Taking on water

[Helstrm]

AQ125b / 270D <br /><br />The bellows all looked good but the bilge would pump out water every 15 minutes or so. When I pulled the boat out of the water and trimmed the drive up water came streaming out of the bottom of the exhaust bellow. So it seems there is a hole in the bellow. Would this cause the boat to take on water? Or should I be looking elsewhere for another issue?

 

[Purebreed]

Re: Taking on water

That is your problem most likely. Hopefully the water has not damaged anything internally.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Taking on water

Keep looking, as exhaust comes with slits in it to let the water out

 

[Helstrm]

Re: Taking on water

So the water should be coming out of the exhaust bellow. Good to know. The bellows look brand new. I did notice that the PO used silicone between the housing and the transome so I wil strip that away and use some 5200. I checked the fluid in the lower and is is clean so I don't think it is the drive bellow. I will check the shift bellow next. Thanks. ANy ideas are welcome.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Taking on water

A friend of mine had a similar problem. Leaking about 2 galons an hour into his boat. I told him to put the plug in and use his hose to fill the boat. Not full enough to get into the electronics or to the engine oil pan, just enough to fill the bilge. Then run the trailor jack all the way up, then all the way down. He found his leak that way. The ring bolted to the back of his boat where his drive attaches was loose. Silicone and tighten the bolts and he was good.

 

[Helstrm]

Re: Taking on water

Okay,. The original bellow that came on my boat does not have slits. Could mine have been replaced with an aftermarket bellow and if so would the bellow with the slits have a flapper valve installed? It has been raining here all week so I have not had a chance to test the boat for leakes although the water streaming out of the exhaust bellow has me a little conerned. I don't want to end up Hydrolocking my engine.

 

[Helstrm]

Re: Taking on water

Okay good news and bad.. I plugged the boat. Killed the bilge pump and filled her up with the hose.. BAM... Water started pouring out around the gimble housing(I think that's what it called..) Noticed the PO used silicone all over the damn thing.. So I drained the boat. Cleaned all the silicone and went to town with some 5200... After letting it cure I filled the boat back up and not water leaked. I will remove everything and replace the gaskets this winter as long as the 5200 holds to get me through the season. Now I need to fix the tach and replace the exhaust bellow. <br /><br />No for another question. If I wanted more power out of the boat what other engines will mount to the 270D outdrive?

 

[salty87]

Re: Taking on water

what power can the drive handle?

 

[rbezdon]

Re: Taking on water

The exhaust bellows without the slits was likely the original. Somewhere later on Volvo/OMC drives changed to the ones with the slits. I just changed mine this year and found this. My boat is an 88 which never had any of the bellows changed (I have owned the boat since 90 and I know it wanst changed before then by Perv owners.) Changing it was not too difficult if you pull the drive off.

 

[Helstrm]

Re: Taking on water

The V-8 bellows I believe also have a flapper valve in them. Since mine is the 4 cylinder I don't have that flapper valve and would be taking a risk of getting water into my engine via the exhaust system.

 

[rbezdon]

Re: Taking on water

On my OMC the flappers are up in the boat just below the rubber hose connecting the riser elbow to the y pipe. They do tend to melt quick if there is not engough water flow even of the engine never quite overheats. The flappers are not in the bellows, I am prettyt sure.