1983 40hp Merc -water jacket leaking by upper plug

[davebad22]

I took my boat out on it's maiden voyage, just on a canal and at relatively low speeds most of the time. Halfway through the trip I noticed the motor was getting a little warm and wasn't running very well. I checked it out at home and notice water coming out around the upper spark plug hole. There was water coming out of the tell tale hole.
I've read a lot about the design of the water jacket cover and the fact that there are no bolts in the area surrounding the spark plugs, only around the perimeter. I am looking for the best solution to get a good seal before I put it back together. I know the gasket normally is put on dry but it seems in this case it might need a little help (as do I). Considering things like using some type of liquid gasket or sealant. Using 2 gaskets? s# 6140863

Any help appreciated, Dave

 

[Laddies]

Re: 1983 40hp Merc -water jacket leaking by upper plug

Use only 1 gasket, make sure the area around the plug is abuout .010 high with a straight edge. I use a little loctite 514 on both sides of the gasket around the plug holes but you could use almost anything but RTV sealant

 

[davebad22]

Re: 1983 40hp Merc -water jacket leaking by upper plug

Thanks, will try loctite 514 but first need to look a little more at the cover. Seems to have some warp to it. I looked online for replacement just in case but many sites list the cover as "no longer available". Any good sources?

motor serial # 6140863
1983 merc 40 hp