Bravo/Transom leaks with trim/trailer up

[boosted_2v]

hey all, I have a bravo 1 outdrive and found that it is leaking drive lube when in the trailer up position. The leak is coming out from the bottom of the transom housing. I'm going to be pulling the outdrive tonight and have a seal kit for it but.. is there anything else I should be looking for? I've read a few things about the shift cable boot/bellow could cause this leak but unsure as usual bellows are more or less dust covers.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[tpenfield]

You've got the oil line itself and the mating of the outdrive to the bell housing . . . those are the places where you would most likely find a leak.

Check the outdive bolts for tightness . . . then have a look at the oil line . . . which may be a bit difficult.

 

[boosted_2v]

Good info, thank you! I will try my best to check out the line.

 

[boosted_2v]

Have the drive off now. First time doing this, so bear with me. Is there suppose to be drive lube oil in the gimbal? Seems like a good 1/4 qt came out once it was separated. I don’t see anything that really stands out that could be leaking. Though where the drive lube hose connects to the back of the gimbal housing, it’s a bit wet of oil there.

 

[achris]

Nope. Supposed to be completely dry in there. You have a seal leaking at the front of the drive. At the least.

Also, if you have oil leaking from the transom seal, the engine needs to come out, and the transom assembly off to find out why it's leaking, and fix it. Where that oil is coming out, when the boat's in the water, water will come in.

Chris.........

 

[tpenfield]

Gear oil in the bellows BTDT

If you had both a drive shaft seal problem and a leak in the bellows (when tilted up) then your symptoms would make sense. BUT . . . all to often with a leak in the bellows, you will get water in there too, not just oil.

Time to remove the drive.
Drain the gear oil - check for color and clarity
Pressure test the drive - use soapy water at/around the seal to look for bubbles

Remove the bell housing - see if you can verify if the bellows is loose/leaking/cracked
Maybe do a bellows replacement

The oil line looked OK (dry)

If the oil leak is at the transom assembly (or seal), as Chris mentioned, then it looks like you will be at a whole other level

 

[boosted_2v]

Thanks Chris and Ted for the info! I was wondering about that. I’ve seen videos where the tech talks about little bit of oil is normal but never really designates where. Looks like I’ll be doing the front seal on the drive.

Have either of you done these seals before? Any harder than a rear main type of seal?

I know about the transom leak, talked with Cobra about it and they said to first find where the drive lube is coming from and go from there. Surprisingly, we get little to no water in the hull. Still needs to be addressed, of course..

-Taylor

 

[tpenfield]

here is my thread on fixing the drive shaft seal . . .

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/eng...rives/648571-some-milky-oil-from-the-outdrive

 

[boosted_2v]

Great write up, Ted!

I will probably do the u-joints while its out as well.

 

[tank1949]

hey all, I have a bravo 1 outdrive and found that it is leaking drive lube when in the trailer up position. The leak is coming out from the bottom of the transom housing. I'm going to be pulling the outdrive tonight and have a seal kit for it but.. is there anything else I should be looking for? I've read a few things about the shift cable boot/bellow could cause this leak but unsure as usual bellows are more or less dust covers.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

I suspect leaking water too! Transom seal is compromised or rotten transom. You haven't noticed water in bilge or bilge pump being activated excessively? Fill bilge with water, examine on outside of transom and pray. You will also need to buy or rent pressure testing tool to isolate OD for leaks. But, as others have stated, I suspect top half is leaking. Fix yourself. Or, get ready to dish out some big bucks if transom is rotten.