water in the boat

[j.cato]

I have a 93 chaparral with 4.3 chevy v-6, Mercrusier Alpha-1 out drive.I have to pump the water out constantly now. It almost sunk one time before i realized i had a problum .Where is all of this water coming from i have observed the engine while running there are no leaks, all plugs are in .I even went so far as to put water in the hull with a hose pipe to look for holes or cracks i found none.

 

[gshldon]

Re: water in the boat

it sounds like you have a ujoint bellows or shift cable bellows that has a rip in it. When was the last time you inspected the bellows or had the drive off. That would be where i would start as i had the same problem last year and it was the ujoint bellows.

Good luck

 

[IVAZ]

Re: water in the boat

How far did you fill the boat with water to check for leaks?
Assuming only the bilge was filled, my guess would also be bellows. There is other possibilities such as Y pipe or transom seal. You also need to check any fittings below the water line.
It really sounds like you need to figure this out before you go back in the water.

 

[j.cato]

Re: water in the boat

That,s a big ten- four. What a terrible time for something like this to happen.I know that if i take it in now my summer is shot.I wonder if i just keep bildgeing every now and then.it will be ok until fall. It wont like sink all of a sudden will it.

 

[gshldon]

Re: water in the boat

If it is the ujoint bellows you are running the risk of running alot more items such as the ujoints and the gimbal bearing to name a few, I would just do it and get it done then you wont have anything to worry about. Did you take the outdrive off last fall before winterizing it? i would take the out drive off and see exactly what you are looking at as far as what is leaking,

It is not that bad of a job, i just did mine and after some trial and error and alot of great help from this site it was easier then i thought it would be,

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: water in the boat

Let me ask you a question: do you boat in salt water or fresh water? If fresh water, then you can get away with only changing the bellows, although I would strongly recommend going ahead and changing the u-joints and gimbal bearing. If salt water, you should DEFINITELY change the u-joints and gimbal bearing.

I did run mine with ripped bellows for a while, but only until I realized what the problem was, as the boat was new to me. Check to see if the bellows are ripped before proceeding, as it may or may not be the issue, but most likely is.

The job itself is not all that difficult for a first timer, just some things that are hard to get. It will only take a weekend of hard work (when I say hard, I mean the removal and reinstallation of outdrive, and old gimbal bearing removal). If you do want to proceed with this, look for a guy on eBay named James Hall, he also has a store on there called Jim's Marine(?). Anyways, his prices are very low, fast shipping, and very easy to work with. He has a kit he will sell that contains all the gaskets and o-rings you need to replace, as well as the u-joints, and you can get the bellows as well, probably all this for under $150. You will also need an alignment tool, which can be $50 w/ shipping.

One last thing I have to recommend, instead of replacing the exhaust bellows with another set of bellows, get the exhaust tube. Installation is a million times easier, and it gives the engine a nice little growl, but audibly it is hardly noticeable.

 

[bamadave]

Re: water in the boat

I find it amusing that someone that it took 2 months to repair his boat (gimbal bearing, bellows, etc.) tell someone it not that difficult.

I also suspect the owner of IBOATS wouldn't appreciate someone here trying to send business elsewhere before suggesting shopping here, after all, they provide this forum (free) for a reason.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: water in the boat

I find it amusing that someone that it took 2 months to repair his boat (gimbal bearing, bellows, etc.) tell someone it not that difficult.

I also suspect the owner of IBOATS wouldn't appreciate someone here trying to send business elsewhere before suggesting shopping here, after all, they provide this forum (free) for a reason.

The only reason it took me two months is because I got maybe two hours every two weeks to work on it. I don't have the luxury of keeping the boat at my house, and with my work schedule I don't have much time to drive back and forth to replace it. All in all, it was about 14 hours for my first time, and that was after messing with the exhaust bellows for a few hours before I decided to get the exhaust tube AND had to wait a week for shipping.

Also, many people have suggested certain users on eBay, so do a little more research and learn your facts before you throw around some accusations.

 

[gshldon]

Re: water in the boat

I would agree with you Shane, this forum is suppose to be to help each other out, and if someone takes longer then you doesnt mean anything. If you cant add anything positive to the post then maybe you should keep your comments to your self.

 

[koberlee]

Re: water in the boat

If you can find the time replace them it will make for a much better and less stressfull summer. You will always be worried about the boat taking on water and it will get worse the more you use the boat.

I did my own bellows last spring and it definately was not an easy or fast job but I was able to get it done in probably around 15 to 20 hours of fumbling and bumbling and chasing special tools. I would change the driveshaft bearing and inspect the u-joints.

The kit i bought from i-boats did include a new drive shaft bearing I just had to find a marina to loan me the slide hammer to remove it. Maybe there is a way to do this without the slide hammer that you can find on here.
Also the trim sensors can be a bugger to set back up but with two people they can be adjusted pretty quick.

I wish I had known about the exhaust tube at the time as my exhaust bellows has slipped of twice and next time it will get replaced next time.

 

[renny1]

Re: water in the boat

I would agree with you Shane, this forum is suppose to be to help each other out, and if someone takes longer then you doesnt mean anything. If you cant add anything positive to the post then maybe you should keep your comments to your self.

well if its any consolation i am in the middle of changing UJ,exhaust and shift change bellows and fitting new trim switch and sender oh and new impellar and i started it in october 2008 hopefully to finish this weekend

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: water in the boat

I feel your pain there. It would have been much easier with the boat at my house, and ample straight time to work on it, but oh well. I got it done. Hopefully you can get it finished and have the boat out again soon, it sucks not being able to go out on the boat. I get sad watching all the other boats drive by when mine was still "out of commission."

 

[Bondo]

Re: water in the boat

That,s a big ten- four. What a terrible time for something like this to happen.I know that if i take it in now my summer is shot.I wonder if i just keep bildgeing every now and then.it will be ok until fall. It wont like sink all of a sudden will it.

Ayuh,....

Also, many people have suggested certain users on eBay, so do a little more research and learn your facts before you throw around some accusations.

Ayuh,.... While that's True to a Point,....
It's the responsibility of All of Us posters to advance the services of our Hosts, iboats, 1st....

Most all links to outside concerns are only because it's Not offered by iboats,... Generally speakin'...

 

[bamadave]

Re: water in the boat

Thank you Bond-o

Shane, accept my apology. I had followed every one of your post and saw your frustration. I was trying to make a point that it can be a difficult task for someone that has never changed out the bellows.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: water in the boat

Ayuh,.... While that's True to a Point,....
It's the responsibility of All of Us posters to advance the services of our Hosts, iboats, 1st....

Most all links to outside concerns are only because it's Not offered by iboats,... Generally speakin'...

Ok, I apologize. The guy I purchased my kit from was very helpful, and had a great price, and I was just sharing information. I will definitely keep this in mind.

Shane, accept my apology. I had followed every one of your post and saw your frustration. I was trying to make a point that it can be a difficult task for someone that has never changed out the bellows.

Hey no problem, I felt like you were trying to be a wise @$$. It was just a misunderstanding, and yes, there was a ton of frustration. But all in all, I understood everything, it was just the small details like getting old gimbal bearing out (royal pita), installing new exhaust bellows w/out the bellows expander (NEVER AGAIN!!!), and trying to put the outdrive on without breaking anything. Anyone who personally knows me will gladly volunteer the information, a common expression that describes me to a tee: "Like a bull in a China shop."

 

[Scarebird]

Re: water in the boat

Just got back from a "test run" myself - 94 Maxum, 4.3 Alpha One. Noted near the end of an earlier run the automatic bilge pump kicked on. Muffed up the unit and warmed it up, then headed for launch. My father and I removed the doghouse earlier, and when sliding the boat in the water, he noticed water skeining in on the lower transom (!).

After stooging around awhile, we pulled it back out and parked it on the steepest section of hill on my yard. Then filled the bilge with water to the starter. This allowed us to find a dime-sized hole in the shift bellows - barely.

Note here is to jack up the bow as much as you can before filling to optimise finding the leak. I will call a friend who runs a repair shop, see what he wants to fix it.