Need help from bellows experts!

[jakehorton15]

I have a 1994 Bryant 180 with 4.3lx alpha one gen 2

Last year about half way through the season we began to take on water after using the boat in some log and stick filled water. It continued to seem to get worse throughout the summer, about 1-2 gallons every five minutes would pump out. I thought maybe a bellows had been torn by a stick or something.
So today I finally got some good weather and took off all the outdrive and bellows and gimbal ring. Everything came off easy enough with no problems. But I DID NOT find even the slightest rips or holes in the bellows even after washing and cleaning them good. All the bellows adhesive and rings were on correctly. The gimbal bearing and shaft were fairly clean with VERY little rust. But there was grease and a few drops of water inside the u joint bellows, and I was pretty sure I saw water coming in last year through where the output shaft goes through the gimbal housing.
There is zero play in the gimbal ring and housing when you try to move it side to side so I think the steering pin/steering shaft is good.
So is there anything else I should look for while everything is apart. Can it leak where the water intake hose and tube go into the boat or the trim sender grommet or anything like that? Any test I can do to check these things? I'm kind of stumped now since I was sure expecting a big hole in the bellows after all I'd read online and on the forums. Thanks, Jake.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Check your exhaust Y pipe. They can rot through. When the boat is in the water, the hole can sink you.

 

[jakehorton15]

I just got to searching with a flashlight and wedged down in the back of the boat under the coupler around the y pipe is a 12 point stainless bolt and washer about an inch or so long just laying there. It looks like it may be a bolt for the y pipe. Would it be possible for this to have wiggled loose over time and cause there to not be enough pressure on the y pipe gasket and leak around it?

 

[Bt Doctur]

It could be, but unlikely . You could spray water into the exaust outlet at the transom looking for leakage inside the boat.
Can run the boat with a hose in the water inlet and see if warm waters comes out the hull drain. That would indicate an exaust Y pipe leak.
If those turn out to be dry ,check the shift cable bellow for damage.

 

[bman440440]

I would check the shifter cable bellows... that's where it was when I had a leak... and it sounds like about the same amount of water as you are getting as well

 

[jakehorton15]

Okay ill check by spraying some water into the exhaust outlet and look for leaks inside the boat anywhere. I removed the shift cable bellows this morning and like the u joint bellows they were perfect and had zero holes or rips and the clamp and bellows adhesive were correct as well, so i doubt its shift cable bellows in that case.

 

[Bt Doctur]

If all the bellows were hole /damage free and if you did not have a serious very hard bottom strike then suspect a rotted Y pipe

 

[achris]

1994 exhausts still used the single exhaust shutter supported on a stainless steel pin. They have a habit of wearing through and breaking. Most of the time, the shutter and the reamians of the pin just fall all the way through and get spat out the centre of the prop, but occasionally one will lodge in the bottom of the Y-pipe and vibrate a hole.

If you do have a hole in the y-pipe, then the engine needs to be removed to get it out. You can either have it welded up (not a problem if you know a good ali welder) or buy a new pipe. Then put the new shutters in. I worte an article on shutters that explains everything... -> SHUTTERS

Chris.........

 

[jakehorton15]

Well I finally got a nice day here in KY to do some work and removed the exhaust elbows and sure enough the Y pipe was just wobbling all over the place and loose as can be. So I plan to pull the engine and replace the Y pipe o ring and tighten it down with some blue loctite on the bolts. Ill also change the oil and do a few other small things on the engine while its out of the boat and clean the bilge well. So i plan to change the lower shift cable and shift cable bellow, but im trying to decide if I should reuse the drive shaft bellows and exhaust bellows as they are fairly new and still seem to be in great shape.

 

[Bt Doctur]

A 22 year old Y pipe suddenly just dropping a bolt. There are 4 bolts that hold it in place with a O ring for a seal. Doubtful the bolts fell out or all
4 got loose. Suspect a severely corroded pipe that will need replacement. No Loc-Tite needed,
see 4B-18 in here http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Servmanl/14/14b4.pdf

 

[jakehorton15]

Okay so just to update this post, I pulled the engine last week and sure enough the Y pipe only had 1 of the 4 bolts holding it on and that one was only finger tight. All of the other bolts were laying either in the bilge or wedged between the y pipe and engine. The good news is that the Y pipe looks perfect with no corrosion around the mating surfaces. So I plan to pick up and new oring for the y pipe and reinstall. Now my new question for you expert mechanics is should I just install the oring and torque the bolts to mercruiser specs and call it a day or should I apply any extra gasket sealant and use any type of thread locker like loctite or not to prevent this from happening again? Thanks a lot for all your help guys.

 

[Bondo]

Now my new question for you expert mechanics is should I just install the oring and torque the bolts to mercruiser specs and call it a day or should I apply any extra gasket sealant and use any type of thread locker like loctite or not to prevent this from happening again?

Ayuh,.... I might slather one gasket surface, 'n the bolt threads with Quicksilver Perfect Seal, which is exactly like Perma-tex #3,....

It'll hold the o-ring in-place, 'n won't hurt anything,....
On the bolt threads, it seals out corrosion, 'n sorta locks 'em up abit, til ya Wanta take 'em out again,...

 

[stonyloam]

Replace the driveshaft and shift cable bellows with OEM parts, reuse the exhaust bellows. Check your shift cable and trim limit switch, now is the time to change them if there is any problem.

 

[Toyelectroman]

I was wondering if the boat was in the water but not running if there was an issue with the y pipe would it let water leak into the boat? Or does the boat need to be running for a leak in the Y pipe. I have been trying to track down a leak in my boat but it leaks when anchored.

 

[jakehorton15]

My plan before the season was new bellows and new lower shift cable while everything is out and taken apart. But yes when my boat was in the water and not running is when it would leak more. It never really let water in when running, i guess the exhaust pressure was blowing most of the water out of the exhaust while running. If your bellows are good and all your through hulls are sealed correctly you could remove the exhaust elbow boots and try wiggling your y pipe forward and back and side to side. I did that and it was obvious that it was very loose. And thanks bondo I'll look into the perfect seal.

 

[Bondo]

I was wondering if the boat was in the water but not running if there was an issue with the y pipe would it let water leak into the boat?

Ayuh,... With the boat at rest in the water, motor not runnin',....
The y-pipe is Full of water to within' inches of the top,...

Underway with the motor runnin' there is far less water in the y-pipe,...

 

[Maclin]

jakehorton15 How long have you had the boat? Did anyone come up with how the bolts might have behaved that way? Just kinda weirds me out that those bolts could have come out like that.

 

[jakehorton15]

@macklin I've had the boat about 4 years and it's leaked since I got it. I know that Bryant did some warranty work on the motor mounts before I got it so perhaps the previous owner or them took the Y pipe off and didn't tighten them back down correctly.

 

[Maclin]

Thanks, that makes sense.