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Help tracking water leak


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Having a strange issue with my 07 vlx monsoon 340 with cats 650 hrs, not quite sure how to track it down and I’m hoping someone can shed some light. 
 

After full day out on the lake, the bilge pump won’t turn on; great! When I Pull the boat out and pull the rear drain plug usually a little water comes out, maybe a gallon.  That’s how it’s been; that’s what I’m use to. 
 

This season something strange started happening, when I launch the boat the next time, as I’m backing down the ramp, water will POUR out of the rear drain plug. I really mean POUR, it takes 5/6 minutes for all of it to drain out! I know it’s come out of the engine somewhere but I’m stumped as to how to troubleshoot this, short of putting a GoPro in the engine; does anyone know what gaskets I can check to see where this water is coming from? Has anyone had similar issues?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

 

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should be pulling your center t handle plug but i think the older boats dont have it forward by the driver through floor hatch , not sure but for me i  get nothing from rear plug if i pull center pkug 

i havent undone my rear plug or the now boatpluglight in years 

stern is not the lowest point

Edited by granddaddy55
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#1 - fix your bilge pump.  Seriously.  Do this first.

#2 - pull up the engine cover, run engine, find leak.  Too many places water could come from to start doing random internet guesses.  

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45 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

#1 - fix your bilge pump.  Seriously.  Do this first.

#2 - pull up the engine cover, run engine, find leak.  Too many places water could come from to start doing random internet guesses.  

The bilge works without issue, I was trying to emphasize that no water gets in the bilge while running the motor, the issue seems to be isolated to after a full day on the water. 
 

I’ve run the motor and see nothing, that’s why I’m wondering if there’s any gasket or seal that’s more prone to leakage on a sitting motor. 

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you may have partially  popped one of the hoses off of the raw water pump.  this will not leak water if the engine is off, or just at an idle. but as soon as you increase RPMs the water will be very noticeable.  

Happened to my buddy last year. he was sure that he cracked a manifold. but 90 seconds of investigation revealed it was a hose clamp that didn't get tightened during winterization.

 

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I think that what the OP is trying to say is that after a day of use, the bulge is dry, verified by bilge pump not auto activating (no water to float the float) and a bit of water coming out of the transom plug when pulling up the ramp (it likely is the lowest point when on the ramp, just might not be when parked level).

After storing the boat for x days, level, on dry land, the next time that he backs down the ramp, water is now coming out of the transom plug.  Where did this “new water” come from.

A couple of thoughts:

Are  you confident that your ballast is fully draining?  Extra water in a tank / bag could easily have a slow leak that would accumulate over time.

How is it stored?  Any chance this is rain water or a roof leak if in covered storage?
 

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20 minutes ago, amartin said:

I think that what the OP is trying to say is that after a day of use, the bulge is dry, verified by bilge pump not auto activating (no water to float the float) and a bit of water coming out of the transom plug when pulling up the ramp (it likely is the lowest point when on the ramp, just might not be when parked level).

After storing the boat for x days, level, on dry land, the next time that he backs down the ramp, water is now coming out of the transom plug.  Where did this “new water” come from.

A couple of thoughts:

Are  you confident that your ballast is fully draining?  Extra water in a tank / bag could easily have a slow leak that would accumulate over time.

How is it stored?  Any chance this is rain water or a roof leak if in covered storage?
 

if this is true, then it must be the ballast.  there isn't enough water in the engine to drain from the bilge for 5 minutes.

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2 hours ago, amartin said:

I think that what the OP is trying to say is that after a day of use, the bulge is dry, verified by bilge pump not auto activating (no water to float the float) and a bit of water coming out of the transom plug when pulling up the ramp (it likely is the lowest point when on the ramp, just might not be when parked level).

After storing the boat for x days, level, on dry land, the next time that he backs down the ramp, water is now coming out of the transom plug.  Where did this “new water” come from.

A couple of thoughts:

Are  you confident that your ballast is fully draining?  Extra water in a tank / bag could easily have a slow leak that would accumulate over time.

How is it stored?  Any chance this is rain water or a roof leak if in covered storage?
 

I explored this thought, but it does it regardless of if we use the ballasts when we’re out. Boat is in Cali, stored on the side of my house on a level surfaced, covered, in nothing but sunlight. I’m seriously baffled. I tripled checked this theory though, one day we pulled the boat out and I hit all the drain switches, a few squirts of water came out and I wondered if that was it. Back at the ramp the next time we went out, water poured out just as it had been as I backed down the launch ramp. 

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5 hours ago, 91SkiWi said:

I explored this thought, but it does it regardless of if we use the ballasts when we’re out. Boat is in Cali, stored on the side of my house on a level surfaced, covered, in nothing but sunlight. I’m seriously baffled. I tripled checked this theory though, one day we pulled the boat out and I hit all the drain switches, a few squirts of water came out and I wondered if that was it. Back at the ramp the next time we went out, water poured out just as it had been as I backed down the launch ramp. 

Put a game camera out to catch the neighbor filling the boat with his garden hose.

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20 minutes ago, justgary said:

Put a game camera out to catch the neighbor filling the boat with his garden hose.

I was going to go there earlier, but didn't have the nerve.

The boat ain't making water.  if the water isnt in the boat when you pull it off the lake, it is getting in there some other way.

 

"if you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. "

-Spock, Star Trek VI

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18 hours ago, 91SkiWi said:

I explored this thought, but it does it regardless of if we use the ballasts when we’re out. Boat is in Cali, stored on the side of my house on a level surfaced, covered, in nothing but sunlight. I’m seriously baffled. I tripled checked this theory though, one day we pulled the boat out and I hit all the drain switches, a few squirts of water came out and I wondered if that was it. Back at the ramp the next time we went out, water poured out just as it had been as I backed down the launch ramp. 

Any chance you're using one of the built in coolers?  Unless there is some irrigation causing this, then I'd look at all the cooling hoses, knock sensor, impeller pump, etc for any slow leaks once you get it back home.

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18 hours ago, 91SkiWi said:

I explored this thought, but it does it regardless of if we use the ballasts when we’re out. Boat is in Cali, stored on the side of my house on a level surfaced, covered, in nothing but sunlight. I’m seriously baffled. I tripled checked this theory though, one day we pulled the boat out and I hit all the drain switches, a few squirts of water came out and I wondered if that was it. Back at the ramp the next time we went out, water poured out just as it had been as I backed down the launch ramp. 

 Do you have a heater?... heater hoses are always a good thing to check.

The built in cooler comment is a good one as well.. if you leave ice in the cooler it will melt and drain out into the bilge.

(If the ramp isn't too busy) next time you pull the boat out of the water stop on the ramp with the boat still at an angle, pull the plug and sit there and wait 5-10 mins and see if water continues to slowly come out after a bit.  It can take water in the hull (usually it sits in the middle in front of the gas tank) to find it's way to the back of the boat.

I would also get in the habit of pulling the center drain plug, that's typically how you get the water out.

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14 hours ago, gregtay said:

 Do you have a heater?... heater hoses are always a good thing to check.

The built in cooler comment is a good one as well.. if you leave ice in the cooler it will melt and drain out into the bilge.

(If the ramp isn't too busy) next time you pull the boat out of the water stop on the ramp with the boat still at an angle, pull the plug and sit there and wait 5-10 mins and see if water continues to slowly come out after a bit.  It can take water in the hull (usually it sits in the middle in front of the gas tank) to find it's way to the back of the boat.

I would also get in the habit of pulling the center drain plug, that's typically how you get the water out.

The heater is an interesting thought.... I will have to check that. As far as the cooler goes it’s always emptied as we use a soft cooler insert. 
 

I’ll also have to try the ramp investigation next time I’m out on a weekday. 

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A tiny hole in the heater or a bad hose fitting would make a lot of sense.  It would be full of water when you trailer, then slowly dump it all into the bilge over time.

You could hire that mean neighbor with the garden hose to watch for heater drips while he's in your boat.

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