caulk all winter and wondering what shape my transom is in - if maybe that's why it was there. The boat is 1 mile down the road and I can't bring myself to go look at it. :-\

I guess regardless, I'll be running it as-is this season even if it means gluing a trash bag over the transom and running on trolling motors. If I have to pull the outdrive/transom/engine it'll be next winter.

rasbury · March 2018

yep @handymans342 I have a drywall square that has a good flat edge the width of a piece of drywall so that should tell the tale......unfortunately Dude, I can't imagine why the caulk would be there if it was not leaking. It might just have been a bad seal as I hope mine is but I would never be able to put it in the water wondering......just sayin as raybo says!

Handymans342 · March 2018

They use caulk to seal Ras .May have been off before

rasbury · March 2018

That's the main seal right?

rasbury · March 2018

10 4- hopefully will have this apart today, fingers crossed on the condition of the transom.

zaverin1 · March 2018

Your a$$ is probably fine
either old repair or new ones caused the seal to dislodge

rasbury · March 2018

Well, don't normally get to this point but I'm really at a loss as to how to get those bottom bolts on the y pipe- I tried to drill the heads off like the top but there is just no room down there to work, have kind of part of them drilled to where I can't get a bit to bite anymore....I tried a small diamond wheel on a dremel, not caring if I cut into the y pipe or not....ended up cutting into one of the trim hoses ....only thing I can think is a big reciprocating saw with a hack saw blade and keep cutting away on the y pipe until I can pull whats left through the key hole...anyone got any better idea?

zaverin1 · March 2018

There is a reason we pay a boat mechanic to do this kind of a job
its not that you or I can’t do it
it’s just the unknown Is covered by them
plus I don’t have every special tool under the sun
its like my mechanic buddy that owns 20 plus I worth of tools to fix cars.

Handymans342 · March 2018

Can you get a 4 inch grinder down there??

rasbury · March 2018

handy, you can't get a one inch grinder down there....That son of a **** is laying on the ground....so I cut the ears off the Y pipes and it came apart with a little effort and here it is. I have a buddy that is a marine mechanic, the one I borrowed the tools from for the bellows. I have asked him to come by and take a look at the transom before I do anything more with it. Might not be until this week as I think he and is family are camping this weekend. From digging around the edges, it looks ok. It has certainly been leaking for some time and I think what has been the saving grace is it does not sit in water and PO had it on a lift. You can see the bottom bolts have rust on the base of them, they came apart ok. The holes through the transom has lost some wood around the edges but when you poke in them, it seems solid and not mush. Again, will have better eyes than mine take a look. I'm not sure what that outer seal is supposed to look like but it is completely flat to the gimbal ring, I don't see how it would have sealed anything! Let the healing begin.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020499/uploads/editor/0b/50kuspj9g4vw.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020499/uploads/editor/ov/roeexirr5sa2.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020499/uploads/editor/bn/fyuis9zyxtbe.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5020499/uploads/editor/g8/qcyebw8fuwyw.jpg

zaverin1 · March 2018

Transom looks fine
you just found the problem
no seal to be found.

rasbury · March 2018

I think so...i put a large square on it, everything is flat...will have my buddy look at it but I think I'm good. Only taken a year....lord only knows what it would have cost. Also figured out I have a full closed cooling system. Will have to replace the risers but the manifolds should not be an issue? I'm feeling better already!

zaverin1 · March 2018

Just look at everything with a fine eye
this is your time to do everything right

reneechris14 · March 2018

Success. See now you just have to put it together. Way to stay at it ras.

rasbury · March 2018

Lots of room down there with no motor! Maybe I'll put an out board on it....

Michael T · March 2018

You deserve a break Ras.....you have been at this like a champ for a looooong time!

Liberty44140 · March 2018

Great work Ras! You should be proud. So is the core glassed over or sealed with epoxy? Has to be sealed somehow since you have no rot.

rasbury · March 2018

Well.don't know for sure I have mo rot...looks like the bottom was glassed and painted higher up. Have not cleaned things up yet.

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ok- time to get started on my bellows repair

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