Ok thank you for the tip! I appreciate your time and effort to help me!
Water in the bilge!
- Thread starter Ladena523
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That’s good to know. I’m starting to suspect it is a small drip on the transom somewhere. Trying to find the leak today. Thank you so much for your input.
We are at the Bullfrog marina. The freeze plugs are all in and I’m about to run the motor and see if anything is leaking. Thanks for the input!!
I did find a busted off freeze plug. Looks like someone busted it then filled it in with some kinda grease. Anyway here’s a pic and a pic of the water in the bilge. Getting ready to run it and see. I’ve heard different things from people here at the dock…some say your bilge should be dusty dry and others say the amount of water I have is nothing to worry about??
Thank you again. I’ve gone thru the list you sent me and found a fair amount of water coming out of the gray tube with white on the end right at the connection. This is in the hot water bay where the faucets are. This is the only thing I’ve seen leaking. I’m not real familiar with the boat obviously so not sure if this could be my problem. The water in the bilge didn’t seem to increase very much. It only leaks when the motor is running. Once again thank you so much. I’m going to try to tighten the connection.
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The busted plug is on the intake manifold. Please note I’m not very experienced.
I wiped the plug that is busted on the intake manifold, ran the motor, and it stayed dry. I did find a steady stream of water coming out of the gray/white tube in the bay the hot water comes out of. I’m hoping tightening it will fix the problem?? I dunno. It’s a lot to look at but y’all have been so helpful that I’m thinking I might be able to figure it out. Thanks again to you! I appreciate the time spent helping newbie stranger.
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I think you're on the right track. Given that no new water arrived while you were away, the problem is most likely within the boat itself - not likely a bellows/transom issue. Are you familiar with putting the engine in neutral while advancing the throttle? After letting the engine warm up at idle, I would consider revving the rpms (in neutral) up to moderate travel speed (2500-3000) while watching for water intrusion. That will create water pressure in various places.
Ok this is great advice! I just read in the manual how to rev the engine with the boat in neutral. It appears to be a throttle only button I push. I’m about to try this. Good common sense thing for me to know and try. I’m so grateful for the help….and the encouragement!
Ryan
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
There is a water pump somewhere that feeds that faucet. If the boat is like my shower, it only works when the pump is on and the motor is running. Shut off that pump until you can secure the hoses.
That was a source of water intrusion in my current boat in the past.
Regarding how normal it is to have water in the bilge, my opinion is the bilge should be dry. If it’s not water is coming in from somewhere. Maybe rain. Maybe folks brining water in when they climb back in the boat after being in the water. Maybe a mechanical malfunction.
Is it a big deal to have a little water in the bilge? Not in my opinion. But you should know where it’s coming from.
Ok thank you for letting me know. I did fix the leak at the hose on the hot water bay and believe it or not I think that might’ve been all it was. The bracket holding the faucet was pretty rusty so I think it’s been ongoing? I’m still looking at all the opportunities presented in this thread. I’m hoping this leak is the water that is bilge. Thank you very much!!
Alright a big thank you to everyone that offered suggestions, part #s, easy to follow instructions, and encouragement,
Once the leak in the hot water area was fixed the leak stopped. I could see evidence of water having run down the inside of the motor compartment into the bilge once everything was dried out.
The bilge is dry. No water coming in at all.
Don’t have to pull out or pay a mechanic a couple thousand bucks. I’d love to buy all of y’all dinner! So so helpful.
Thanks again!
Once the leak in the hot water area was fixed the leak stopped. I could see evidence of water having run down the inside of the motor compartment into the bilge once everything was dried out.
The bilge is dry. No water coming in at all.
Don’t have to pull out or pay a mechanic a couple thousand bucks. I’d love to buy all of y’all dinner! So so helpful.
Thanks again!
Todd
Escalante-Class Member
That is what this board is about! Usually?
Good job getting it figured out!
Thank you! I was nervous to post being so new to boating but what a great welcome I received! Y’all are a great bunch of people.
Thank you for being so welcoming. I was very happy to see the dry bilge. Taking on water, even a small amount, was worrisome. One of the contributors said to check and tighten all the connections….and that was the fix! But I also learned a lot about my boat by going thru all the steps and solutions offered so bonus!
It has been my experience with several Mercruiser I/O that the "spongy " gasket sandwiched between the transom exterior and the outer gimbal housing loses it seal, from age or a soft transom [rot], then begins to seep water into the bilge. Every one I've pulled apart was flat as a pancake with no resilience, hence no sealing ability. Probably replace 5 or 6 in the last 20 years. Bad news is the engine and transom assembly must be removed to replace. Had one 2 years ago with a large bead of silicone around the outside of the gimbal housing. Seemed to work, but a little messy.
Phillbo
Escalante-Class Member
This is "social media".
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