OMC 4.3 Cobra slow Drip from hose

[Seaswirl89]

Dewinterized the boat the other day and there were a few small drips from where the hoses connect into the motor while the boat was running. I tightened up the hose clamps and got ride of them except for one drip every 8-10 seconds on the lower end of the large hot water hose.

I’ve tried pulling it off multiple times and checked the hose and where the hose connects to the motor. I’ve tried tightening the hose clamp in different spot but no luck getting ride of the slow drip.

Is this somewhat normal on these older boats? My 89’ 4.3 OMC is original and so are the hoses but the hoses look to be good

 

[Seaswirl89]

Bump any thoughts?

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... It shouldn't leak,.....

Ya might sand the nipple abit to smooth it,....
Is the clamp in good shape,..??
Maybe smear the area with form a gasket #3,....

 

[Seaswirl89]

Ayuh,.... It shouldn't leak,.....

Ya might sand the nipple abit to smooth it,....
Is the clamp in good shape,..??
Maybe smear the area with form a gasket #3,....

It is pretty rough because of the rust build up over man years. I’ll give your suggestions a shot, thanks!

Any concern with the gasket #3 getting into the motor? I don’t plan on using too much

 

[Bondo]

It is pretty rough because of the rust build up over man years. I’ll give your suggestions a shot, thanks!

Any concern with the gasket #3 getting into the motor? I don’t plan on using too much

Nope,..... I use it all the time, on many, Many things,....

 

[Lou C]

You probably have rust n crud built up on the flange the hose fits onto. Common on raw water cooled engines with cast iron flanges. Remove the hose (may have to use hose removal picks) sand the flange smooth. I coat them with a bit of grease (marine grease or OMC triple guard which is probably the most water proof) to keep them from rusting and use a small socket instead of a screwdriver to get the clamp really tight. They should not leak there isn’t much pressure in a raw water cooled system like there is in a closed system. A tip: make sure the clamps on the small hose that goes from the transom mount to the P/S cooler behind the engine are tight. If not the volume of water flow generated by the impeller in the lower unit can pop that hose off on a minute & fill the bilge with seawater. Happened to me!

 

[Lou C]

Also;
Use a mirror & flashlight to check where that drip is coming from for sure…when the bearing starts to go on those circulating pumps the leak or make noise or both…easy to replace in on my 2nd replacement (salt water) must use a marine pump in raw water applications…

 

[Seaswirl89]

Thanks all. I sanded down the flange, used two hose clams tighten with a socket and it seem to have worked