Bravo 3 leaking water into bilge

[alldodge]

Why?

Because all the seals and boots have been replaced and it still leaks

 

[Tunabass]

I guess it goes to the shop tomorrow, probably to sit there for a while as they commission a ton of boats...

 

[Tunabass]

I pulled the swim platform off and jumped up and down on the drive with no flex. Scraped away some bottom paint on the transom and no cracks or spider cracks. Sealed all the way around the drive with caulking to see if that temp stopped it and it still leaks the exact same way.

 

[alldodge]

Pull the Mercathode and hydraulic manifold to see what the seals look like. If they look good and there has been no water in the drive or shift boots, and the water inlet hose is not leaking, it would have to be the transom assembly of transom..

Take a phillips screw driver and try to push it into the transom hard from the inside.

 

[Tunabass]

I just pulled the meethacode and removed the two nuts under that. Do I just pry that off with a putty knife or similar now? My shop is not able to touch it for 4 weeks

 

[scoflaw]

Could be the upper swivel pin, y pipe, speedo tube, trim wire plug.
I know it's poo poo'd on this site but I jack the front of the trailer up to get it on a radical angle and fill the bilge with water up to the starter. Not sure how you ran a bead of sealant around the transom with the mercathode attached.

 

[alldodge]

I just pulled the meethacode and removed the two nuts under that. Do I just pry that off with a putty knife or similar now? My shop is not able to touch it for 4 weeks

Yes, or similar item

How did the seal on the mercathode to manifold look?
I'm guessing its not the manifold to transom assembly but just trying to rule out possibility

 

[Tunabass]

Not sure what gasket your refering to. Here are the pics of the plastic piece. When I loosened the bolts on it to get to the two nuts under it some water came out. Not sure if it’s suppose to be water tight or not

 

[Tunabass]

One more pic after the plastic piece was removed

 

[Tunabass]

Tilted up as far as she’d go and filled the bulge with water to just below the starter. No water leaked out anywhere. Leak must be coming from up high someplace.

 

[alldodge]

You found your leak and BT got it in post 16. Your Mercathode is toast and doesn't work, so without your drive is going to be slowly eaten away. I would suggest get a new manifold and Mercathode

 

[scoflaw]

Tilted up as far as she’d go and filled the bulge with water to just below the starter. No water leaked out anywhere. Leak must be coming from up high someplace.

There ya go... So what's above that ? Plastic raw water goose neck, upper swivel pin ? Speedo tube ?

 

[Tunabass]

How bout just a zinc kit with plug and gasket to go where the plastic piece was? Thank you guys so much by the way

 

[alldodge]

How bout just a zinc kit with plug and gasket to go where the plastic piece was? Thank you guys so much by the way

Wouldn't recommend that, but its your boat. You do want Zinc/Aluminum anodes in any case

The Mercathode produces an opposing electric current to keep the drive safe. Without it, stay currents from your boat or another can use yours as a ground. Using Zinc or Aluminum anodes help make the drive less attractive but don't stop it. You say its a short season, so you could band-aid it and watch the drive real close. Even watching you may or may not see any damage until its to late

 

[scoflaw]

I don't use a mercathode on my trailer boat. If it's slipped ,yes a must have.

Back to the leak... If it's the swivel pin, you should be able to see the leak from up top, sometimes the steering arm pocket is wet. Sometimes it will drip on top of the raw water hose up top as well. Use that tool you got to look around

 

[Bt Doctur]

Well ,I`m the opposite , when I slipped my twin I never had the Mercathode system. Just made sure my zincs were changed when they were necessary. Boats without the Mercathode system use the rubber plug and gasket and float very nicely.
The biggest issue is AC getting into the water . You can give the electrolsys or you can receive it from someone else

 

[Tunabass]

Bought the zinc kit installed it and now leak is worse. Steady stream now not drops. What could I have done? Removed the zinc and new gasket was still good. When I took one bolt out water cane out

 

[Bt Doctur]

did you install the rubber plug if you removed the mercathode wires

 

[Tunabass]

Well no because I couldn’t pull the wires out. So I cut them flush pushed them up a bit and covered with 4200. Then gasket and zinc. My guy said 60-80 inch pounds for the bolts but I had to go tighter just so I couldn’t move the zinc by hand

 

[alldodge]

Need clean surfaces and if you removed the manifold then need new gasket. Maybe need a new gasket anyway because it may have been leaking there. Also need to get it good and clean where the wires were so the 4200 can stick