D.I.Y. Bellows Replacement

[Old Vet]

"Please let me know if you find the leak. Thanks Don."

I will Don. And it's not a matter of "if"....but when. The search must continue for sure....I can't allow that amount of water to continue to enter the boat.

For now...it still remains a mystery that I have till next spring to solve. :smt021 :smt013

 

[Gunn]

Thanks Tom

I tried to access that link you provided and got a message saying I did not have permission to access that page. WTF??? How does one get permission?

Sorry, that was in the Tech Forum...here is the same thread in the Engines/Outdrives forum:

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9066

I guess I should have said that while you're not required to have the bellows expander tool, it is one of those well worth the cost for it's unique ability, IMO.

Tom

 

[JohnGordon]

Old Vet,

I have been meaning to relay some information about your leak since it sounds similar to mine. We seem to be in the same boat, and not just the same model and year Since we got our boat Labor Day weekend I have been chasing a leak. The boat we bought has been owned by my brother-in-law for over twenty years, always trailered, stored inside, probably has never sat in the water for more than a week, always fresh water, less than 400 hours, hasn't been in the water for over three years(just pulled it out in the spring to summerize it and then again in the fall to winterize it. Here is what I have found so far:

1. The oil/power steering cooler was split and leaking water. This either corroded or had some water left in it from last year, froze and split.
2. The hot water heater is long gone and the hoses were joined to make a loop. These hoses started to rot and leaked.
3. I had to tighten the trim hoses on the manifold under the gimbal ring. The Mercathode block attached to the bottom of the manifold should have been sealed with an o-ring. I don't know if the PO pulled this and put it back, but there was just silicone where the o-ring goes. In order to put the o-ring back in you either need to pull the Mercathode wires all the way from the control box on the side of the engine and then back up(the wires go through the o-ring); or splice an o-ring, which is what I did.
4. The Garboard plug was loose and I am sure this was leaking quite a bit. I pulled this, which was a major pain because the factory put a steel nut on the ground screw. I ended up drilling the screw head, pushing it into the bilge and back out the plug hole so I could deal with the nut and ground wire. Anyway, sealed the plug and screws with 5200.
5. During my winterizing I found out that the lower circulation pump(water pump) hose was loose. Not sure why this was, perhaps from a previous winterizing.

Well, that is all I have up to this point. I still need to pull the out drive and check the bellows, but from what I can see they are in good shape.

John
1987 268, 454 Mag, Alpha 1

 

[Old Vet]

Thanks for the info John.

I'm afraid my search has been suspended now until spring. The boat is in my yard and covered for the coming winter.

All though I'm having a little trouble envisioning how so much water can get through and into the bilge as a result of what appears to be a couple of splits in my u-joint bellows....I have to take the word of so many here who claim that it can and will happen.

I must say I was a little surprised (pleasantly) at how clean...(greasy/well lubed)....but clean the inside of my bellows is. No water....no milky sludge...no rust on anything anywhere. And at how tight and well lubed the u-joints are...and how good the gimbel bearing feels.

But that's going to be my first area to attack in the spring once the boat is again uncovered....and before the outdrive goes back on.

Thankfully my transon is solid, clean and dry...appearing to be in great shape.

Once the bellows have been replaced and the outdrive is back on, I guess I'll have to run it and search everywhere in the engine compartment so see if I can find any water leaking from anywhere else before I throw her back in the water.

But thanks for the info...I'll keep it all in mind once the search begins anew.

Good luck with yours too.