Shift cable to Alpha 1 Gen 2 leaking water over top of engine

[Sabreur]

Help! A few weeks back a mechanic mate who had never pulled a sterndrive before stripped mine down to replace the 17 yr old shift cable which had degenerated into a cruddy mess at the sterndrive end and which was refusing to get out of gear and work the interrupt. He said it was an awful job and one he would never do again! Today a steady drip of presumably seawater is coming out of the long black plastic sleeve on the upper cable feeding the interrupt switch "Y" assembly keeping the distributor and HT leads nice 'n cool on the way down to the bilges.

​Anyone any idea what is going on and how it can be fixed. Also I've read that a disintegrating U joint can break up and tear the bellows and sink the boat which sounds pretty alarming. Anyone ever heard of that actually happening?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Your missing the water inlet O ring

 

[Sabreur]

Wow that was a quick response! Thanks, looks like a haul out....

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... As BD points out, the water inlet o-ring is outa place or missin' is the most likely cause of the water comin' outa the cable,....
You can expect to be needin' to change out that cable again, because of that water leak,....

The picture is the result of catastrophic u-joint failure,...
The operator must have ignored the noises til it just wouldn't go anymore,..

 

[Sabreur]

Thanks Bondo, looks like 3 jobs to do then. (Reseal ring, new cable, insurance replacement of U joint)

 

[Rick Stephens]

Bt Docs picture - boat should be sitting on bottom. Appears the drive would have come all the way off. Ouch.

 

[Bt Doctur]

lets just say the shift cable and hyd lines kept it from hitting the ramp