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water intrusion

K

kingsfisherman

Regular Contributor
Well i'm still getting some water into the drive, I drained the oil and its milky again after only a few hours of use. Also noticed the u-joint assembly was rusty and bellows had water intrusion. I'm going to pressure/ vacuum test the drive but not sure whats going on with the bellows letting water in, did it according to manual and still seeing signs of some water.
 
When you perform your Pressure/Vacuum test, please note that the oil must be drained for the Pressure test.
If not, you will receive a false-positive.

Have you changed the eccentric piston seal since your ownership? Often this seal is over-looked!


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Last edited:
RicardoMarine said:
When you perform your Pressure/Vacuum test, please note that the oil must be drained for the Pressure test.
If not, you will receive a false-positive.

Have you changed the eccentric piston seal since your ownership? Often this seal is over-looked!


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Click to expand...
thank you Richardo for the reply,

I have drained oil and I did change the eccentric piston seal years ago, I will certainly check it when I do testing.
 
Your Pressure/Vacuum leak-down test should reveal the leak.

You can use soapy water for the pressure leak detection, and (believe it or not) you can use shave cream for the vacuum leak detection.

FYI...... the double-lip eccentric piston seal is directional!
 
pressure and vacuum tests seem to show no leaks.
I have another resized pic but after an hour of F*CKING around with photo editor I gave up! Not to mention another hour of the same just to get these 3 pics here, absolute worse website to deal with for uploading pics.
pressure test @12 40 am (2).jpg
 

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When you perform the Pressure/Vacuum leak-down tests....... are you;

1...... performing the tests with the gear oil drained?

2..... removing the pressure/vacuum source during the testing?

3...... allowing the drive to remain pressurized and/or under negative pressure for a duration..... such as 1 to 4 hours or so?

4..... rotating the power input shaft and/or the propeller shaft during the tests?

5..... operating the eccentric piston during the tests?
 
Thank you Rick for the reply,

1...... performing the tests with the gear oil drained? Yes

2..... removing the pressure/vacuum source during the testing? I am able to remove the pump for the pressure test but not able to remove the vacuum pump during testing.

3...... allowing the drive to remain pressurized and/or under negative pressure for a duration..... such as 1 to 4 hours or so? yes, on the low tests it seemed to hold for long durations but on the higher tests there was some loss during longer times. I will change a couple of things such as removing the vacuum pump during testing, bring it inside the house from the garage for a steady temp. etc.

4..... rotating the power input shaft and/or the propeller shaft during the tests? Yes

5..... operating the eccentric piston during the tests? Yes


 
....all of this does not address water in the bellows..
1) were the mounting surfaces for the bellows cleaned
2) were the grooves in the housings where the raised bead on the bellows seats clean and were the raised beads mated into the groove.
3) was the correct type of band clamps used
4) OEM bellows are best
5) A slip of a screwdriver can puncture the bellows rendering them a liability.
 
The OP says;

”Well i'm still getting some water into the drive, I drained the oil and its milky again after only a few hours of use.”
 
Thank you Capt Bob for your reply,

....all of this does not address water in the bellows.
I will try and address that issue as well, in the past I used sealant where the lip seats and that worked well.

1) were the mounting surfaces for the bellows cleaned?- yes, when I reinstall the drive I will make sure the surfaces are smooth, without paint chips etc.

2) were the grooves in the housings where the raised bead on the bellows seats clean and were the raised beads mated into the groove?- as best as I can recall they were, I usually take my time and double check things especially if was a problem to start with.
3) was the correct type of band clamps used? I used OEM replacements.
 
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