water filling bilge only when moving.

[clucthfluid]

hello all i just picked up my first jet-boat a 95 seadoo speedster. this weekend i took it out and docked it over 2 nights. as we were running it i found that water was filling the bilge. i had heard that the shafts could be leaking so i pulled the covers off and watch as a friend ran the boat at speed. the bilge slowly filled with water but the shafts were dry. Does anyone out there have a direction i can go to repair the leak. all hoses are tight.
thank you in advance

 

[ocod]

Hi,

If water is filling engine compartment is water is it warm?
If it is, check around exhaust elbow. The casting plugs are known to rust out and leak.

http://www.seadooforum.com/showthre...st-plug-cap-or-whatever-you-want-to-call-them

Otherwise the other area know to leak is around the carbon seal.
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?71248-How-To-carbon-seal-service-and-replacement

Some of had bad luck leaving boat overnight in the water. They are know for sinking.
Make sure bilge or two are working and fully charged battery.

 

[Dr Honda]

First of all......


The Rotax, Seadoo are not rated to be left in the water. Some people do... but there have been a lot of reports of sunk boats in the morning. The carbon seals leak by design. (to stay cool) So... if you are going to do it... mount a second battery, and install an automatic bilge pump.


OK, with that out of the way...

Follow the advice in post #2, but make sure the bailers are working. The hoses should be tied up high... and there should be a couple tubes in the nozzles that create the suction to draw water out. If they are missing, then water gets pumped in.

As in post #2... if it's warm... it's from the engine... if it cool... it's probably from the bailers not working.

 

[clucthfluid]

thank you guys. i will keep that in mind for the over night concerns. there was no water in the bilge over night but i would hate to have to pull it off the bottom. the water is hot. yesterday i took the covers off the prop shafts and had no water coming in from the shaft seals but the water was coming from the under side where i could not see. it was not high pressure but would fill 20 gal of water in 5 min of running normal speeds. if i opened it up it was coming in faster but not from the drive shaft seals. i did replace the bilge on Saturday it was old but i think i ran it to hard. i may install an auto pump. The exhaust ports make scene but will not be able to check them for a few days.
thanks again for responding. this forum is legit!

 

[ialonso]

With the water being HOT, the exhaust is the most likely culprit..and 4 gallons in a minute is a LOT of water.
I would try to find the leak by eye-sight, one engine at a time while running on the dock at 2-3K RPM. Think exhaust and look for it knowing that it's a LOT of water. many of the exhaust leak happen on the solder/weld plug of the exhaust pipe (round circle looks like it was soldered/welded)

 

[clucthfluid]

in neutral? will the water still flow though the exhaust? does the boat have to be moving for the water to flow thought the exhaust

 

[Dr Honda]

in neutral? will the water still flow though the exhaust? does the boat have to be moving for the water to flow thought the exhaust

Water is pumping any time the engines are running. BUT... since it steels a little water from the jet pumps... at idle, it's minimal.

 

[ialonso]

Water is pumping any time the engines are running. BUT... since it steels a little water from the jet pumps... at idle, it's minimal.

If you have a helper, sure, try while in motion, but alone that's going to be hard, hence my suggestion of revving up in neutral to see it. Also, the boat movement and possible change of light as a result of moving, etc won't be much assistance either, specially if the leak is somewhat hidden. Try it, it just might work.

 

[clucthfluid]

OK so i got it in the water last night. (never seams to be any time for fun anymore.) any way the water seams to be coming from the exhaust where it exits the hull. its hard to see but there is a stream of water running from that area. The exhaust manifold plugs are dry on both engines. there a very small drip at the dry seal bearing on the starboard driver shaft but very small and not causing the water to come in. the ride was 4 min and it took 1.5 min to pump the water out with a 8gpm bilge pump. THE QUESTION IS.. is there an after market flange that will seal both inside and out side of the hull at the exhaust outlet so that the seal may hold better? also has anyone come across this before.

 

[ialonso]

Sorry, I have not come across it. The parts microfiche shows goop used to maintain that seal I'm reading this right

http://partsfinder.onlinemicrofiche...jb&a=192&b=2&c=0&d=-ENGINE-SUPPORT-W/-MUFFLER

it being the middle of the summer I would try my luck with something like this

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...sive-Sealant-5200?N=5510818+3294314622&rt=rud

before giving up. just dousing the edges from the outside might do the trick until you can get the time to pull the exhaust and reseal in some other fashion.

I'm not endorsing it, nor accepting blame if after doing it the boat blows up, BUT, I would think about it.

Good Luck!

 

[clucthfluid]

found it. the port exhaust muffler can had a pin hole leak in the side wall from rubbung on the lower mount. i tig welded the can to close the hole. putting it in the water tomorrow night. ill let you know if it holds. if not i need a new muffler.