Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

[Atropine]

Hey everyone, I am leaking water into my boat (1994 Bayliner with Chevy 350 and Mercury AlphaOne stern drive). I took it out to the lake yesterday and pulled it off the trailer, started the motor up and drove over to the dock. Shut off the motor and opened up the engine hatch. What greetd me was the pleasant sound of water trickling into my boat at a large rate of speed. After a few minutes I turned on the bilge, and it was able to keep up with the amount of water inflow, but just barely. I can pretty clearly see where the leak is coming fom, but I don't know why it is leaking here. Here are 2 pics of the site where it is leaking in.<br /><br />

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<br /><br />I went to West Marine and bought a Clymer repair manual. I have searched through the book, and I read the entire chapter on cooling systems. My boat appears to be leaking water from around the driveshaft--where the driveshaft enters what I think is the "engine coupler". I assume there must be some type of seal at this point, and that the seal is shot. In the first pic (from a top view), the driveshaft is marked with an arrow, and the "coupler" is marked with a red x. In the second pic (from a side view), again the driveshaft is marked with an arrow, the coupler with an x, and the water intake hose (which continues on around front to the water circulating pump) is marked with a blue circle. You can clearly see that the water hose is above the driveshaft. The water is definitely not leaking from this hose at any point. It is leaking around the coupler/driveshaft interface, and is being directed from the engine side of this interface. I don't think this driveshaft is "cooled" by lake water, and I have no idea why water would be leaking from the engine side of this coupler. Any ideas?

 

[Walt T]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Bellows. Raise the drive and look under it. Two rubber bellows. The upper one is leaking.

 

[flashback]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

seems to me your leak is coming from the driveshaft bellows. with the boat on the trailer, lower the drive down to running position and turn it all the way to the left or right, this will give you limited access to the bellows. inspect them very closely all over for cracks or tears. if you should find them to be bad you will need to replace the bellows promptly so as to save your gimbal bearing from rusting up.. some of the pros on this site can help you with the procedure....good luck.......

 

[Bondo]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

How Cold has it Been in San Antone ???????<br /><br />Normally there is NO Water on that side of the Coupler......<br />There Are a couple of Frost Plugs in behind the Flywheel.....<br />Are You Absolutley Sure it's Not coming from the Hose, or the Outdriveside ????????<br />Water will Sometimes Spray a fine stream,+ Look like it's coming from somewhere Else.....

 

[Atropine]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. I was pretty sure that the leak was coming form the engine side, but after reading more and searching prior posts on this board, it must be coming in through the driveshaft bellows. Both of the bellows (the exhaust and driveshaft) are somewhat cracked, but I couldn't tell you that there is a definite tear in either one. There must be, though. I put my hand down there (the engine was off)and was pretty sure that I could feel the direction of water flow being directed from the engine side. I guess there is a chance that water was flowing from the bellows side, along the surface of the driveshaft, then striking the coupler and reflecting back toward my fingers. So, I will do some more searching and reading about this, but how tough is it to replace all these bellows?

 

[mercrewser]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Real tough. Even the MerCruiser manual recommends sending it to a Merc dealer. Believe me, it is WELL worth the cost. There are special tools involved as well as the proper adhesive. If you do it wrong your boat could sink. They will replace all bellows while its apart. (Cooling, shift, exhaust, and drive shaft). I spent $800.00 four years ago. I didnt even consider the DIY alternative, even if it was more. Remember to have them lube the U-joints etc. and what ever other maint. your manual says to do.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Yep,<br />And Have them Install a New Lower Shift Cable, while it's Apart.....

 

[Atropine]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Thanks everyone. I called a few places around town just now; I got a listing of Mercruiser dealers from their website; The first place quoted me 1200-1600 including parts. The second place quoted me 200 labor plus parts, the third place quoted me @550 if he only had to replace the bellows and the gimbal bearing. What do you think?

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

The labor should be 2-400$ depending on how much you let them do.I would do the shift cable which also has a bellows,main and exhaust bellows,gimbal bearing.1200 sounds very expensive,200 plus parts sounds right and reasonable.Charlie

 

[bluewater19]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Buy all the parts yourself through this site or overtons or westmarine then take it to the $200.00 guy if you really want to do it on the cheap.The mark up on marine parts is pretty high.

 

[Atropine]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

The Clymer manual tells me that the earlier Alpha 1's came with an exhaust bellows, but that they were replaced on later Alpha 1 models with an "exhaust tube". It says that the bellows tended to expand and would hit the driveshaft bellows, causing it to rub against the u-joints and fail prematurely. It recommended replacing the exhaust bellows with an exhaust tube, and even gives the part # for the replacement tube. Do you guys agree with this plan?

 

[outboardguy]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

I agree with the bellows probably being bad. But looking at your first picture makes me think that maybe your Y-pipe has a hole in it.If you look to the right of your white arrow it looks like a hole unless it's just dirt.The exhaust flappers were metal coated with rubber,after being run hot a few times the rubber will melt off.Then the metal flapper will be left,makes one hell of a racket.Sooner or later the flapper will break and send pieces down the Y-pipe where they get lodged and end up digging a hole through the exhaust,Instant leak. Anyway that is my.02 worth.

 

[Atropine]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

I went out and did some more extensive looking last night. I moved the stern drive up and down, right and left, and inspected the 3 bellows. The bottom one (exhaust) and the shift cable one are both starting to look rotted but no clear rips anywhere. The top one (driveshaft bellows) actually looks GREAT! It is not nearly as bad looking as the other 2. Now, it is certainly possible that there is a tear on top or just somewhere I couldn't see, but it makes me wonder if I haven't got a leak somewhere else.... The temp here in SA has reached the 32 degree mark a couple times, but the boat has been inside the garage at my house where the temp has not approached the freezing mark. The engine still runs great, so I really doubt a crack in the engine anywhere... Plus the leak is occurring with the motor off....

 

[Bondo]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Remove 8 Nuts,+ Pull the Outdrive......<br />That'll Either Confirm, or Exclude that....

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

hello<br /> yep what bondo says. only remember to shift into fwd gear first. if you find water in the bellows then you will also need to dissasemble and inspect the u-joints and the input yoke on the upper housing oil seal surface. water in the bellows always rusts them. then they leak all the drive oil into the bellows then the drive grenades and your not happy. be careful buying parts and taking them to a shop. most shops wont install parts they did not supply. 200 is to low.<br /> a shop must charge 45-75 per hour for labor and you cant do shift exhaust gimbal bearing shaft alignment and catch up on the other maint in 4 hours. I doubt its going to take less than 7-8 hours.<br /> good luck and keep posting

 

[johnkc]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

i am with outboard guy,look in the first pic at the top of the ex. y pipe by the arrow, looks like the flapper pin wore a hole in the pipe from the inside out.

 

[mercrewser]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

I couldnt agree with Rodbolt's post more. If you have water in the bellows, the upper drive seal is going to need attention. Take it to the dealer and have them service it and also install a remote outdrive gearoil resevoir if you dont already have one. I wouldnt mess around to much with this kind of stuff unless you have a good knowledge of Merc drives. If its a hole in y pipe, they gotta pull the motor. Make sure that you have certified guys on this so they dont make a me$$. (Do what rodbolt said)

 

[outboardguy]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

Thanks johnkc I'm glad someone else see's what I see

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

hello<br /> if that is a hole in the y pipe just back it overboard and fire that moter up. when all the smoke and bubbles clear you will know whether or not its a hole in the y pipe. f its a hole there,you still get to pull the drive. see where we are leading with this?. so as an aid you can run it in the water while spraying fogging oil in the air horn and see if smoke comes out the hole.<br /> good luck and keep posting

 

[Atropine]

Re: Help with my H2O leak please!!!!!!

I think outbaord guy and johnkc are on to something...<br /><br />here is a closer pic of the y-pipe I just took...<br /><br />

<br /><br />and here is a pic of the exhaust bellows<br /><br />

<br /><br />I can't see this area of the y-pipe with my eyes, because I can't get my head back into that area. I can only view it through the camera as I am able to snake the camera back down into that area. I can reach my fingers down there and it definitely feels like a hole in the y-pipe. It makes sense too because if water were pouring in through this hole it would spew up into the area where I was seeing it initially. So I must have a hole in my exhaust bellows as well, or else water would not be getting to this hole in the y-pipe, correct? And how did I get this hole in the first place? I thought the flappers were clear up at the exhaust manifold risers. If it spit a pin downstream, wouldn't it wear on the bottom of the y-pipe, rather than on an upper surface like where my hole is? Can this be repaired without removing the pipe? What is the y-pipe made of?