Bilge is Always pumping water...

[TayTay]

So now that I have been regularly boating I have been noticing that my bilge comes on quite a bit. Even if nobody is riding and we are just hanging out. When I notice that it turns on is after I do a run. We will be floating then go back up river and when I stop the bilge kicks on and pumps all this water out???

I thought it might be because of the plug I am using and water is leaking in. but I checked in the the engine compartment and it didn't look like water is leaking in. I have to use a rubber expansion plug because my wakeplate doesn't allow me to use a brass threaded plug. There are some pics below.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k301/TaylorAR/375519.jpg

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k301/TaylorAR/Back.jpg



Does anybody have any ideas why this might be happening?? Thanks for any info.

[Salty87]

if it's not the shaft or rudder, you're gonna want to check all the thru hulls....exhaust and ballast. maybe even platform bolts.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Assuming you have the expansion plug screwed out so it's expanded as far as it can be? :) Next to check is the shaft seal and then the rudder.

[TayTay]

Can you explain how exactly to check these things. I have never done it before. Are we talking visual or taking things apart?

[Salty87]

take a flashlight with you and drop her in the water. start looking around.

you could also fill the bilge with water and look for leaks on the outside. don't mess up your trailer or boat though (don't overfill).

any chance your ballast system is leaking?

[1Quickdoo]

You can use the brass drain plug, just need to do 1/4 to 1/3 turns with a 9/16 wrench, you will not seal a threaded hole with a rubber plug unless it is really tight. Mine was doing the same, slide your rear seat forward, pull off the white cover and have a look at the brass nut around the shaft, I bet it's your seal packing. should drip once every 15-30 seconds... good luck, fyi it's a cheep fix if that is all it is..

[michael hunter]

At home on the trailer Disable the bilge pump and fill the bilge area with water.
look under the boat to find the leak. Good Luck.

[rludtke]

My auto-bilge system doesn't seem to work, so I keep a close eye on the bilge when operating. I had a leaking rudder shaft seal, which is now fixed. My boat seems to stay dry when static, but takes on some water when moving.

My theory is, and I would like your feedback, is that the seal on the upperdeck to hull interface may not be good, and that the spray that runs up the outside of the boat may be entering along that joint?

What does the group think?

[TayTay]

One thing that a buddy brought up at work is the fact that when you stop, especially if you have the ballast full the wake comes up beind the back on the boat. Water may get in the crack between the engine cover/V-Drive comparment covers and the transom. I haven't been out since I posted this but I am going to do some more checking and pay closer attention. I am going to just leave the boat at the dock for 30 min and see if any water is leaking in. It seems to be only after I stop that the bilge turns on, so what he is saying makes sense. We will see.

In your case, I would do what was recommended above and make sure you launch your boat dry, then take a flashlight and check the rudder from the inside of the engine compartment and see if there is water coming in. Let me know what you come up with and I will do the same.

[csuggs]

rludtke -
I've heard that a boat can take on some water around the silicone seal that is between the hull and deck. You can visually inspect it and plug any open areas with silicone.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Tay I think 1Quickdo may be onto something, if the rear drain hole is a threaded hole, I'm not sure a rubber plug will seal it 100%.

Rick - What I noticed is that my rudder seal would not leak with stationary, but when I turned the steering wheel causing the rudder to turn, it would allow water into the boat.

Another thing that happens to me is that when my river gets low, the rudder sometimes bumps the ground when I am at the dock loading gear/people. When this happens the rudder seal was leaking too.

For me the easiest way to check it was to get the bilge dry, then drop her into the water, remove rear bench seat and go in with a flashlight and a blanket to block the sunlight.

[SZEH]

Taking my '06 21V in on Monday for service. I noticed my bildge coming on, but what I found was that it might be the packing around the shaft because the area around the transmission fills with water and then spills over in to the engine compartment. The transmission area will fill in about 3 hours of just sitting in the water and then spill over into the engine compartment kicking on the bildge in about 5 hours. Not good when the boats sits in the water over night.

I guess what I'm trying to say is the transmission area filling with water first or is it the actual engine compartment. That may be a way to determine if it's a leaky shaft seal, or something further back.

I also noticed that I need to have my battery on for my auto bildge to work. I thought this should be hard wired to the battery to pump water out even if the batteries are off. Am I wrong with this?



Good luck!

[TayTay]

I agree that a rubber plug would have a hard time plugging a threaded hole. I would love to use my brass plug the the damn wakeplate wont let me put the brass plug in. The hole is at a slight agle towards the ground and the wakeplate is butted up against it. I even have a hard time putting the rubber plug in. Anyone have any ideas how ti fix that. I have though about trying to remount the wakeplate but that seems like a lot of work, that honestly I would rather not do at this point. I will check all the seals and see if that may be it. Who knows... More to come. I'm going out this afternoon after work so I will check it out...

[rludtke]

I agree that a rubber plug would have a hard time plugging a threaded hole. I would love to use my brass plug the the damn wakeplate wont let me put the brass plug in. The hole is at a slight agle towards the ground and the wakeplate is butted up against it. I even have a hard time putting the rubber plug in. Anyone have any ideas how ti fix that. I have though about trying to remount the wakeplate but that seems like a lot of work, that honestly I would rather not do at this point. I will check all the seals and see if that may be it. Who knows... More to come. I'm going out this afternoon after work so I will check it out...

Could you should adjust the wakeplate down to allow the plug to be inserted once? Perhaps you should get it iin and then leave it alone. Then if you have a drain mid ship like my boat, You could just use that drain. You might need to lower the trailer in the nose to get all the water to run to it.

[Sluggo]

The 2005 22 SSV's only have one drain and it is in the rear.

TayTay I feel your pain, but my wake plate must have been mounted slightly lower. I can get the plug in by hand, then I use a wrench and several small turns to tighten it up.

It is possible to post a pic? My brass plug is basically threads and a small bolt cap.

Another idea, can the wake plate be put in the down position to help?

[JohnnyH]

With the boat in gear and in the water take a look at the dripless shaft seal. Its probably leaking.

[TayTay]

So it I found the leak! It is the shaft seal. Right when we put it in the water a couple buddies and I had our heads in different compartments and it started coming through the shaft seal. It gets worse when the boat is in gear so that explains the blige coming on after I stop.

So how hard is it to change that? I am really debating taking it to the shop and having them do it, but if it isn't difficult, let me know. I am going to do some research online today about. Give me your two cents though. Again, its a 2005 22SSV. Thanks!

[JohnnyH]

I am on my third OJ dripless and its now leaking. I want to go with a PSS seal but Supra only wants to put on what was standard. I got 95 hrs on a 1 yr old boat. I have 4 more yrs of replacing this shaft seal. I have the 340 hp with the catalytic exhaust. The water to the shaft seal comes right off the very hot exhaust. Supra wants to relocate the water supply (cooler) to a new OJ seal to see if hot water was the problem. Will keep you posted. FYI its not an eazy job for me to do given the boat is under warranty. I use to be certified brake/front-end and internal engine so know my way around a tool box. Iam not messin with this under warranty item.

What engine do you have??

[87SunSportMikeyD]

Could be as simple as a hose clamp that needs tightening around the rubber collar of the dripless seal.

[Irish_Jack]

Well that answers my question... I was going to ask if there was a dripless packing I could install on mine, but maybe that might not be a good choice. I like the idea of not having any water in the center of the bilge...
I if you do this yourself you have to unbolt the shaft coupling from the output shaft flange on the trany(six bolts)... Then the coupling flange will need to be slid of of the prop shaft. Once that is off you can slide the seal off and replace it. All of this is done with the prop on and the shaft still in the boat.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

I don't think my bilge has hardly ever been dry lol. I have started pulling the plug when on the boat lift

[TayTay]

So it was the packing in the seal that needed to be adjusted. The Tech said that the packing is at the end of its life and next time it will need to be replaced which will be spendy to do. I am just glad that it is fixed now and hopefully it works well for a while.

[saltare inverts]

My bilge stays quite dry after replacing every seal. Now it will run once or twice a day from just people just getting in and out of boat. I check it all the time thinking it is broken. I think I was less stressed when it ran all the time.

[TayTay]

I understand what you mean. We were out last night and it was weird not having the bilge come on after every run. My buddy and I both felt like there was something wrong because we were so used to it always coming on. Its probably a good thing though!

[TayTay]

So I am bringing this back from last summer. Like I said, the Tech said that the packing seal was on its last leg, well this weekend, it was leaking again so it looks like I'll be replacing it. Anybody done it on a V-Drive before and could shed some light. I still haven't decided if I am going to DIY or take it to the mechanic. I think he quoted me last year somewhere between 300-500 bucks to do it. I cant remember for sure.

[jet]

Dont know if your using fat sacs yet but those connections can leak. Supras are known for the center sac to move back and fourth and put pressure on the connection and even break them off on the SSV's. not sure on the other models. jet

[TayTay]

No fat sacs yet. I looked at the shaft though and there was a small steady stream of water coming out. I just dont know if I want to try to do it myself or take it in and pay to have new packing put in. It seems difficult to get to in the V-Drive. That is probably why they charge so much is the dang labor time.

[Fman]

No fat sacs yet. I looked at the shaft though and there was a small steady stream of water coming out. I just dont know if I want to try to do it myself or take it in and pay to have new packing put in. It seems difficult to get to in the V-Drive. That is probably why they charge so much is the dang labor time.

Tay, how many hours are on your boat? Just wondering what the average life of the packing is before needing replacement?

[iwakeboard]

Tay, how many hours are on your boat? Just wondering what the average life of the packing is before needing replacement?

Good question :confused:

[TayTay]

The boat has 262 hours.

[iwakeboard]

The boat has 262 hours.


Haha, well, mine has 500+ hours on it with no leaking, so I guess the dealer that was servicing mine prior to my ownership did it? Does every inboard always have to deal with the packing issue or is it something that may or may not happen?

Best of luck with yours Tay, I'm not sure what all is involved with doing that, wish I could give you good advice on that rate for replacing it.

[Fman]

Wonder if the 2005 and 2008 have the same drip shaft/packing set up? I have 150 hours on my '08 and have noticed zero water in my bilge area. Have never done anything to the packing.