White smoke

[Mccannibal]

So took the boat out this weekend and ran into a problem. We had been cruising around for about 20-30 minutes when I ran into some shallow water. Wasn't a huge deal just back out and kept going. A couple minutes later I noticed white smoke coming from the water behind us and a small amount coming from engine compartment. I pulled the engine cover up and noticed the water level in there was really high and had the bilge pump on but it would not keep up. Luckliy I was near the ramp so I put the boat on the trailer and gave it a looking over. I noticed that the exhaust flaps were missing on both sides which would probably explain the water in the engine area but I'm not sure what was going on with the smoke.

So two questions:
1. What size exhaust flaps do I need for a 98 outback and where do I get them?
2. What do I need to be looking for concerning the white smoke? The boat ran fine, wasn't getting hot and had plenty oil pressure so I'm not sure what to look for or what to do.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[maxpower220]

The exhaust flaps are there to prevent too much water from going up the exhaust if you ever back up too fast. It has notthing to do with the water in your bilge.

The white smoke could be several things. I would guess that it mostly is due to the cool (cold) water and the hot exhaust. That is pretty normal. White smoke inside the engine housing may be due to a lot of water and some contact with the hot engine.

Again this is just a guess.

The water is coming in from somewhere, you need to find out where. Start easy with a hose with a hole in it, the shaft seal, or a hole in the exhaust tubes.

[jpetty3023]

is this your first time out since winterization? last year during winterization the service dept left a hose unhooked and I experienced the same issue you are describing on my first launch of last year. open up the engine cover and make sure all your hoses are connected

x2 on the white smoke issue


Sent from this thing called tapatalk 2

[motosno963]

i had a crack in a muffler and almost sank my boat one summer when i left it at my buddys dock..only reason i noticed it was when a small wave would come in, go into the exhaust and come out the crack. so i would check those and the seal around the exhaust outlet as well

[Mccannibal]

I live in MS and the boat was never winterized.
I have taken the boat out once before this past experience and no problems.
Mufflers were removed prior to me purchasing boat so I know no cracks there.

I guess the problem will be finding out where the water is coming in. Guess that will be a project for this weeken

[Gabbyg88]

I just had kind of the same problem last Sunday. I purchased a 07 OBV over the winter and I had the boat checked and winterized by a marine in Dec. before buying it. No issue reported, great boat. Since, I didn't know the history of the boat, I took the boat to a Moomba dealer to have the boat checked out, motor & trans oil changed, filters changed and prop aligned. I also changed the impeller. No issues found. I put the boat in the water on Sunday for the 1st time for a shakedown. I checked the ski locker and had white smoke coming out. I quickly checked the motor compartment and it was some spilled oil burning off from the oil change. I also noticed a good amount of water in the bilge. I noticed water splashed the exhaust and after looking I found that the “J” hose was not on all the way on the bottom side. I could tell that the hose has been this way for a long time and neither mechanic found it. I would check all your hoses.

[maxpower220]

If the exhaust were "checked", there is a very high chance that they could have been cracked on a re-install. It goes back to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".

Not saying that is the issue, but it doesn't mean that it isn't.

[Mccannibal]

Yeah, when I get some time (not this weekend because I'm working) I'll definitly check all the hoses again. I still curious what would cause all the water.

[wolfeman131]

I still curious what would cause all the water.

I'm guessing the lake. :)

Check hoses, shaft seal, plug - there aren't too many places it can come in. Just be methodical and you'll be able to track it down.