Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

[matt2807]

Hi All,

We have a 4.3l carb model with an Alpha 1 Drive serial OL277412

I have noticed a leak coming from the bottom of the front of the engine right near the bottom pulley. I will be inspecting further to see if the leak is actually coming from the pulley but just wondered if there is a common problem that this could be? Is the bottom pulley the waterpump? The drip gets worse as you increase the RPM. The engine is running at normal Temperature. The boat has always been winterized and summerized at a merc dealer at considerable expense. We have only used it for approx 2 hours since summerization.

Second question - should there always be .5 inch of water in the bilge?

Many thanks,

Matt

 

[matt2807]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

Forgot to say thats the transom s/n, the engine is OL125398 - Its a Mercruiser

 

[arks]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

Your water pump seal is going. Fix it before it gets worse and sprays water all over the bilge. If you've ever changed a car water pump then it'll be no big deal for you.

A little bilge water is normal if you enjoy watersports and wet people regularly board the boat. Remove it within a week or two to prevent odor.

 

[Don S]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

If you have a leak on your engine, we need to know your engine serial number. The numbers you have listed is for the transom shield and drive, not engine.

The bottom pulley is the crankshaft (No water there), the one just above it is the engine circulation pump (aka water pump in automotive)

 

[matt2807]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

Re: Water Drip from Pulley

If you have a leak on your engine, we need to know your engine serial number. The numbers you have listed is for the transom shield and drive, not engine.

The bottom pulley is the crankshaft (No water there), the one just above it is the engine circulation pump (aka water pump in automotive)

Engine SN - 0L074717

Thanks Don

 

[matt2807]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

So,

Took some pics with the digital cam from underneath, seems like the water is coming out of a hole on the waterpump. I am guessing that this means it needs a new one - question is can I wait until the end of the summer and still use it for the 2 hours a week that we usually do?

We do not have a trailer and I dont fancy attempting this on the water for the first time - if i could get it into the garage it would be a different story.

How much would the merc mechanics charge - its on a regal 2100

Matt

 

[Wotknot]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

So,

Took some pics with the digital cam from underneath, seems like the water is coming out of a hole on the waterpump. I am guessing that this means it needs a new one - question is can I wait until the end of the summer and still use it for the 2 hours a week that we usually do?

We do not have a trailer and I dont fancy attempting this on the water for the first time - if i could get it into the garage it would be a different story.

How much would the merc mechanics charge - its on a regal 2100

Matt

Only if you want to live dangerously and take a risk of burning your engine up. Not to mention getting stranded and hopefully getting towed back in. It's not a question of if it's gonna fail, but when.

 

[matt2807]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

Extra pic

 

[matt2807]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

Only if you want to live dangerously and take a risk of buring your engine up. Not to mention getting stranded and hopefully getting towed back in. It's not a question of if it's gonna fail, but when.

I thought the circulators function was for cooling at low speed and idle?

 

[Don S]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

That is the engine circulation pump. The seals and probably the bushings are bad. Time to change the pump.

It's purpose is to circulate coolant thru the engine any time the thermostat is open.

 

[matt2807]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

That is the engine circulation pump. The seals and probably the bushings are bad. Time to change the pump.

It's purpose is to circulate coolant thru the engine any time the thermostat is open.

Thanks for the help.

Do you have a link to an online manual for this job? It may turn into next weekends project.

Matt

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

We do not have a trailer and I dont fancy attempting this on the water for the first time - if i could get it into the garage it would be a different story.
Water pump is a piece of cake. Don't sweat it.

How much would the merc mechanics charge - its on a regal 2100
Dont do that!

 

[Lou C]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

I wouldn't take a chance running it like that, it's not a hard job as long as you can get all the bolts out, like changing a water pump on an old school Chevy except without the radiatior in the middle of your way.....

 

[Fireman431]

Re: Water Drip from Pulley - PICS INCLUDED

That hole in the water pump is a weep hole. It's designed to be there. Your seal is going and the bearings are soon to follow. Bearings usually don't get along well with water, especially if you aren't using it much. That's more time that the bearing is allowed to sit idle in water = rust. For a person with average mechanical skill, you're probably looking at an hour or so for the water pump. Make sure you get all of the old gasket material off for a leak proof seal.