Has to be a leak in stern of the boat

[Lendwaym]

I have a few posts on the forum asking about water in bilge, etc. No luck finding the source so far and I am starting with what it looks like from the outside. So I am bound and determined to find where the water is getting in at the stern of the boat. Here are some pics from the 215. There are some of the impellers, seals and intake grate. Note the intake grate. Guessing it’s not normal for a screw in each of the 2 grates to be missing. Open to anyone’s thoughts on if all looks normal. Thanks in advance. Next I will be putting it in the water to see if just sitting in the river leads to anything then idling.

 

[sunbyrned]

I won’t chime in on your pics since I haven’t had experience with such leaks yet. However, if you have a rub rail back there, check for loose or missing screws or any bend in the rail that can let water in. Also, @2kwik4u had a good suggestion on another thread. He put a go pro and LED lights in his engine compartment to find a leak while driving.

 

[2kwik4u]

@Lendwaym is the water hot or cold. That will help narrow it down. Hot water comes from the engine, cold from the lake/river/bay/ocean/etc.

Next step is to pinpoint WHEN you see the water and what quantity. For my "impossible to find water" it only happens under high loads, and high rpm, and it's hot water. SO, it only comes in every now and then, and only while underway. That's what led to the GoPro with LED lights attached. So far that hasn't really helped any, but I've got some videos of the engine bay and rear under tray area.

I started a physical log of when/where/what I was doing when the bilge kicked on, and the water temp coming out of the bilge (by touch). That helped me narrow down where it was coming from. Right now, as best I can tell after almost a full year of troubleshooting is that I have an exhaust hose leak somewhere behind the engine bulkhead and before the thru-hull. I'm |...| that close to just literally pulling everything apart and inspecting it and putting it back. I'm almost at a loss for what else to do.

I'll try to dig that stuff out tonight and take a picture of the contraption. With any luck I hope to pull the bulkheads this weekend and use the setup to film some new areas while underway. We'll see if it helps any.

 

[Dean P]

Might be stating the obvious and might not be anything but what is this? Looks like a crack/split/gap?

 

[El Comandante]

Might be stating the obvious and might not be anything but what is this? Looks like a crack/split/gap?

View attachment 126900

My money is on this

 

[2kwik4u]

The red circle on the right is where there is normally a seam between the hull and intake tunnel. I remember seeing it on my 190 when I resealed it. Should be some black silicone in there from the factory, most of mine was missing, and I replaced it with some Loctite Marine adhesive stuff.

The left line does appear to be point to a crack at some level.

 

[sunbyrned]

Damn you guys are good! Okay, so judging by what the left arrow is pointing at, looks like the same gap on the other side of the shaft, yes?

 

[Lendwaym]

I just went out and looked again. Both the circle and arrow are where the intake grate and hull come together. There are no cracks but I agree it is tough to see if there is enough sealer between the two. That will be a conversation with the dealer today.

 

[Dean P]

I think the wear ring may have been replaced as I don't believe the light blue color is standard. Maybe something happened? IDK for sure. But, worth investigating.

 

[Dean P]

I've had water in my hull ever since I bought it. Sucks as I cannot find it. After seeing this, I'll have to take another look. @Lendwaym thank you for posting pictures and please let us know what the dealers says. Could be helpful to all.

 

[Lendwaym]

I have found the leak! Not sure what this tube is as it is not a rubber hose but harder plastic on the stern wall and starboard side of the boat. It looks to exit near where the hose inlet is by the impeller assembly. The video show 3 hoses of which you can see a smaller plastic hose and the through wall is leaking while I just have the rear of the boat in the water. Any thoughts on what tube circled in red is? The blue circle is where the clean out and inlet port Tee together and the green arrow point to the drain plug.

 

[Gozills]

Forward/reverse shift cable

 

[Gozills]

Should be a big white plastic nut on the outside. If that plastic fitting was not installed somebody had their head up their ass or simply didn’t care. Not gonna jump to that conclusion but from the inside i dont see it. Looks like they just globbed some sealant on there and sent it down the line

 

[Lendwaym]

Just so everyone knows the gasket on the reverse cable was majorly damaged / missing according to the technicians. I’ll take it out tomorrow and check to see if there are any leaks. Thanks to everyone for their help.