bad exhaust bellow

tm lihou

Cadet
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Messages
24
Just got back from the garage. Bellow inspection shows that the bottom bellow is really cracked. Doesn't look as though water can get in , yet, but it doesn't look good.<br /><br />BTW I have a '95 3.0 L merc with an Alpha 1 Gen 2 outdrive.<br /><br />Anyway, my questions are...is this in fact the exhaust bellow or the main bellow (like I said, it's on the bottom and its the smaller of the two larger bellows).<br /><br />Secondly, how much should I worry about water for the time being? Would a leak here result in my boat filling w/ water? Or am I looking at water enterng the exhaust system of the boat?<br /><br />Can I get by with a crack here, as exhaust will siply escape here, as opposed to where it should be?<br /><br />I'm a newbie when it comes to this sort of thing, so forgive me if these questions seem kind of stupid.<br /><br />Thanks for reading this.
 

John_S

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Messages
4,269
Re: bad exhaust bellow

The bottom is the exhaust. The drive bellows is probably the same age as the exhaust, and in similiar shape. That one can get expensive, if it leaks.
 

tm lihou

Cadet
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Messages
24
Re: bad exhaust bellow

Actually, drive bellow looks very good. I think fellow who owned the boat before me had that one done, as well as the shifter bellow, because both have no cracks.<br /><br />Should I worry about a cracked exhaust bellow?
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: bad exhaust bellow

It's very common to replace the ujoint bellows and not the others. The shift cable bellows don't fail very often, but when the do they allow water to get into the bilge. The ujoint bellows is the one that gets expensive when it goes bad. Water in the gimbal bearing, water in the ujoints, water in the drive. The exhaust bellows is full of water any time the boat is in the water, if it fall off the boat it won't hurt anything. Might make the transom dirty, and make the boat a little louder, might even get some bubbles around the prop, but nothing major.
 

tm lihou

Cadet
Joined
Mar 27, 2006
Messages
24
Re: bad exhaust bellow

Whew!<br /><br />Thanks guys. You just saved me a few hundred bucks. I'll likely replace the exhaust bellow in time, but it's not the priority I was fearing.<br /><br />I appreciate your quick advice.
 
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