Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

[SleekCraft85]

My boat has a leak into the bilge while resting so i have ruled out a exhaust/cooling leak. iv tried 3 different new transom drain plugs and the boat is still taking on a significant amount of water while resting (a little over 1gal/hr) luckily i have a float switch and a manual switch with 2 pumps. I have also applied marine silicone sealant around the outside perimeter of the gimbal housing. I was hoping someone could give me clues as to where else to check for a leak.

Thanks in advance

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

Where is the water coming in, that's how you find water leaks. Get in there, look (mirrors, flashlight, digital camera) and listen, and feel and find out where the water is coming from. May not even be from the transom.
Oh, and don't rule out the exhaust either. The exhaust Y and passages to the drive are full of water when at rest.

 

[SleekCraft85]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

Where is the water coming in, that's how you find water leaks. Get in there, look (mirrors, flashlight, digital camera) and listen, and feel and find out where the water is coming from. May not even be from the transom.
Oh, and don't rule out the exhaust either. The exhaust Y and passages to the drive are full of water when at rest.

i guess i can stare into the hatch for a few mins next time i take the boat out.

while on the trailer do u think flooding the bilge with a hose and waiting for an outward leak will work? (pressure will definitely be lesser than the inward one when in water)


what are common seals bellows that may allow water to go in at such a rate?

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

Stareing into the bilge isn't going to help. Open things up so you can get down in there and actually look with some tools.
Rotten transom is the biggest reason for water leaks into the bilge. Ujoint bellows could, you would see water coming in from the flywheel housing. But the bearings, ujoints would be rusty and really noisy, and you would have water in your gear lube.

 

[SleekCraft85]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

Stareing into the bilge isn't going to help. Open things up so you can get down in there and actually look with some tools.
Rotten transom is the biggest reason for water leaks into the bilge. Ujoint bellows could, you would see water coming in from the flywheel housing. But the bearings, ujoints would be rusty and really noisy, and you would have water in your gear lube.

will do. i also forgot to mention... when i installed my smart tabs of the 4 holes required to drill per tab, water seeped out of the 2 outer ones on each side. is that normal or transom rot?
when i knock on the ransom in sounds solid and i have never noticed any flexing...

thank you for ur time

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

will do. i also forgot to mention... when i installed my smart tabs of the 4 holes required to drill per tab, water seeped out of the 2 outer ones on each side. is that normal or transom rot?
when i knock on the ransom in sounds solid and i have never noticed any flexing...

thank you for ur time

Probably rot, a really wet transom for sure. Going to move this to Boat topics, until you find a drive problem, it sounds more like boat problems.

 

[SleekCraft85]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

today while fiddling around the boat i noticed one of the clamps on the exhaust bellow was loose n had some play. i tighten it up and will be taking it out 2mrw. I have my fingers crossed hoping that was the issue. if water was leaking into the exhaust bellow when boat was at rest how did it make its way into the bilge?

thanks

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

A wet transom indicates rot no matter how it sounds when tapped on. If it is not rotten now it will be soon!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

if water was leaking into the exhaust bellow when boat was at rest how did it make its way into the bilge?

Ayuh,... It can't,.... the exhaust bellows is flooded, underwater, at rest...

 

[SleekCraft85]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

Ayuh,... It can't,.... the exhaust bellows is flooded, underwater, at rest...

lol thought so. i guess il have to check the drive shaft bellow.

but don said its possible during one of his first replies

 

[arnoldclan]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

I recently experienced a similar situation with my old Seaswirl Upon close examination of the bilge I noticed a factory hole in the side of the bilge where my water was coming in from. I deduced that it must be a drain for the hull should you get a hole in it. Upon close examination of the bottom of my boat on a creeper, I discovered that there was an old repair that went bad where a hole had be punched in the fiberglass right above a pad. I suspect a foreign object had gotten in there when the boat was being loaded I hope this helps.

 

[SleekCraft85]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

I recently experienced a similar situation with my old Seaswirl Upon close examination of the bilge I noticed a factory hole in the side of the bilge where my water was coming in from. I deduced that it must be a drain for the hull should you get a hole in it. Upon close examination of the bottom of my boat on a creeper, I discovered that there was an old repair that went bad where a hole had be punched in the fiberglass right above a pad. I suspect a foreign object had gotten in there when the boat was being loaded I hope this helps.

i havent seen any damage to the hull. i even re did the front half of the deck because of a small soft pot and nothing seemed to be patched up

 

[SleekCraft85]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

I noticed that my exhaust relief port isn't flat and kinda of crooked UNLIKE the one posted below. Could this be the cause of a leak and if so what is the part number for this rubber piece for my 290 out drive?


THIS IMAGE IS FROM SOMEONE ELSE'S OLDER THREAD FOR REFERENCE (MINE IS SOMEWHAT BENT)

 

[Don S]

Re: Volvo Penta AQ 290 outdrive bilge leak

I noticed that my exhaust relief port isn't flat and kinda of crooked UNLIKE the one posted below. Could this be the cause of a leak and if so what is the part number for this rubber piece for my 290 out drive?

No.

Put the boat in the water and look for the leak. Let a digital camera see the leak if you can't see it.