Slow water drip behind motor by transom

[Sarges12]

Hi,

I have a 2001 290 with twin 5.0 and bravo 3’s. Recently I discovered a small drip from behind the port motor. I’ve used several means to determine where the drip is originating from with no success. Well today the boat was taken out for the season and I was in hopes of easily finding the source of the leak. I removed the drive, no water in the bellows! What I did discover was that there was no clamp on the rear of my shift cable boot. The boot slides up and down the cable casing very easy. Question: is this normal or should there be a clamp of some kind to seal this? Wondering if this could be the source of the leak.

 

[Espos4]

I’ve heard of some people installing them without a clamp without issue. Not sure how that holds up as the bellows age.

Steering pins are another source of a drip.

If it’s never been replaced, a 20 year old transom Can leak from many spots.

 

[BillK2632]

It's either leaking from shift bellows (I always clamped mine, I have seen zip ties used) or it could be leaking from the steering pin. Steering ping would be high and there would be rust around the tiller arm, shift bellows would be at bottom of transom assembly.

 

[Strecker25]

A general tip that I always found useful for water (and helped me track down a leaking transom shield in my 290) is to put blue shop towels all around the bilge and see which ones get wet.

Has to be done in the water in your case, unfortunately, so won’t help now.

 

[mrsrobinson]

I had a similar leak in my last twin outdrive boat. Shop put an endoscope camera inside, while in the water, and traced it down. It was something odd that I can't remember, and never had fixed since I kept it in dry storage.

 

[Sarges12]

I’ve heard of some people installing them without a clamp without issue. Not sure how that holds up as the bellows age.

Steering pins are another source of a drip.

If it’s never been replaced, a 20 year old transom Can leak from many spots.

Definitely not the steering pin. Everything up top is bone dry.
Transom assembly was replaced about 10 yrs ago now by previous owner.
im hoping to get a better scope and be able to get it down below the coupler

 

[Wanderer 290]

I had a leak where the wires from the mercathode come through the transom plate.

 

[Sarges12]

I had a leak where the wires from the mercathode come through the transom plate.

Thank you, Another place I’ll be trying to look at.