I think I discovered a leak,any ideas?

[ProfitOfDoom]

This boat is new to me this season and I was worried when I put it in the water that it would leak but it was good,put it in and pulled it to the dock and it sat for 5 days and was dry as a bone.
Now its been in a little over a month and notice there is some water in the bildge. I seen some before but that was after heavy rains so didnt think much of it. So its been rain free here for about a week and still notice some water. It isnt much,I mean at the worst I flip on the bildge switch and it will take about 10seconds to gather it and push it up and out the side then it will pump out for around 15-20 seconds then its done,and thats after it sitting for about 3 days.
So then I thought maybe the water is the water that is left over in the bildge hose then runs back in the boat after I shut it off,So I went down yesterday with my shop vac and sucked up any water I could see to make sure it was dry.
I went up about 24 hours later and there is small amount of water down there,Its not even enough to be pumped out by the bildge pump but there is water where there wasnt any,and there was no rain.
So im guessing there should be zero water down there and this is not normal?
Im guessing its not the bellows because I didnt take it out "I did start it up and idle for a few minutes so I guess its a possibility?"
When I put in the drain plug I put a thin wrap "maybe went arounf the threads twice if that" of teflon tape so im guessing that wouldnt be that either.
I guess the only thing left is the outdrive,could it be leaking around where it is mounted to the transom on the outside?
Im thinking its not any bellows wouldnt I have more water in the boat why im underway then just sitting?
I started it and got in there and looked at hoses and all around the general area of the engine compartment and couldnt see anything dripping or leaking.
If anyone has a idea of what it could be let me know where and how to check it further,Thanks

 

[Quint4]

some possibilities:
- u joint bellows
- shift cable bellows
- trim sender wires
- swivel shaft seal
- water hose from outdrive
- speedometer tube
- A/C drain to bilge? mine does.
- trim tab penetrations
- freshwater system leaking?
- water pump on motor leaking?
- power steering cooler leaking?

 

[jpk33]

Add to that list any sink drains that may be loose, water from washing/rinsing (inside the cockpit & outside) bildge air vents and draining/leaking coolers in cockpit.

 

[Nacho Boat]

Many possibilities. Are you keeping it in fresh or salt water?

The first step is to figure out if it is rain water, sea water or water from inside the boat. That will narrow down the possibilities.

 

[Quint4]

He said he eliminated rainwater as the cause.

 

[ProfitOfDoom]

The room between the back of the engine and transom is very small,is there a way to test to see what area its coming from?
I dont have A/C. There is a fridge that is on,But there is no drain hose,as far as I know it doesnt need to leak condensation and if it does Im pretty sure the engine room is separate from the rest of the boat and that goes with the sink hoses as well.
Water hoses and water pump seem not to leak,I started it and looked at every hose I could see and didnt see any leaks.
Power steering cooler,Im not even sure what that is,where would I find that?
The speedo hose,could be but I noticed today its pretty acurate with the gps,so I would think if there was a leak it wouldnt work very good?
So I just got back from the longest trip I ever took on the boat,It was a 2 and a half hour round trip "we went and seen the tall ships in downtown cleveland OH. Very cool! "
But when we got back I opened the engine hatch and there was no added water just the same coating of water on the floor as when I left. I tried the bildge and its not even enough to suck up.
Maybe this info will help narrow it down? It was a good ride untill the carb starting acting up again,see new post

 

[Firerooster]

Look over the top of the motor at the top of the drive assembly. Is it dry? There is a small ring seal in the upper portion of the drive assembly that will leak over time. It is a small amount and will not be enough to be of any concern. The motor has to be pulled in order to fix it properly. Not a concern to fix it until the motor needs to come out for some reason.

 

[themikehyde]

I have noticed on my 280DA, there seems to be an occassional drop coming in from the drain plug. Two weeks ago I pulled it out to check the plug. It was tight, but I replaced both drain plugs with new ones, and even used 3 wraps of teflon tape. I am still getting that seepage. I towel the bilge out with a paper towel, and in about an hour, I have a little over a teaspoon full. This may be being picky, but it is starting to concern me. It really seems to be coming in the drain plug hole. Has anyone had to remove the drain plug fitting and reseal it?

Mike

 

[Quint4]

It is sometimes necessary to remove the drain plug flange , clean the area, and re-bed with 3M 4200. It may have a ground wire attached on the bilge side for the mercathode system (anti-corrosion), be sure to re-attach it.

 

[duckmnn]

I ran out of teflon tape the last trip out.Installed plug went out for river cruise.About 8miles round trip.When I pulled my plug the boat drained for 5-6 minutes straight.There will be no more trips with out teflon tape on plug.I guess that plug isn;t tappered like pipe fittings.Even though it had that much water in bilge(not really sure how much)the auto bilge never kicked on.

 

[quality time]

Another thing to look at is if your engine compartment has a false floor. If there is a crack in the sump area gel coat, the area under the false floor (most likely filled with foam) will accumulate water. This explains why you can dry it out and it comes back. Eventually it will all drain, until it rains and then fills up again...

 

[87cc]

I never use any teflon tape on my drain plug. I might have a few drops of water come out when it's back on the trailer but that's about it :smt001

 

[Firerooster]

Seriously.....look over the top of the motor and put your hand, fingers on the metal surface just below the inner gimbal ring. There is a flat surface right there that extends into the transom itself. There is a small flat acuator arm that moves back and forth. The seal ring on the pivot that arm connects to will begin to dry out and leak a few drops a minute. It is not a real big issue as long as your bilge pump operates correctly. But the next time you pull your drive. ( yearly service it should be done every year) then the seal ring will need to be replaced. But anyway, the flat surface under the gimbal will be wet. It is actually hard to see the water there.