Does your helmet leak, a bit ?

simonfraser

simonfraser

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Mar 2004
Messages
7,609
Location
Outboards 4 mobo’s, unless you do a lot of miles
Visit site
KAD 44 DPE
Bilge and engine room is now bone dry after having fixed all the water leaks, camera came in handy trying to figure out when it leaked.

Choppy wind against tide yesterday pm, stern slamming a bit, cup full of salt water in the bilge.
Cleaned it all out once it died down.
Calm overnight, dry again.
 
Yes.......... Only an annoying drip drip leak though, nothing terminal. Need to replace the top hat shaped plastic steering yoke shaft bearings. Mine OK when boat was at rest, underway water was able to weep into boat. Steady trickle if boat stern was underwater due to lots of folks aboard. Cheap and simple job WHEN outdrive off. Your main challenge will probably be getting access to steering arm clamp and removing steering arm to allow steering fork to drop out of transom assembly. Had a couple of hardwood wedges made to force steering shaft out of steering arm clamp.Getting the nut off and removing bolt can be fun.Heat and WD40 are useful along with large box of plasters. After you have done the job, you may wish to come on here and comment on how wonderful outdrives are. Especially if you have two to do. :):):) Ps. Do not forget to reattach the thick earth bonding wire which normally goes behind steering clamp bolt.Usually breaks free at some point in the boats life.
 
Last edited:
tnx OG, i'll live with the weep as its mainly there when the waves slap into the aft platform.

the boat is on a trailer, so it does not leak for long.

i had also noticed a leak when i topped the water tanks off, rinsed the OD down b4 topping off the tanks.
now i realize that i was spraying fresh water into the helmet, which then finished up in the bilge :)

same weep occurs when it gets dunked in from the trailer, all makes sense now.
 
Be carefull, if you leave the weep too long the helmet shaft corrodes from the sea water and you need one (or two) of the helmet and shaft assemblies.
Not cheap............!
 
dpb said:
Be carefull, if you leave the weep too long the helmet shaft corrodes from the sea water and you need one (or two) of the helmet and shaft assemblies.
Not cheap............!
Click to expand...

tnx :)

i'd only need one .... what is the shaft made out of ?
i noticed there was some fresh water in the bilge every time i rinsed the boat / OD down and filled her water tanks up
she is on a trailer
now i know how it gets in, and how i coincidentally rinse the shaft after use

have had this leak for at least 18 months, only just figured out where it is
when i looked at the helmet assembly from the inside a few weeks ago there was no corrosion, visible
possibly due to it corroding somewhere i could not see it, or rinsed off ?

will have another look tomorrow, and give it a good dousing with ACF-50 whilst i contemplate how / when to deal with it all
 
You should regularly keep the steering unit packed with grease, there is grease nipple to do this. It can help to stop minor water leak and I guess corrosion that has been mentioned.
 
Scubadoo said:
You should regularly keep the steering unit packed with grease, there is grease nipple to do this. It can help to stop minor water leak and I guess corrosion that has been mentioned.
Click to expand...

tnx, indeed, i have tried to grease it b4 i realized it leaked
can't get any in, totally solid. so possibly corroded ?
all i can do now is lube it with AFC-50, relatively easy to access, and of course it gets rinsed out with fresh after use
 
simonfraser said:
tnx, indeed, i have tried to grease it b4 i realized it leaked can't get any in, totally solid. so possibly corroded ? all i can do now is lube it with AFC-50, relatively easy to access, and of course it gets rinsed out with fresh after use
Click to expand...
"If" you can get to grease nipple and get it out without rounding off the spanner flats and good luck, (tiny socket is best). You can poke bit of wire into the hole and dislodge most of the solid hardend grease that will be blocking it, preventing new grease getting to shaft. By the way VP did not think it worthwhile installing grease points in many early transom sheilds.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top