HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

[port jeff boater]

my 86 four winns 140 mercruiser was taking on water yesterday.. it seemd to be coming in from where the drive is attached to the boat.. last year i had the hot pipe(exhaust)replaced because it was a little coroded at the bolt holes and was also loose.. water was getting in from there last year... it ran fine so far this season but yesterday while anchored in the sound i noticed water in the inside floor of the cuddy. i opened up the engine covered and she was about 2 inches from the bottom of the engine.. the bilge was pumping for about 15 minutes straight. i looked and it seemed to be dripped down the rear of the boat to the floor. any help would be greatly appreciated.. also there are three hoses that are outside the boat to the rear of the drive. two are like boots and one is a 1 inch diameter hose.. the hose and boots look somewhat dry rotted meaning they show signs of cracks but not entirely through could water be getting in from there.. and the recommendation is to have them replaced would you agree,, thanks for all the advice,,,

 

[flashback]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Port Jeff, the 2 boots you refered to are the drive shaft bellows (the biggest one), exhaust bellows, and the 1 inch hose is the raw water intake, and yes, any one of the three could be a potential leak. if the leak is more severe when the engine is running then most likly it is the raw water intake, but in the long run, if you can afford to replace all 3 then do it, as you will most likely need to remove the gimbal to change any one of them.

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

flash while just sitting in the sound with the engine off, i noticed water leaking down the back of the plate attached to the inside of the outdrive you know the plate ion the inside of the boat that the outdrive bolts to.. im hoping it is not the pipe i had replaced last year,, can the bolts loosen that easily,, and what is the costs of the three boots.. i have three kids i take on the boat and there safety is most imprtant,, so i will replace them.. any idea though what it wuld be so i know if the boat mechanic isnt ripping me off.. and last year the engine had to come out to replace the exhaust pipe that goes through the middle of the drive,, the mech also said if he just had to tighten the bolts the engine still would have to come out,,is this true,, thankssssss

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Hi Port Jeff, if your driveshaft bellows has failed, more than likeley the water can be leaking in through your gimbal bearing. This will destroy the bearing in a hurry. When changing the boots, check your gimbal bearing. If it feels rough as your spin it, it will be bad. Shifter linkage boot will also cause water to leak into your boat also. Good Luck

 

[flashback]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

well as far a pulling the engine goes, there are a lot of things that are easier to do if the engine is out of the boat, I have gm 350 and if and when I need to change the starter motor, I will most likely pull the engine, in all honesty, It is not that hard to do, give me a good hoist and you can have the engine hangin in the air in about 20 or 30 minutes...as far as cost goes on the parts, you can get the intake hose for about 5 bucks, the drive bellows, 80.00, the exhaust,30.00 and one I forgot is the shift cable bellows, about 20.00 in any case, If you are going to pay a mechanic to pull the drive for any one of these items, it is in your best interest to replace them all, as they are all made of rubber and most likely have aged at the same rate. If Trent is around, he can give you a better idea on cost as I believe he actually works on these monsters for a living.... if not, he should ..........

 

[lenny2113]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Port Jeff,<br />Thanks for pointing this post to me.<br />I didn't mean to post the same thread, so I asked to disregard my post.<br /><br />I think what you have is a bit different.<br />I am getting water coming in around drive shaft even when running the engine on the hose. If I had the boat on the water, I would be looking to replace rubber bellows. As far as I can see there is no connection. <br /><br />Prior to repairs that I have done I had water coming in and pulled the boat out of the water. When connected to the garden hose it would not leak. I pulled the drive and replaced the driveshaft bellow that had a small crack. <br />When I put it all back together and started her, she gets water in around drive shaft even on the garden hose.<br /> <br />I am not sure what it could be, but I suspect the plastic join that has water intake hose connected to it could have a crack inside the housing. I think it's the only source of water getting from the outdrive to the engine. There is a metal part that has 2 bolts in it and this plastic join is sitting inside of it. <br /><br />I am not a pro at these things... I hope this is something I could fix myself.<br />I have 88 3.0L Merc with Alpha 1. <br />Same as yours.<br /><br />Thank you,<br />Lenny

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

well dropped the boat at the mechanics today.. will update you guys when i hear from them... i think it is time i learn how to do these things myself or become friends with some of you guys close to where i live.. lenny thanks for your input also.. im originally from brooklyn,, used to dock this money pit out of avenue and east 65th,, keep in touch,, and good luck.....

 

[wheels4]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Port Jeff Boater,If you think your mechanic is taking you for a ride there is a great mechanic in Patchogue.His name is Tim at Top Repair# 289-0035.Hes very honest and taught me alot this past spring.Good luck,Wheels

 

[lenny2113]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Wheels,<br />"Top repair" shop is an hour away from where I live. I think there is a big chance I might have to use a mechanic to get my boat back in the water.<br />If I were to call Tim, may I tell him who referred me?<br /><br />Thank you, <br />Lenny

 

[wheels4]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Lenny,You can tell him that John refered you.Tell him his shop is right behind my house.He will remember me.Take care,Wheels

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

got a call from the mechanic today.. said the boat was in the water for about 20 minutes and had it running and also sitting.. said no leaks.. wanted to know if i had the plug in tight.. said that if the plug was loose and the water got into the bellows that there is a drain hole in the bellows for the water to come out of if it went that far up the boat,, i told him the plug was in tight and that the water was not leaking in from there but from where the metal plate is on the transom,, thats when he said about the bellows.. i dont believe the bellows are that low,, the water was about 2 to three inches away from the bottom of the oil pan,, would the bellows be under that water?? i thought the boots are above the oil pan. the boast still in the shop so i cant tell.. the engine was also trimmed up when we were anchored,, dont know if that matters with the leak.. wouldnt it still leak if the engine was up or down.. let me know what you guys think.. like i said the boat had a lot of water in it,, so even if the drain plug was loose there was no way that much water got into the bilfge. also is it possible that all the water was someone stuck in the bow of the boat from rain and when we were planing off it somehow made it all the way into the bilge? again it was a lot of water,, let me know,, ill call the mech and talk to him again and ask him to put boat back in water and check with engine up.. and see if he actually took it for a ride or just let it sat at the dock,, thanks guys for your input...

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Port Jeff, your comment ".. the engine was also trimmed up when we were anchored,, dont know if that matters with the leak.." makes it sound a lot like a bellows problem, with the drive up the bellows are stretched open and any cracks or tears would let water in, when you lower the drive the bellows get compressed and sometimes seal the cracks up again. Sometimes with the boat our of the water and the drive up you can see them!

 

[Capt Ken]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Is anyone giving odds on it being the shift bellows leaking?

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

capt ken.. you hit it on the head... went to see the mech on sat... said he took the wide pipe(exhaust) off and it was completely sealed.. said he saw some dry rot around the shift cable bellow and is pretty sure it is leaking from there and then it was dripping down making it look like it was the wide pipe leaking.. is changing all the boots and also siad to change the shift cable if the boot was leaking,, also said there was oil in the drive shaft boot, siad he put a pressure test and the selas blew so he is putting in a seal kit, said to change the three boots and the water pickup line is a minimum 4 hours,, thought that was a lil long,, said he has to take the pickup bolts out to get the bell housing off to reach the boot clamps.. siad those bolts sometime are a bi### tio get off. also took off the top of the outdrive and said the bearing is bad so he is replacing that also,, siad he will look at the gimbal bearing also,, said he really couldnt give me a ball park figure ,, any ideas from you guys on what it will run me for all this ????? thanks guyssss...

 

[wheels4]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Outch, port jeff boater Im sorry to hear about all the problems.Maybe you want to buy my boat?New engine about 20 hrs. or so runs great.Everything is new in this boat 21ft.I bought a 66 Chevy II and need to make some room.Good luck ,Wheels

 

[port jeff boater]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

whats the specs on the boat wheels... whatta ya asking... also if i do decide to keep my money soaker which after this bill im sure i will,, wanna be my new boat mechanic?????? i think your not too far... patchogue i believe,, anyway will let you know what the final nt is.. talk to you soon......

 

[lenny2113]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

Hi all!!!<br />This past weekend I finally got my boat back in the water. No more water leak around the drive shaft. <br />The problem was - bad O-ring on the water intake.<br />Lesson learned - replace all mounting gaskets when pulling the drive.<br />Mounting Kit Cost - $5.00 but leaves you without your boat for a nice weekend. <br /> <br />Thanks again for all the input! It's more than appreciated.

 

[wheels4]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

portjeffboater,I would help you out anyway I can.I learned a lot this past spring about boats.I replaced the engine in my (free)boat.Then went through the outdrive replaced waterpump in outdrive,checked gear mesh and gap.I can honestly say Ive had a lot of fun learning.I went to school to be an auto mechanic so working on an I/O is easy.Its the outdrive that I wasnt sure about.Then I ran into Tim and he helped me out a lot.If I can help you I would be more then happy to.Just fair warning Im very busy.Building a garage(break ground sat.),bought race car(to put in garage),gettimg married Oct.6th.,and trying to finish trim work on house,and my buddy called me last night and he blew his head gasket.Good news is he lives in Jort Jeff Sta. so Ill be right down the road.Oh yeah and my girl said I cant sell the boat.My yard is starting to look like sanford and son.If you need help call me my# is 758-1688.Good Luck,Jonny

 

[rbgilson]

Re: HELP!! Water coming into boat from stern

I know this sounds a bit primative but I had the same thing happen to me. The way I found it was I tipped the bow up as far as I could and filled the bilge up with water from the garden hose. It didn't take long to find out where the leak was. My prob was the shift cable boot, when the outdrive was turned one way, it didn't leak. The other way it gushed out. I changed gimble and all bellows,but I saved alot of bait money