transom leak

[rickasbury]

OK- Here is where I am at for today. The actual job does really not seem that complicate. The execution, well that's a different story. I got everything discounted from the inside except for the four Y pipe. I have a 12 point 3/8 socket but it looks like someone before me used perhaps something different and buggered up the heads. I used an impact wrench to get as good a bite on them as I could but no go- spin. What in the world am I going to do to be able to remove these? The top ones I might be able to get a chisel to them and get them broke loose- no way on the bottom ones. Also, when I filled the bilge with water to clean it out, either the water pickup for the engine or the genny seemed to be leaking- When I put a fake lake at them from the bottom, I get nothing......?

 

[alldodge]

Bummer, but an impact is not a good thing. Those bolts are stainless and going to be ruff.

Post some pics of what your looking at?

 

[Rick Stephens]

The Y pipe itself is the spendy part down there. I'd be tempted to just unbolt the transom plate and pull it out, Y pipe and all. Then do what I had to do to get those stainless 12 point 3/8 cap screws out. They would be inclined to gall and smear if tightened too much into the aluminum transom plate. Get the whole thing out on your workbench where you can get to them easier. Still not easy to get anything but a socket on an extension, but at least you can do it without turning yourself into a pretzel.

If they are rounded, only thing I can think of to take them out is have a good welder weld on a little larger nut to the head, right through the center of the nut. Two things that helps, you get a six point socket on them and the heat expands the bolt, which then shrinks as it cools making it looser and easier to remove. I do it all the time with a MIG on steel bolts, but going after a stainless bolt with rounded points I have not tried successfully in years.

 

[Bondo]

I'd be tempted to just unbolt the transom plate and pull it out, Y pipe and all.

Ayuh,.... Ya can't do that Rick,..... Neither the y-pipe nor the transom housin' will fit through the keyhole,.....

Is yer 3/8" 12-pt socket a brand name quality socket,..??
Craftsman is the cheapest I might use, a Snap-on, or Mac, Proto, or Matco is a much better choice,....
If it's some junk from harbor fright, that's a big part of yer problem,...

I've never had this problem,....
Without goin' back 183 posts, remind me again, is this a saltwater barge,..??

 

[rickasbury]

I would say that it might appear that someone got at them before I did as there was very little "point" to the points. I did get a 12 point set from harbor freight but it did not fit properly. This Irwin set I bought, from Lowe's oddly enough is working- they just are not budging even with the impact wrench. Any of them. They is no corrosion around anything on the inner or outer transom assembly. I came back in off the boat to check and see if for some reason they are a left hand thread - it's that puzzling to me. Air impact do better? Have not had any experience with one of those. For all I have done to get shut down over these four little bolts is really pissing me off! I can get to the top two to drill, chisel or do what ever- there is not much way to get to the bottom ones, especially with the trim hoses right there. I can get a little touch and see if that will loosen the top ones and if that works perhaps rig something to heat the bottom ones...I'm really getting stumped on this one!

 

[Bondo]

and see if for some reason they are a left hand thread - it's that puzzling to me. Air impact do better?

Nope,..... Not left-handed,.....

Forget 'bout an impact,....
Use a piece of pipe as long as ya need, on a breaker bar,.... or yer ratchet,....

'round here, a clean used freshwater y-pipe runs a couple hundred or less,.....

 

[rickasbury]

So I may have to cut it apart so I can pull it thru the keyhole? OMG! And just so I understand, why is not the impact tool a plus in this application?

 

[rickasbury]

 

[Rick Stephens]

Ayuh,.... Ya can't do that Rick,..... Neither the y-pipe nor the transom housin' will fit through the keyhole,.....

Is yer 3/8" 12-pt socket a brand name quality socket,..??
Craftsman is the cheapest I might use, a Snap-on, or Mac, Proto, or Matco is a much better choice,....
If it's some junk from harbor fright, that's a big part of yer problem,...

I've never had this problem,....
Without goin' back 183 posts, remind me again, is this a saltwater barge,..??

Right.... bolted to gimbal housing, not transom plate, DOH. Thanks Bondo!

 

[rickasbury]

So, what do I do with this guys? I see the spec is only 23 ft. pounds on this...heat? should I just cut away on the pipe until I can work it through the key hole?

 

[Grub54891]

Is there any way possible to get in there with a dremmel, grind the heads off? At least you would have the studs left to try and remove them after the pipe is out of the way.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Have you tried a couple feet of pipe on a breaker bar as recommended?

Yes, you can apply heat. Let it cool fully before trying to apply force - when heated the bolts are expanded and a tighter fit. When cooled they shrink back down after hopefully releasing some of the bind with the aluminum threads.

 

[rickasbury]

I'm going to Lowe's....I have been looking to see what can of things I can get for a my dremel, sounds like they are tough enough to cut the stainless and that is my third to next move....next, they have I recall a small torch that works pretty much off a butane- very small flame but hot. Figure if I can get a couple of hundred degrees on it, it might come loose. Lastly, I think I will have to cut away the pipe until it will pull through the key hole and then out of the boat be able get to them better and deal with them. This really sucks with all my effort so far stalled by these 4 bolts but I guess that is the way it is!

 

[alldodge]

I'm thinking someone used red locktie on the bolts, and if that's the case heat is about the only thing that can help. Could be the PO noticed a leak, pulled it apart and thought in may have been the bolts, but just guessing

 

[rickasbury]

On the breaker bar, I don't have anything that will grip it- the Irwin sockets kind of work more on blunt force for lack of a better way to say it to bite into the metal. I will try the heat, then try to grind and if that does not work, go to cutting I guess...

 

[Grub54891]

Ya know, I've taken a metric socket in the past, to small, and pounded them on with a hammer, then removed the bolt. It may work for you, but red locktite needs a fair amount of heat.

 

[scoflaw]

Red Loctite would be a dream come true. What's worst than that? Galvanic corrosion. Stainless bolts in aluminum.

 

[rickasbury]

Kind of funny to watch this on YouTube....guy puts the socket to them and with little effort backs them off no issue- and on a boat that looks a real mess and you might expect the problem. These Irwin sockets, which anyone that does this type of work should be aware of, are working perfectly, just not budging. They work on a twisting motion to bite into the bolt head. These bolt heads are so bad that using a breaker bar does not grab them but my impact wrench works fine. It was said I should not use the impact on them but I figure at this point....I can always clean up the threads with a tap once I get them out if that is the issue. I'm going to buy a good drill that will attack the stainless as one last ditch effort and then the only thing I can think of to do is to cut the ears off the Y pipes so I can pull what's left through the key hole and hopefully get them out with better access. We have some bad storms coming through the next couple of days so later in the week I can get back to it, work permitting! Very disappointing running into this at this point in the game but, goes with the territory!

 

[rickasbury]

storms not so bad and picked up a 3/8 bit....got the top two but needed a bigger one to get the bottom two so got a 1/5 to knock down the big part and will finish with the 3/8....also, looking at the trim wires...two I unplugged around the engine harness, two go into the main loom- I opened up a section of that thinking I see some more connectors and did not- how far up are they?

 

[Rick Stephens]

Two go through the plug up to the trim gauge. The other two should go to butt connectors and ultimately to the trim pump. They don't go into the harness at all usually.