Inboard 2011 4.3 Merc

[kbryant]

Hi
I have a 2011 Tahoe Q5i with inboard 4.3 Merc.
Having a problem when the motor is up when it’s in the water it leaks inside the boat and the bilge needs to turned on. When the motor is down it doesn’t leak. Any ideas? I can’t figure it out. Thank you for your time.

 

[southkogs]

Did you check the bellows?

 

[Scott Danforth]

most likely bellows, and since its leaking, most likely need new u-joints and input shaft seal

 

[kbryant]

I did not check them. This is the first inboard I’ve owned. Is this something I could fix without bringing in?

 

[Scott06]

I did not check them. This is the first inboard I’ve owned. Is this something I could fix without bringing in?

depends on how handy you are. If you are an experienced home/shade tree mechanic absolutely. if you get a factory manual for the outdrive (Manual Number 14) you can see what is involved.

 

[kbryant]

Thank you for your help on this. I just looked and I don’t see any cracks in the bellows. So I’m not sure why it’s leaking in the up position. Any other ideas?

 

[Scott06]

Thank you for your help on this. I just looked and I don’t see any cracks in the bellows. So I’m not sure why it’s leaking in the up position. Any other ideas?

did you look at the shift bellows too? My driveshaft bellows were just starting to split on edges where it rubs against the gimbal ring by swivel pins could barely see it

 

[kbryant]

Hello
I don’t see any cracks in any of the bellows. They look like in good shape from what I can see. Any thoughts would be appreciated. It’s frustrating.

 

[Scott06]

Hello
I don’t see any cracks in any of the bellows. They look like in good shape from what I can see. Any thoughts would be appreciated. It’s frustrating.

is transom housing loose? When you say it leaks with drive in one position and not another that points to bellows.

Where is the water coming in the engine compartment maybe get a scope camera to see exactly where on transom it is coming in.

 

[kbryant]

I can see it dripping at the bottom part of the drive where it comes into the boat and it drips into the bilge area. It most be a bellow. I may not be able to see a crack.

 

[Scott Danforth]

The drive is supposed to come off every year for bellows, gimbal bearing and u-joint inspection along with checking alignment

I would pull the drive

 

[kbryant]

Ok
I found a crack. It’s on the cable shift bellow. Do I need to pull the drive off to fix that? Is there a way to temporarily patch that thing.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Ok
I found a crack. It’s on the cable shift bellow. Do I need to pull the drive off to fix that? Is there a way to temporarily patch that thing.

Yes, the drive must come off

No, you can't patch

 

[kbryant]

Thank you so much for your help. I will try and figure out how to pull off the drive and get this baby fixed.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Thank you so much for your help. I will try and figure out how to pull off the drive and get this baby fixed.

Videos in the sticky at top of the forums

 

[Scott06]

do yourself a favor and get a factory merc manual for the outdrive ( manual 14). get an oem merc bellows kit ( i think its called transom repair kit) and do all the bellows and completely reseal the transom.
if you are reasonably handy the manual outlines how to replace all the seals and any special tools needed.

 

[H20Rat]

Pulling the drive is literally 5 minutes if you have done it. Maybe 15 minutes if you follow a video. (getting it back on, on the other hand... that can either be 5 minutes, or 30 as you fight a greasy pig)

 

[kbryant]

Thank you everyone.

 

[kbryant]

I will look for a video and see if I can tackle this baby

 

[kbryant]

Pulling the drive is literally 5 minutes if you have done it. Maybe 15 minutes if you follow a video. (getting it back on, on the other hand... that can either be 5 minutes, or 30 as you fight a greasy pig)

Ok
Maybe my last question, I looked at the drive and looks like I can pull that off myself. 6 bolts and the bolt for the trim rod. My question, after I get off the drive will I be able to replace the bellows without taking anything else off? Did the stern drive just need to come off? It’s a Alpha 1. Again, I can thank everyone enough for your help.