Intermittent Water Spray from Motor

[anotherrunner83]

Boat Details: 2006 VLX w/ 340 monsoon 450ish hours

Any help or ideas are appreciated.  I tried to search but apparently my key words triggered just about every topic!

Boat has been out many trips this season with no issue.  I'm out a couple of weeks ago and hear a spray sound coming from the engine compartment.  I could swear I could feel the boat decelerate briefly, but have no data to support.  Not sure if it's an actual deceleration or just the panic of hearing an unusual sound come out of your engine compartment!  The sound is intermittent (once every 20 seconds to 1 minute for probably half a second or less) while running the boat.  I've only noticed it when at or above 3k rpms, never when at idle.  I opened the hatch and there is a straight line of water spray on the underside of the hatch pad (parallel to belt bath).  I assume this is a result of water spraying onto the serpentine belt and slinging onto the underside of the pad.  I noticed a few drips from hose connections so I tightened the clamps.  Still happens.  I hypothesize that the intermittent nature is tied to the thermostat opening and water pressurizing the hoses on the discharge side of the motor, thinking the J hose but not sure.  Has anyone experienced anything similar?  Any troubleshooting ideas other than removing the engine divider and shutting myself into the rear locked with a flashlight and going for a boat ride?  Tried to replicate on the hose and it never happened. Considering pulling the thermostat to force an always open condition to see what I can see.  

Thanks in advance guys!

[formulaben]

If it is consistent I would run it in neutral at high RPM with the engine compartment open to see where it is coming from. 

[MadMan]

Could be the recirculate water pump seal letting go, it's a straight shot from there to the belt.

[JasonK]

There was a problem hose on the 06's. It was mentioned when I bought my 06.

[anotherrunner83]

11 hours ago, JasonK said:

There was a problem hose on the 06's. It was mentioned when I bought my 06.

Can you say more?  

[JasonK]

It was the J hose or another hose that diameter. They ruptured prematurely. I'll look for the spare hose the previous owner gave me.

[anotherrunner83]

On 6/21/2019 at 7:50 AM, JasonK said:

It was the J hose or another hose that diameter. They ruptured prematurely. I'll look for the spare hose the previous owner gave me.

I appreciate that!

[srab]

Don't know it you've already solved your problem, but, FWIW, I disconnect the hose leading into the transmission cooler every year during winterization [as well as other hose connections].

The transmission cooler is very thin-walled, and I've made it a point to go easy on tightening down the hose clamp when re-attaching.  Still, after 10 years or so of doing the same routine, I took the boat to de-winterize/summerize it about  two years ago and discovered a leak, with a water spray pattern along the starboard-side plastic panel next to the engine, and along the under side of the engine cover parallel to the belt path.

I couldn't get it to spray at low rpms, and I had to wait until I had a boat driver so that I could hunker down inside the side storage bins with the engine partitions removed.  For me, it turned out that the source of the leak was the lower belt-to-transmission-cooler connection.  Water was spraying from there onto the belt, giving it the characteristic spray pattern.

On further inspection, and despite having been [what I thought was] careful not to over-tighten that hose clamp, I had done just that.  The hose clamp had caused just a slight flattening to the lip of the transmission cooler, enough that, under higher rpms, it was an inadequate seal.  After cursing myself profusely, I carefully re-rounded the inlet to the transmission cooler, re-attached the hose, and gently re-tightened the hose clamp.  The leak was fixed!

Hopefully your's is likewise an easy fix.

[anotherrunner83]

Quote

 

I, too, did the ride in the storage locker  to try and identify the source.  I believe I found and fixed the source.  It was the J-hose.  Apparently in my winterization, I failed to push the hose up all the way until it stopped, i thought over the bung was far enough, but I guess the clamp wasn't able to tighten completely on the flat.  Loosened the clamp and pushed the hose up and the problem hasn't shown it's face.  I'm a bit hesitant that this was the fix as I had adjusted this while troublshooting earlier, but after several hours of run time over the past 2 days it seems to be gone. Thanks for the input!