1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

[Browndog801]

:blue:

I noticed last year my gamble bearing had water in it and I replaced it and put on a new bellow. Towards the end of the year I noticed I was still getting water inside the boat. I pulled the outdrive did not see water in the gamble bearing. I think it's in the transom seal. I grabbed the transom and lifted and no movement from the seal but when in the water and backing it up, water is seeping in the bottom of the transom. I got a mirror and a flashlight and at the bottom of the transom it does seem to have a small gap in the boat, the transom feels strong but it must be week somewhere making the seal fell. I have two options one is to go ahead and pull the motor and transom and fix it right. The other is to caulk around the outside with 3M 5200 and see if it will last this summer. Money is a little tight right now after TAX'S. I'm sure if I pull this off I will probably have to buy a few extra parts and special tools. The seal must be gone and don't know if anyone's tried sealing around the exterior for a temporary fix and how long it could last. What special tools will I need and parts should I replace?

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

:blue:

I noticed last year my gamble bearing had water in it and I replaced it and put on a new bellow. Towards the end of the year I noticed I was still getting water inside the boat. I pulled the outdrive did not see water in the gamble bearing. I think it's in the transom seal. I grabbed the transom and lifted and no movement from the seal but when in the water and backing it up, water is seeping in the bottom of the transom. I got a mirror and a flashlight and at the bottom of the transom it does seem to have a small gap in the boat, the transom feels strong but it must be week somewhere making the seal fell. I have two options one is to go ahead and pull the motor and transom and fix it right. The other is to caulk around the outside with 3M 5200 and see if it will last this summer. Money is a little tight right now after TAX'S. I'm sure if I pull this off I will probably have to buy a few extra parts and special tools. The seal must be gone and don't know if anyone's tried sealing around the exterior for a temporary fix and how long it could last. What special tools will I need and parts should I replace?

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... I believe yer Right, as a '95 is 'bout due to fail, if it's gonna,....

Yer temporary fix might last the season, or might not,...
None of Us can see into the future,...

As for Fixin' it Right, ya might get by with just the plywood, fiberglass, 'n a new gasket,...
Ya won't know til ya tear it down, 'n Inspect things,...

If ya continue to run it, the coupler will eventually fail, from the flexin', 'n misalignment that comes from it,...

 

[4now04]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

I've done exactly that ..... and it worked fine for at least a few years. I have since sold the boat. If the boat is trailered it will probably last longer than if it is in the water. Check the torque of the bolts holding the transom shield in place. I would recommend removing the anode to get better access to the bottom of the transom shield, and the top cap of the transom shield if it is removable. Clean the surfaces and caulk with 3M 5200. You might tape approx. 1/8 to 3/16" each side of the joint for a cleaner line and use a squeegee to smooth and help push the sealant in to the joint. The alternative is to pull the engine and remove the transom shield, clean and inspect, and re-install with new gaskets and seals.

 

[Sparkinator]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

I have the same drive you have, and a couple of years ago I had the same problem. I would notice a little accumulation of water in the boat at the end of the day, but not a whole lot. I had a major leak twice though that got pretty ugly. I had parked the boat on the shore and the drive was down. As the boat moved up and down with the waves, the transom was flexing and allowed water to pore into the boat. Twice, I barely got the water emptied out of the boat, to make it back home. After the second event, I found a soft spot in my transom. I had a hard time reaching under the engine and all the way back to the transom, but when I did, I felt mush and and found what looked like wet sawdust on my fingers.

I had caulked around the outside of the transom before finding the rotten transom, but it didn't help. My transom seemed solid as a rock too, but it was flexing just above the drain plug and allowing water to flood the boat between the transom shield and the transom.

Reach under your engine above the drain plug, and see if you can get to the 'keyhole' that is cut in it. If it's soft, I would just bite the bullet, and rebuild the transom. I wouldn't risk running around in an I/O with a rotten transom. All of that flexing under the water line is just asking for trouble. I rebuilt my transom last year, and it really wasn't that hard. Especially with all of the knowledge we have around here.

 

[Browndog801]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

I just pull the motor and it was not that hard. Now is the part I am a little worried about. I guess I need to order a seal kit. I don't need the bellows I replaced them last year. I am not sure if I need any special tools.

 

[Sparkinator]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

Do you have the service manual? If you don't, they are online.

Boatinfo - The library, containing manuals, brochures and other technical documents from the last hundred years!

My transom was bad and I had to replace it. With the transom flexing, it allowed the seal that fits between the hull and the outer transom shield to fail and I had to replace it. You really don't know what needs to be replaced, until you get in there and start inspecting. Luckily, mine was in pretty good shape, (the drive that is), and I needed to replace very little.

The only special tool that comes to mind I purchased, was an alignment tool, to align the drive with the coupling. I found one on ebay that was pretty reasonable.

 

[Browndog801]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

I just pulled the transom seal housing. The transom has rot the bottom right corner were the bolt goes thru. It look like it was built with two plywood sheets. The one on the inside is only rotten about and 1" or 2" around the bolt hole. The other on the outside is bad. I can stick a long screw drive down and touch the bottom 6" and side ways about 5" before hard wood. good wood on top. Can I dry this out with heat gun get out as much as I can. Use Rot kill and fill with epoxy?

 

[Bondo]

Re: 1995 celebrity 5.0 FL Volvo SX transom seal leak

I just pulled the transom seal housing. The transom has rot the bottom right corner were the bolt goes thru. It look like it was built with two plywood sheets. The one on the inside is only rotten about and 1" or 2" around the bolt hole. The other on the outside is bad. I can stick a long screw drive down and touch the bottom 6" and side ways about 5" before hard wood. good wood on top. Can I dry this out with heat gun get out as much as I can. Use Rot kill and fill with epoxy?

Ayuh,.... I suggest you head on down to the Restoration Forum, 'n introduce yerself, 'n yer problem,...

Lotsa Super knowledgeable folks in there will point ya in the Right direction,...