Is a small amount of water in engine compartment normal?

[AZvolunteer]

After a few weeks of major repairs I finally got to take the boat out for the day. She ran fantastic. I am curious about what is a normal amount of water that accumulates in the lower part of the engine (bilge) compartment. I did notice that an inch of water or so had accumulated in the lowest part. Is that normal? I know some of it is probably from a cooler that has a drain into the bilge area.

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Salty Dog - LI]

Your cooler drains into your bilge? Bummer! Maybe you can connect a small electric pump and feed it into your sink drain line. If all the engine oil and water gaskets are sealed, and your cockpit engine hatches and drain offs are well caulked, you should have a dry engine bilge. Leaks can develop from failing engine water pump (there is a weep hole that will flow when the bearing goes), leaking cooling system hoses (tighten the hose clamps as needed), water system line leaks (you just have to check all lines for leaks), water heater leaks (check regularly), and rain water from engine compartment air vents (tough to seal off from rain), and engine oil leaks (you just have to find them!). There is also a drain line into the engine bilge(through a fiberglass in drain tube line that exits under the engine- it's a small hole if you can find it!) from the water tank compartment and salon interior bilge areas. If your water tank leaks, the water will flow to the engine compartment bilge! Check your water tank compartment for leaks at the top fill connection and hose connections from the tank to the water pump and water system connections (under the sink faucets too!). How are your sink drain connection seals? Run the engine and inspect for leaks with a flood light/flash light and inspection mirror on extendable wand (auto parts tool). Look for signs of leaks during or after a rain or while running a water spray hose. The old slide windows and deck hatches can leak too when it rains. Check them for leaks when it rains hard, or spray they with a hose to check for leaks. I drilled/added some weep holes on the stern side of my slide windows to better drain the window tracks in hard rain. No more leaks!

A dry bilge is possible! Clear silicone works wonders. Tightening/torqing engine bolts to manufacturers specs, and keeping hose clamps tight helps too!

I also spray my camperback system canvas and umbrella top system annually with waterproofing spray to keep the water out of the cockpit! It took me some time to find my water leaks (2 years), but I now have a dry engine bilge, dry salon interior, dry cockpit, and no engine oil leaks on my boat!

Good luck on your hunt!

 

[KRB64]

Wow, that covers about everything!

You can narrow it down by noting whether it gets wet just sitting, only when in use or only when it rains...

 

[AZvolunteer]

Found the leak, it was a loose C-Clamp that holds the rubber boot onto the exhaust. Thanks for your help

 

[Quint4]

If you are talking about the exhaust boot on the outdrive (outside the boat) I do not believe that will let water into the bilge.

 

[AZvolunteer]

not the boot on the outdrive. It was in the engine compartment. Sorry, I am not very good with all technical names. I guess the most important thing is that it is no longer leaking water when the engine is running.

 

[Quint4]

Awesome !