Salt water in bildge

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bannditt

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1999 Glastron gs 249 raw water cooled 5.0 vp. I/O My bilge has always been dry never had any water in it lately when I take the boat out I will get about 2 gallons of salt water in the bilge if I vacuum it out and let the boat lay at the dock the bilge will stay dry even if I start an idle the motor couple of times a week it only seems to get water in the bilge when I take it out and plain off I can find no leaks from the engine any ideas how the water is getting in
 
It could come in through the stern by a leak, around thru-hulls that are loose, maybe it's just rain water that is trapped and sloshes around when you move.
 
I had an elbow/riser leak that only ocurred when on plane, never leaked at idle.
 
Do you by any chance have any ( usually white) nylon drain mushroom thru-hulls somewhat close to the water line?

The stress of hull-wave impact on the inevitably poorly-supported attached hose frequently cracks/breaks those fittings and water gets when underway or if waves at the dock are high enough.

Marelon or plated bronze or 316 SS replacement fittings are much stronger/safer.

Or the hose itself can split if water is trapped in a dip and freezes. Or a low grade hose clamp may have rusted off. All at least worth checking.
 
I think you need to really focus on finding the cause since a crack could easily turn into a break. I would run at 2000 RPM at the dock for 5 minutes and see if you can find any engine related leaks. The cooling water will be pushed at a higher pressure as the engine RPM increases. If it's not engine related you have thru hulls and outdrive bellows to consider.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Herrington

I had an elbow/riser leak that only ocurred when on plane, never leaked at idle.

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+1.
My FWC VP 5.7s had a riser leak that only showed when running under load, ever at idle. blew it off for a season - ended up corroding the manifold so bad it took park of the head - ouch!
 
On the Volvos (at least the old ones, 80s and 90s) a torn bellow will not result in water coming in at there are two seals on the shaft in the bell housing. Unlike mercrapers.
 
quote:
Originally posted by PascalG

On the Volvos (at least the old ones, 80s and 90s) a torn bellow will not result in water coming in at there are two seals on the shaft in the bell housing. Unlike mercrapers.

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Does the VP have a shift bellows like Mercruiser? But it sounds like if the bellows and a seal leaked he could water in the bilge.
 
It s been 20+ years since I ve had a starry drive gasser :) from what I remember the 280 drive and duo prop didn’t have a shift below. The cable was routed thru a hose attached to the outdrive flange and rising above WL inside the boat
 
That's going to be an SX drive. There is a driveshaft bellows but there is a seal behind the gimble bearing, so a torn bellows will let water in but it won't gush in and be really obvious. More of a dripping and gradual accumulation. The bellows design on the SX is exactly like the OMC Cobra because Volvo adapted OMCs design to their new gimble style drive when it came out in 1994. As far as the shift bellows, again just like the OMC. There is a threaded fitting on the bottom of the transom plate that is connected to a rubber tube that is routed high up in the engine compartment behind the engine, the shift cable goes through this, there is a small bellows on top but this is above the water line. Now the fitting/seal can leak esp if there is corrosion where its screwed into the transom mount. The question is does it only leak when the engine is running, or anytime the boat is in the water? It sounds like the leak happens only when the engine is run and run up on plane. That suggests to me something with the cooling/exhaust system leaks when the engine is operated at higher rpms. If it were the bellows, shift cable tube, or anything else related to the transom mount it would leak even when the boat has not been run and that's not what the original poster is saying. Check all the hoses, raw water pump, circulating pump, especially check the hoses that connect to the P/S cooler on the back of the engine (one hose goes from the tube attached to the transom mount to the cooler, then another hose goes from the cooler to the impeller housing. Its common for Volvo impellers to leak. Leaks of salt water will create a huge headache if left unattended.
 
Is your speedometer working? A torn bellow would leak while at rest. A disconnected speedometer line would only leak while under way...
 
The water is coming in through the drain plug maybe not enough Teflon Tape Or maybe the housing that holds the drain plug in
 
quote:
Originally posted by bannditt

The water is coming in through the drain plug maybe not enough Teflon Tape Or maybe the housing that holds the drain plug in

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I would not think this is likely. If so it would happen when the boat is docked. You can pull out a drain plug when the boat is underway and it will actually drain water out of the bilge not let it in.
 
You might need to get someone to run the boat up on plane, then let it drop down to displacement speed while you open the engine hatch with a mechanic's mirror and bright led flashlight to see if you can spot where the water is coming from. Look at the hoses that connect to the PS cooler on the back of the engine and the raw water pump especially, these pumps are known to leak. Salt water leaking will leave obvious rust traces. If you see nothing then its time to pull the boat out of the water and pull the drive to check the bellows for water.
 
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