leak around raw water pump, HELP?? ?
 

Man, when it rains it pours!! I got the impeller changed, then fixed the alternator that got fried when boat took on water. I THOUGHT I had fixed leak, WRONG! I now have a leak around the inlet for the raw water pump. I checked the hose, the gear clamps, the gasket between the "elbow" and they are all dry, the leak appears to be "furthur back" down inside the drive somewhere? It only leaks while the boat is sitting (transom is subnerged) its not bad while underway. I am thinking of just trying to seal up the leak with silicone, any other ideas??

The marina I spoke to said it was a BIG job ($$$) to tear it apart and fix it, the boat sits on a lift in a boathousr, so, its OK there, but, wiuld like to anchor and not have the boat fill with water. I do have a bilge pump and float switch, but, if they ever failed I would be in a world of hurt.

Guys I am at wits end with this thing and would appreciate ANY and ALL input appreciated! THANKS!

Nivhael

Sounds like its the bellow !!:eek:

Bellows is a new one, I have had a couple of people tell me its the drive seal, and/or the gimbal seal, either way, I have been told it wouldn't hurt anything (short term) what about trying to seal it up? It doesn't pour or spray in, its just a small trickle, but, over several hours it adds up. I have the boat high and dry now, so,I a. Thinking of trying to silicone it up tommorow, It can't make it leak any worse, just gonna be a nitemare to get to!

Any way to confirm and/or fix the bellows? Thanks for the input!

Michael

What kind of drive is it? I would doubt it is the transom seal. Could be the shift boot if it is a alpha or bravo, or they could have messed up the bellows and have a leak, it does happen.

There is really only three places an outdrive can leak, the drive shaft bellows, shift cable bellows, or the seal on the upper swivel shaft bolt.

I have had a couple of people suggest the swivel pin, its a closed loop cooled 454EFI with a Bravo 1 drive, as I said, it appears to be leaking around the inlet for the raw water pump, I checked the drive oil today and there is NO water in it. Any Thoughts? Thanks for the Replies guys!

My bet is the swivel shaft bolt . have seen this lots of times the bolt starts to rust and the seal starts to leak . A 5 cent seal a 3 hundred dollar bolt and a big pain in the ass to change. I have a freind that makes these bolts out of stainless , no more rust no more leaks. Just my .02 good luck Jeff

Hey Jeff

I have had a couple of people say that was the problem, around 2K to fix it, so, I am gonna try and silicone it up and get the summer out of it, hopefully it works?

I did notice some play "side to side" in the outdrive, I have heard this is an indication of pin wear

Foes your friend sell these pins/kis? Sounds like something I would be interested in buying, Thanks A Lot for all the help Jeff, and all other members as well!

Michael

The one BIG down side is that if the hole that was cut in the boat for the drive was not properly sealed up when new, It will soak into the treansom wood and make an even bigger expense !!!!!!!! several thou to fix a transom !!!!!! I dont think you can seal up a leaking swivel pin seal with RTV !!

RTV will not work because the pin moves every time you turn the boat. Like speedreeder said if this water gets into your transom you will be bumming WAY worse.

I dont think it was the hole that was cut for the drive, it didn't leak before, and it seems to be leaking in "beside" the raw water hose, but, not from the hose/elbow itself.

I hadn't planned on trying to seal up the actual swivel pin seal, just the cavity where the raw water pump passes through and the water is actually leaking in.

It only leaks if the boat sits in the water for extended amounts of time, I dont leave the boat in the water overnite, and as soon as I pull the boat out at the end of the day I pull the plug and drain everything that might be in the bilge, or I keep in on a lift in a neihbours boathouse, so, its not taking on alot of water. I am gonna crawl inside and make sure everything is tight and sealed up, but, will probably just nurse it through until the fall and then have a new transom assembly put on, or, just fix the swivel pin/seal if everything else looks OK

There IS a fair amount of side to side play in the outdrive, so, I have had serveral people tell me that this is a good indication of the swivel pin being shot?.

Its a pretty pricey job to fix, so, I want to make sure thats what it is BEFORE I fix/replace it. Thanks for all the input!

Michael

I hope u don't loose it going @50 MPH ,,,deadly !!!!!!!!!!

Your not running your car with a broken steering ,,,do ya???????:party-smiley-004:

No, I have been limiting that kind of stuff, mainly just cruising at part throttle and NO sharp turns or anything, I am gonna check the other steering components this weekend and make sure there is NOTHING else that is loose, I am not a real "Throttle Pounder" or anything, I go for the odd short blast [10-20 seconds] in a straight line, but, its mostly mid throttle cruising.

I HAVE to fix the leak anyway, but, was curious?, would external steering fix the problem?, of would I still have to fix all the stuff anyway?, again, just curious, have heard alot of positive things about hydraulic steering

Thanks!
Michael

You would still need to fix it yes but the steering would make all those parts last a lot longer once you replace them.

What He Said !!

Great!, Thats something I might look at, I dont think I would need hydraulic steering all the way to the helm?, would single ram be OK or do you need double? any input regards this steering set up would be greatly appreciated!

I am also considering changing to a new transom assembly, instead of just tearing my existing one off and having it rebuilt, its already got a "kit" in it, so, if its gonna cost a big chunk to rebuild would I be better off just replacing it?

Any thoughts welcomed and appreciated!
Michael

Any input on the steering/transom question?? I have heard that the Bravo XR drive takes a different [HP] gimble than the regular Bravo does?, is this true?, eventually I would like to repower with either a stock 500/525 EFI or a
496/Raylar, would a Bravo 1X drive work better, or should I go with the XR? I need to rebuild/replace the gimble assembly anyway, so, I would like to do it right, not twice,

THANKS!
Michael