boater2065
Active Member
Yep, i have already ordered one from BAM. Even if that is not the problem, its a cheap first try.More than likely it's cross threaded, buy a new plug.
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Yep, i have already ordered one from BAM. Even if that is not the problem, its a cheap first try.More than likely it's cross threaded, buy a new plug.
Alright. I will do some further investigation and see what i can find out.In your picture, the blue plug appears to be seated properly (the "ears" make no difference). The plug could be leaking if the o-ring is compromised or missing and that could ALSO be a source of a leak, but it is not "the" leak. The main leak is from something else - whether it's the hose or something underneath the plastic cover.
If you notice the hose feels funny/soft - replace it. If it's original, it's nearly 2 decades old - time for new ones (and the others, too).
Well it’s not really related but I started painting my generator today.
Replaced the mounts and cleaned it. This is step 3 before new wire loom and a sound shield. You may notice I mounted an led light under the generator table. Best. Idea. Ever.
Trying to get this stuff done before it gets too hot. Heck it was 80 today!
I swung down to the boat on my lunch break to take a closer look. I started by scraping off some of the green corrosion and then dried the area up with a towel. I used a flat head to tighten the screw on the hose clamp (i was able to tighten it up more than i would have assumed). I ran the engine for about 10 minutes while watching the area and feeling around down there. Water still drips from the drain plug, but i wasn't able to feel any other wet spots above it (ie on the cooler body itself). The only place where it was wet was on the blue drain plug. Leads me to believe i should start with replacing the drain plug and see if it still leaks. With the engine running at idle the drip is very slow, but after an hour plus cruising around yesterday there was more than a few drips in the bilge, so i assume as the water pressure increases it leaks more? Anyways, i'm still hesitant to remove the drain plug while the boat is in the water, so i need to mull over that for a while. I don't feel like sinking my boat today.
Thanks for those links, i will look into the clamp for sure and the 5 pack of drain plugs is smart.Before I switched over to thru hulls (due to bravoitis) I used this to clamp my inlet hose when changing impellers in the water. Works great. Nice for emergencies as well.
https://www.amazon.com/GEARWRENCH-3793-Pinch-Off-Pliers-Capacity/dp/B000I1G0YQ?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_8
I added wire ties around the handle as an extra to prevent them from accidently opening.
Make sure you have an easy out set as those blue plugs have a tendency to breakoff if they haven't been exercised regularly. Definitely have a new plug or 3 ready to go. Also - they like to cross thread, so make sure you are threading in straight. They come in packs of 5 on amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Mercruiser-Manifold-Engine-Block-Drain/dp/B00WT1PELI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2U24DY7UAZJT5&dchild=1&keywords=mercruiser+blue+drain+plug&qid=1582112664&sprefix=mercruiser+blue+,aps,195&sr=8-1
Good idea to keep extras on board.
Thank you, i will be sure not to pinch the wrong one! I'd be very excited if the drain plug is my only issue here. I'll hopefully get to this project in the next week or two.I had mentioned pinching the hose closed, above (like what Korkie has and linked to), and should add one little tidbit. Do NOT pinch the actual "inlet" hose - I assume Korkie was just using that term generically. The inlet hose goes from the transom to the raw water pump and is a hard, reinforced pump since it is under suction/vacuum. Pinch the raw water pump's "output" hose... which is the one that goes to the fuel cooler.
If I can drop food on my bilge floor and not be able to pick it up and eat it... Then I'm not happy with my bilge !
That's a good idea well, thank you. I ordered hose pinch pliers as suggested above so i'll give that a try first as i hope to not need to remove the hose at all.If you are worried about the water while you pull a hose, the other thing to do is get a set of wood plugs, like those shown below.
I changed the impellers on my 290 with Bravo II outdrives while it was in the water. First, I found the plug that best fit the hose. I had the plug right next to me. Then, I pulled the raw water hose from the pump. Some water came in, but its not like a fire hose.
The first time you do it, its scary. But you have plenty of time to shove a plug in. The first time I did it, I shoved the plug in so hard that I didn't need to clamp. The wood swells and the plug stays watertight.
Yup. And the hose clamp assortment is one of the cheapest spare parts bills you will ever pay for the boat.Should get yourself an assortment of sizes to have on board in case you have one strip out or break. Ounce of prevention better than a pound of cure.
See the photo below of the amount of oil i currently have. Not all of that is oil, as there is water underneath it, but this is about what i'm dealing with. It's messy, annoying and gives me worry that if oil is actively leaking I would have no clue, because its already so dirty.
Yea, it took about an hour with some solid brushing, spraying with water, shop vac and repeat. Turned out pretty good. I could have spent more time on it but i'm happy enough with it for now.Looks like it will take a fair amount of "elbow grease" to clean up that oily mess.