Bit of water splattering under belt

[MExcelsior]

Hello Folks,

I have a bit of water that seems to be splattering under the belt. In fact, it is not much at all, but just wanted to validate that this is probably normal. Please see the following picture.

 

[Air O'Nautical]

Water pump? Fairly easy to check..

The top pully in the pic with the four bolts, is your water circulating pump (water pump).
It will (should?) have a weep hole under the center shaft. That is there to tell you the bearing is worn and the pump needs replacing. You will need to loosen the belt, remove the four bolts and pull the pully off to see this (just tap it with the hammer handle). It might show as a rusty trail where the water was weeping out.

Replacing the pump at this point is normally just four bolts holding it into the block and two hose clamps to deal with.
New pump, gaskets, perfect seal, done for around $150.

3-4 beer job at best if you drink fast.

Or, could be something else..

Best,

 

[dpmulvey]

Agree w/ Mark. Could it be the RWC pump? I don't see anything that looks like coolant in the spots.

 

[PMC]

its the early stages of a leak, good to know some people lift the hatch - LOL

Agree w/ Mark. Could it be the RWC pump? I don't see anything that looks like coolant in the spots.

Really tough to say if that is coolant or sea water. It is such a little amount, all its doing is washing the dirt from the belt. I agree, remove the pulley and look for leaks out the weep hole. No parts need to be replaced to inspect.


If you bring the engine up to speed at the dock, you may find a hose leak?

 

[Lake-Inator]

I just replaced my water distribution housing last week for a similar symptom. The plug had been overtightened, cracked and epoxyed by the PO. The small crack on the bottom was not visible from above and was allowing a small amount of water into the bilge. I have read that the black to grey joint will fail as well. Could be spraying a little water onto the belts while underway. Anyway, it is something to check. Nice clean bilge otherwise!

Hope it works out

 

[MExcelsior]

You guys are simply ALL THE BEST. Thanks and I'll repost immediately after I inspect.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[mistercomputerman]

Normal = no

 

[SeaRide]

As others have said, have a look at the water circulating pump. I replaced mine years ago. If you have a mechanic's mirror hold it under the pump while the engine is at idle or bump it up to 1,000 RPM. You will most likely see a steady drip coming from the weep hole, indicating bearing wear.

 

[JimG]

I'm thinking weep hole also...

(I wish I had that much room on the belt end of my engines! :smt021)

 

[Mike Blake]

I'm thinking weep hole also...

(I wish I had that much room on the belt end of my engines! :smt021)

You can get a small mirror and look under the pump pulley while it's running. That's how I used to do it on cars.

 

[fwebster]

You are in Iowa in freshwater. You get a lot of temperature differential there so I'm betting you have a hose clamp that needs tightening where the constant expansion and contraction has cause a little seep around a hose. Don't over-repair this until you eliminate the more probable and easier to fix causes.

 

[MExcelsior]

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that it was the pump seals that slowly were going. In fact, the only thing keeping the shaft in was the belt. Removed belt and shaft came out! Thanks, Mike