Water leak into bilge... bellows?

[hangdogger512]

This question is in reference to a leak on a 92 GW Invader with Mercruiser 4.3LX (OD820725) and Alpha 1 Gen II drive unit.

I just bought this boat a couple weeks ago, and am new to owning an I/O... have had outboards and am a seasoned mechanic though. Knew this one was gonna take some service and rebuilding, but am trying not to go overboard with replacing everything! ;-)

Took it out on the water for the second time yesterday (engine and drive did awesome), but noticed that the auto bilge was running quite a bit. So I climbing into the dog house and found a fairly large substantial leak coming from what appears to be the exhaust bellows? Anyway, just hoping that perhaps some of the seasoned folks here could verify that this looks like a bellows leak? If so, I will order a seal kit and take my first go at removing a drive unit! ;-) See video link below to see the leak...

https://youtu.be/Mpjk7VzGYhU?t=25s

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[kenk63]

you can check for cracks or tears in the bellows for the rear, lower up, then lower down and then left to right, look for cracks, feel for holes where you can see, replace all three, also recommend replacing the **** cable since your there already

 

[Bt Doctur]

Looks more like the exaust Y pipe has sprung a corroded hole thru it.exaust bellows are outside the boat and even if they were removed you would not have that type of leak. Can confirm it by running on muffs and seeing if its warm water draining from the boat

 

[hangdogger512]

Bt Doctur Yes, actually, I did notice that there was warm water leaking when I ran it with muffs yesterday before taking it out. So, that indicates a a corroded exhaust pipe?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Yepper, water leaks from the rear of a motor are mostly exaust pipes or in the worst case core plugs popped behind the flywheel

 

[hangdogger512]

Doh... please tell me that it is not this $700 part on the exhaust schematic (... as I assume it is...) http://www.mercruiserparts.com/bam/subassembly/31484/1619/200

 

[Bt Doctur]

Unless you also dead and gone to Heavan , Don wont be giving you an answer
Nah, there cheaper on the net

 

[nola mike]

That was a "doh", not a "don", though I bet he answered this question in the past

 

[Bt Doctur]

Getting old and blind again ,need bigger letters

 

[hangdogger512]

Hahaha, sorry for the little text! And yes, I am sure that this question has been answer a ton. So thank you all for your time.

Follow-up, for replacing the exhaust Y, I assume I'll still need to pull the drive... so, as a standard precaution should I just do the bellows and gaskets anyway?

 

[Bondo]

Follow-up, for replacing the exhaust Y, I assume I'll still need to pull the drive...

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,.... Ya, ya gotta pull the drive, so you can pull the motor, to replace the Y-pipe,....

If you don't know how old the bellows are,...
Yes,... Change 'em All,.... they're a 5 to 8 year replacement parts,....

 

[hangdogger512]

Thanks Bondo. And crap, so this is a motor pulling adventure also?

I was planning on paying a shop to pull it this fall so I could do some deck work, as I don't have an engine hoist at home. So, question, If my bilge pump keeps up with the leak, what are the risks of running it with the exhaust leak for another month or so? Hate to lose the last bit of summer with an engine pulled.

 

[Bt Doctur]

You have to ask yourself if the danger of sinking with your family is worth the risk . Whats going to happen if the bilge pump decides to stop pumping or if the small hole breaks away and you have a 2 inch hole.

 

[hangdogger512]

Bt Doctur Fair enough!

 

[hangdogger512]

Okay, did a little more digging tonight thanks to yo ur info Bt Doctur and Bondo.

Ran it with muffs again and I was wrong, there is no warm water making it to the bilge drain. Only out the exhaust ports. But in turning the drive and inspecting the bellows, I did find that the small bellow on the shift cable is completely torn. Could this drain back into the bilge while the boat is sitting in the water? I could see this size opening causing the volume of drip in the video. Maybe I'm just wishful thinking...

I also did inspect as much of the exhaust as possible and it looked pretty good. Thinking outload here... If it is indeed the exhaust pipe, why would it continue to leak in while the boat isn't running?

Here are some pictures...

Save​

 

[Grub54891]

Yup, You found the problem. Replace all the bellows, lower shift cable, gimble bearing and trim pucks at the same time.

 

[Bondo]

Thinking outload here... If it is indeed the exhaust pipe, why would it continue to leak in while the boat isn't running?

Ayuh,.... The exhaust is fulla lake water right up to the shutters when not runnin',...

 

[camalot]

Though your bellows looking way past there due date, I would look at the seal where the hydraulics go through the transom.

 

[hangdogger512]

No Title

Thanks Grub54891 Bondo and camalot

I think that's my first line of attack... replace all the bellows, gaskets, shift cable, gimble bearing and trim sensors. Then take it for a short run on the water... should be able to tell pretty easily if that was the issue.

Now, for my related question: I can tell that with this leak the previous owner let water come on fairly deep (few signs of water up by the trim pump, etc). So, whats the best way to check and make sure that water never made it into the transom plate? I can see some water damage on the port side at the top of the plate where it is exposed (and looks like it was cut away to allow a path for the fuel fill line. But it certainly could have seeped into the center as well, right? How can I ensure that the plate is solid? Everything else looks pretty solid and dry (except some of the decking is soft and needs replacing... which I am planning on doing this winter).

Thoughts? Advice? Drill and seal?

Few pictures, just cause...

 

[wahlejim]

Plan on a new starter soon. If water made it to the trim pump, it was underwater and you are on borrowed time.

First, you need to look at the bigger picture and figure out the cause of the soft spots in the deck. A lot of people buy boats thinking tey can just change out sections of soft floors only to dig into it and find major issues with stringers. Before you drop too much money in the boat, you will need to determine how much work has to be done, and if it is worth it to you to do it.

If it were me, I would change out the bellows and only the bellows to finish the season up. They are relatively cheap and easy to do. I don;t like throwing money at projects that I don't think are worth it, but that is ultimately up to you to decide.