Need help with water leak problem

[karp]

I have a 7.5 outboard that runs ok but I noticed that there is water leaking that appears to be comming from the area around the plugs, hard to tell exactly where it is comming from. How can I determine if this is a leak from the water jacket or somthing more serious. would the motor still be able to run if the water was actually comming from the cylinder? I only noticed this problem after replacing the impeller.

 

[Lee5267]

Re: Need help with water leak problem

First what make and year model is your motor. Second if you have a leak at the head gasket you can tell by taking the plugs out and seeing if they look cleaned due to the water being there.

 

[karp]

Re: Need help with water leak problem

I think it is a 1978 Mercury Comet (7.5 hp) year model based on what I can tell from the serial # (5442533) however the plugs are both new and it has not been run since I replaced the plugs and the impeller except briefly in a trash can wich is when I noticed the leak. I have searched other post here and feel like it might be a leak on the water jacket but I just not sure so I thought I would ask for advice from those more expeienced before I tackled this one. I could not tell if they were cleaned from water since they were both new plugs but they both smelled like gas and I did not notice any water comming out when I pulled the plugs.

 

[Walker]

Re: Need help with water leak problem

The water is most likely coming from the water jacket cover over the rear of the motor. Its a common problem with Mercurys. You can pull the cover off, check it for flatness and install a new gasket.