omc leaking

hello folks, well by now you know I'm restoring a, twin engine reinell, it has the old omc string outdrive, well on of the boots ( I guess thats what its called ) has a small leak in it, I know this because I put the plug in and put some water in the boat and it started dripping from one of the boots, the other one isnt leaking, so I know this isnt normal. its not that big of a leak, maybe a drop every 5sec. I do know it will get worse with time, should I worry about it or just run it for a while, my gut feeling says tony do it now, the boat will be keeped in the water pluged in with auto floats on the bilges pump, whats your idea about this???...tony

Re: omc leaking

You need to repair it, that is for sure...

Is the leak coming from a hole in the big rubber boot itself, or is the leak coming from where it seals to the transom?

What shape is the rubber in? If it is brittle or chalky at all, replace it. If the rubber is in good condition, and the metal ring that holds it to the transom are good, you need only remove the outdrive and intermediate housing, then check your transom's integrity, clean and re-apply the boot using some 5200 to seal it well. Don't forget to seal the screws and screw holes as well to protect your transom.

Any leak isn't a good one, but if the hole is in the rubber transom seal itself, I don't think I'd put that boat back into the water until I have replaced the seal.

Good luck and let us know how your STRINGER repair went!

Cheers!

Re: omc leaking

I'm not an expert on the "stringer" but if I'm not mistaken, water leaking in from a boot will sink a boat if left unattended........after of course, the batteries go dead from running the bilge pumps.


Being the screwed up Electrical Engr that I am I decided to do a little dimensional analysis.

120 drops of water = 5ml or 1 teaspoon.

And 1 gallon has about 3800ml or 757 teaspoons or 757x120 = 90840 drops!


You said you get 1 drop every 5 seconds and there's 86,400 seconds in a day.

You will get 86400/5= 17280 drops per day in the boat! Or about 17280/90840= 0.190 GALLONS per day!

If the boat sat for a year, with dead batteries you would have 0.19 x 365 =69 gallons in the boat.

Probably not enough to sink it assuming that the rubber is not rotting at some rate that would increase the flow at some increasing rate. Which would then require an equation to determine the rate of change and then calculate the integral........yada yada yada..........Ok I'll STOP!!


I wouldn't permanently park a boat in the water that's leaking. (In fact, I wouldn't permanently park a boat in the water.....but that's just ME)



Cheers,


Rick

firehog6305 said:

hello folks, well by now you know I'm restoring a, twin engine reinell, it has the old omc string outdrive, well on of the boots ( I guess thats what its called ) has a small leak in it, I know this because I put the plug in and put some water in the boat and it started dripping from one of the boots, the other one isnt leaking, so I know this isnt normal. its not that big of a leak, maybe a drop every 5sec. I do know it will get worse with time, should I worry about it or just run it for a while, my gut feeling says tony do it now, the boat will be keeped in the water pluged in with auto floats on the bilges pump, whats your idea about this???...tony

Click to expand...

Re: omc leaking

thanks gentlemen, I have decide just to bite the bullet and replace it, it is a small crack in the rubber boot itself, not the seal. I can pull and have replaced the outdrive without problems on mercruisers and volvo's, but looking at this old thing scares the heck out of me so I called a friend and they will get it done for about 400 bucks, it will help me sleep better, here is a pic of the boat I'm restoring, it sat in the shop for 10+yrs and everything has been fine except a busted control cable and this small leak, I'll post pics of what it looks like now shortly, and thank you for the advice..tony

Re: omc leaking

They're easy to replace, don't have to yank the drive to do it either. Get some dishwash liquid and you can slide it over the outdrive. Takes a little patience, but can be done pretty easily. Can get a boot for around $49-$69 on ebay.

Re: omc leaking

I'm guessing the seal should be replaced at the same time then?? will the seal slide over the outdrive also?...tony

Re: omc leaking

There is no seal, the boot is the seal. Just clean transom real good, use a little acetone. Smack some 3M 5200 on the transom and screw holes and you're good to go. You don't need to use it around the IMH but you can use a small amount, I did. Get the boot in the goove, tighten the large boot clamp and have a Budweiser.

Re: omc leaking

thanks chief I will give her a try

Re: omc leaking

Hey you guys, the more I look at this outdrive and boot, are you guys sure it will slip over the outdrive so I dont have pull the outdrive to replace the boot?? maybe I'm looking at it wrong and it will, but man it must be really tight fit, any tricks like drive up or down???

Re: omc leaking

Wife and My self did ours without pulling the outdrive. Took about 2 hours with most of the time spent cleaning old gule and excess new glue the next day. We used what OMC said to use as a sealer not 5200. I think it was Black polyurphane. Messy but a good sealer and never hardens.

Of course it can not be done on the water.

Re: omc leaking

Take a look through here: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...log/?PC_7_0_4S4T_nid=GSQR1F3842beQH8HT14PGTgl

Re: omc leaking

Just take your time stretching it, use some dishwash soap. I had my drive off when I did mine, but like I said, I've been told many times it can be done. As far as using what OMC recommends, thats fine. 3M 5200 was what was on mine when I replaced it, it had been replaced long ago by the previous owner.

3M 5200 Marine Adhesive/Sealant....

This high-performance polyurethane adhesive sealant becomes tack-free in 24-48 hours, and completely cures in 5-7 days with no shrinking. The seal is extremely strong, retaining its strength above or below the waterline. Stays flexible?allows for structural movement. Stress caused by shock, vibration, swelling or shrinking is effectively absorbed. Has excellent resistance to weathering and salt water.