Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

Hi ya'll, I recently bought my first boat, a 1988 four winns 235 sundowner with a 460 omc. The boat has been a blast and my family has truly enjoyed it. The first maybe 5 times out the bilge pump never turned on, however the last 3 times out it has been coming on more frequently, at first about every 30-45mins, then 20-30mins, the other night my wife and I were on the boat and it came on 3 times within a half hour, yikes! The next day a friend of mine and myself went and looked things over, had the boat put on a work rack and we looked over everything we could think of. The only thing we could find was the drain plug housing screws were a little loose like a 1/4-1/2 turn each loose. We had the boat put back in the water and went out in the lake, took off the motor cover and looked for any leakage, could'nt find anything and it took 42min. for the pump to turn on. We waited and it seems like it's coming on now at every 30+ mins. I guess my question is could it be that the drain plug housing screws worked themselves loose and let enough water in to turn on the bilge that often or is it likely I have some getting in elsewhere as well. I plan on taking the housing out, cleaning the area and applying some sealent before reinstalling plug and housing. I should add that the screws grabbed and the transom appears and sounds fine, the boat is in excellent condition and has been inside rack stored since new. I'd like to get this thing completely water tight, the way it should be.
Thanks for any info you could offer.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

If the drain hole screws were letting water in you need to take the housing out and make sure the wood isn't wet then seal it up real good or your transom will begin to rot. Your going to have to get down in there and find the leak. That much water is serious and you should be able to find it easily.

Well I see you said that in the end but still a leak of that size should be easy to find.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

I would look at the condition of your upper (driveshaft) bellows as well. If it is weathered,it could have cracks that are letting water in. If this is the case, it will also damage your gimble bearing.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

rogerwa said:

I would look at the condition of your upper (driveshaft) bellows as well. If it is weathered,it could have cracks that are letting water in. If this is the case, it will also damage your gimble bearing.

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I had one that would only leak when the drive was trimmed up. Might want to adjust the trim while looking.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

With the frequency that your bilge is coming on, I`d bet that it is something else beside the drain plug seal. Mine recently was taking on more water than usual and turned out to be a bad exaust seal. Put the boat in the water and start the motor and check to see if you can find the source. Could be from the bellows, engine coolant water or a bad thru hull fitting.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

If your having a real hard time finding it, Maybe trying shutting the pump off let the bilge fill with water at the dock then throwing it on the trailer and pull it up the ramp but leave it on the incline and note where water is coming from. How I discovered my torn shift boot.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

Just got back from boat and I'm a little discouraged. I pulled the drain plug housing from the boat and the wood around the plug was wet and rotted. seemed as though it was'nt completely rotted as there was some solid wood between the fiberglass and rotted stuff but I dont know, not exactly an expert on this stuff.

I inspected the bellows on the outdrive and they look good, so I'm thinking the plug housing is where it's getting in at. So now that I've found the leak and the rot, is there a fix that wont require extensive work and large sums of money? I spoke with a buddy and fellow boater and he seems to think that it's not as big an issue as I'm making it, he's of the opinion that the rot is likely isolated to the area around the plug housing and that I could let it dry then fill area with silicon or maybe an epoxy? He thinks that with the boat being dry docked it's whole life that the transom should be ok and the rot just at the plug housing. I dont know, what he says sounds good but I'm still very concerned.

What do ya'll think? Thanks again

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

rot spreads quickly in wood.. especially old wood..just check it real good... if its an 88 model chances are it could be rotten. check stringers and floor too....

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

perchhunter said:

Just got back from boat and I'm a little discouraged. I pulled the drain plug housing from the boat and the wood around the plug was wet and rotted. seemed as though it was'nt completely rotted as there was some solid wood between the fiberglass and rotted stuff but I dont know, not exactly an expert on this stuff.

I inspected the bellows on the outdrive and they look good, so I'm thinking the plug housing is where it's getting in at. So now that I've found the leak and the rot, is there a fix that wont require extensive work and large sums of money? I spoke with a buddy and fellow boater and he seems to think that it's not as big an issue as I'm making it, he's of the opinion that the rot is likely isolated to the area around the plug housing and that I could let it dry then fill area with silicon or maybe an epoxy? He thinks that with the boat being dry docked it's whole life that the transom should be ok and the rot just at the plug housing. I dont know, what he says sounds good but I'm still very concerned.

What do ya'll think? Thanks again

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Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,.... Wood rot is like cancer, it spreads,... Atleast dig out the rot 1st...

'n silicone is not the answer...

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

Any idea on how much something of this nature would cost to fix? any of you experience something like this previously? Pretty stressed over this to say the least. Gonna talk with a marine shop tomorrow.

Re: Four winns taking on some H2o, bilge pump kicking on every 10-20mins.

Welcome perchhunter, I'm sorry, but a quick cheap fix is not usually the case. You could visit the restoration forum on this site to see what all you're looking at. Quite a few members here have been faced with the same problem you have and some have fixed their boats as a diy project. There are several posts that will take you though the job step by step with lots of photos. Best of luck on your project.