1986 BR 19 Leak in Transom

[Stvh3]

New to boating so I apologize in advance for using wrong terms. Just bought a 1986 BR 19. Got it on the water and it ran smooth. Upon docking it, I noticed a lot of water in the motor well area. I pinpointed the leak coming from a small round hole in the transom. Looks like something was once there — a tube, bolt or something of importance as it was a perfectly round hole. I don’t want to seal it as I’m sure something needs to be put back in the hole. I’ve attached a photo since I can’t explain it very clearly. Anyone know what goes there? Thanks.

[AsLan7]

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Hey Stvh3. So glad you found us!

First guess is the speedo tube hole from the outdrive but it's hard to tell. Was your speedo working? What's your engine and outdrive set up? Do you have a broad pic as well?

Others will chime in shortly.

And welcome aboard mate.

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[Stvh3]

Wow! You’re impressive! Turns out the speedometer was working just fine in the beginning and then I noticed it stopped working about 15 mins into the ride. So I think you nailed it. I will Google what to do next, unless you have guidance on that too. The motor is the Mercruiser 5.7 V8 Alpha 1 with 260 hp. Runs great - just need to keep it from sinking! Thanks again for your response and diagnosis — very much appreciated!

Steve

[Lockey14s]

I would agree that it seems like it would be the speedo tube hole, but they didnt incorporate that until the gen 2. being a 1986 it should be a gen 1 and not have the speedo tube in the outdrive. unless the boat was upgraded to a gen 2?

[Stvh3]

Lockey - thanks for the further diagnosis. Not sure if the motor is Gen 1 or 2. I’m providing a photo to see if you can tell? As I mentioned, I’m new to boats and not mechanically savvy, but I’m about to retire and want to start boating and understanding how to work on the basics. I figure with a 35 year old boat, I will get some good experience!

[AsLan7]

Lockey - thanks for the further diagnosis. Not sure if the motor is Gen 1 or 2. I’m providing a photo to see if you can tell? As I mentioned, I’m new to boats and not mechanically savvy, but I’m about to retire and want to start boating and understanding how to work on the basics. I figure with a 35 year old boat, I will get some good experience!

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Thanks for the engine pic Stvh3. We are referring to the outdrive. Alpha outdrives can mainly be summarized into two categories...Gen 1 (prior to 1991/92 roughly) and Gen 2. The speedo pic up hole incorporated into the outdrive started with the Gen 2 Alphas. Like Lockey mentioned, your boat would originally have a Gen1 Alpha outdrive being that it is a 1986. It may have been replaced at one point with a Gen 2. Have a pic?

You can tell the Gen 1 out drives vs Gen 2 by the way they look. Gen 1's are more vertical on the backside and the hydraulic rams are attached near the rear of the drive. Gen 2's have a slanted look on the backside with the rams indented more from the rear of the drive.... plus there is a tiny notch on the front of the lower portion where the water pushes into the speedo tube.

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[Stvh3]

Thanks for the education! This forum will teach me a lot. Attached are pics of my outdrive. From Lockey’s explanation, I’d say it’s a Gen 1. If so, I wonder if that means the leak is not due to the speedometer cable. But that makes the most sense based on what happened, etc.

[Lockey14s]

yup, definitely a gen 1. and you can see you have the external speedo tube next to it (black tube going down to the white pick up).

so that hole in your transom leaking water is still a mystery at this point. Im curious and going to crawl in my boat to see if mine is the same lol.

have you checked all your bellows to make sure they are not cracked or ripped?

[Lockey14s]

after looking at this closer it looks like its a gen 1 transom asembly, but with an older MR alpha drive. I didnt think this could be done.

the gasket in between the outdrive and the housing must be leaking since the two different generations are not compatable

[Krob1114]

I'm seeing it to be Gen II. Look at the location of the silver looking lines up close to the back of the boat. The Gen I looks like to starts at a higher point, then joins into one spot on the cylinder. The Gen II looks like separate lines going separate places.

[Stvh3]

Thanks to all for input and guidance -- you guys are great and I'm envious of your boating knowledge.

I was able to see exactly where the leak was coming in. I have a video, but I don't think this site allows me to upload a video. But the leak was definitely coming in through a small, perfectly round hole -- I could clearly see it gushing in since the boat was still in the water at the time. Since my speedo stopped working during the ride, and you all seem to think the hole may be for the speedo cable, that must be it. The prior owner had the boat in the water several times this summer and had no issues. He's from the neighborhood so I tend to believe him. If it is a speedo cable, is that an easy fix? (I have a trailer and a close boat ramp so I can get the boat out of the water before it fills the motor well). I'd prefer to fix it, but I don't really need a functioning speedometer for my use on the lake. Can I just plug the hole? Or should I continue to investigate what it may be so as not to cause an additional problem?

Thanks again for everyone's input!

[Lockey14s]

I'm seeing it to be Gen II. Look at the location of the silver looking lines up close to the back of the boat. The Gen I looks like to starts at a higher point, then joins into one spot on the cylinder. The Gen II looks like separate lines going separate places.

its a mix match of Gen 1 and MR-1

nothing about that is Gen 2

[AsLan7]

Thanks to all for input and guidance -- you guys are great and I'm envious of your boating knowledge.

I was able to see exactly where the leak was coming in. I have a video, but I don't think this site allows me to upload a video. But the leak was definitely coming in through a small, perfectly round hole -- I could clearly see it gushing in since the boat was still in the water at the time. Since my speedo stopped working during the ride, and you all seem to think the hole may be for the speedo cable, that must be it. The prior owner had the boat in the water several times this summer and had no issues. He's from the neighborhood so I tend to believe him. If it is a speedo cable, is that an easy fix? (I have a trailer and a close boat ramp so I can get the boat out of the water before it fills the motor well). I'd prefer to fix it, but I don't really need a functioning speedometer for my use on the lake. Can I just plug the hole? Or should I continue to investigate what it may be so as not to cause an additional problem?

Thanks again for everyone's input!

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Steve you can upload your video to YouTube and then post it using the Youtube radio button.

The speedometer has an external pickup and most likely stopped working because that white plastic pitot piece that hangs below the hull got bumped upward so no water can be rammed into the tiny hole ..thru the rubber tube...which then pushes air to a diaphragm which moves your speedo needle. There is no cable like on older automobiles. You'll need to simply push it back down to allow it to work again. It's meant to kick up so it won't break off when it hits debris. You can tighten it slightly if you need to as well.

The gimbal housing hole is still a mystery where water is coming thru since this is a Gen 1/MR Alpha. Post the vid for further troubleshooting.

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[Stvh3]

Thanks for the tip about the speedometer external pick up. I will push that back down in the proper position. I will post the video as that shows best what is going on. But attached are to photos that show in a little more context where the leak is coming in. I put a pink straw in the hole so it can be seen more easily.

[Lockey14s]

Red is Gen 1, Blue is MR-1

At some point the upper must have failed and they replaced it with an older MR-1 style upper. Ive tried using an older MR-1 gasket on my Gen 1 and it will not seal properly. Not sure if this is the actual problem of the water leaking in through that hole, but its suspect.

outdrive 1.JPG