Leak????

[MartyC]

Second season with my Outback. Last year, the bilge rarely came on. I have been out twice this season and both times after sitting in a cove for a couple of hours the bilge came on. No big deal but I don't recall it coming on that frequently last year. Should I be concerned about anything?

[Yellowmobius]

My guess is you need to adjust your gland packing nut. With the boat in the water, engine running open the cover and look back at the drive shaft. You should see 1 drop every 15 to 20 seconds for shaft lube, more than that you should tighten the gland nut.

[MEDIC151]

That is the same thing that mine does, and I looked at it the other day and sure enough i have a solid stream coming in. I have looked and can't seem to figure out how to get the floor up in that area so I can adjust it. Any help in that would be appreciated. I also have to look at where the steering cable attaches to the rudder since I am having issues with that as well.

Medic

[Yellowmobius]

The middle floor comes out (behind the engine) (d-drive). First use a punch to remove the pins that attach the clamshell. Clamshell lifts off easy enough. Then there are a couple of screws holding the middle floor down, remove them and the floor section will come out. It might need a little nidge as mine was lodged in there tight. Once that is removed you can see the drive shaft and gland packing nut. Talk to your dealer or mechanic on how to adjust the glad nut.

Your other issue of looking at where the steering cable attaches to the rudder.
Well on my 2001 Mobius it is under the gas tank, in the trunk. You will have to remove the trunk floor and the gas tank. The steering cable runs down the center of the boat so you can see it running by the drive shaft when you are tightening the gland nut.

keep in mind this is a D-Drive I am talking about.

[MEDIC151]

Mine is a D-drive as well, so I might have the same setup on my 02. Does anyone know if there is a way to lube the steering cable? Mine is stiff and probably needs replacement. I will have the floor out tomorrow.

Medic

[Rusten]

I'm sorry to post a question to your question, but I'm wondering -- I have a problem with my 2000 Kanga taking on water even when not running. I'm taking on roughly 6 gallons per hour while sitting in the water, engine off.

Could this also be the gland nut alone, or is it more likely a second problem?

Our canal is very shallow and ocassionally the rudder has touched bottom. Not while running, rather it's more common accidental issue I had run into after first buying the boat, while moving in/out, trying to get out of a tight spot, etc. Is it common that when the rudder touches the bottom that this can be a source for taking on water?

One final note: I don't yet have a reliable marine mechanic here in West Palm Beach. Can someone tell me whether marine labor is similar to conventional auto-mechanic labor, that is to say that there is a book somewhere that provides a guide as to the time one item requires (e.g. to align the shaft on a Moomba D-Drive, the standard shop rate is X hours, plus Y in parts)?

Thank you in advance!
Rusten

[MartyC]

Yes it could be the gland nut alone. My also leaks a small amount when the boat is not running. If you look back through the engine on the passenger side you can see where the shaft goes through the boat. You should be able to see a small trickle of water coming in around the gland nut. I have not had a chance to fix mine yet but am just keeping an eye on it. Because I now know that is what it is, I am not too concerned about the bilge coming on every 3 to 4 hours.