Water in engine sump

[GreenLight]

I am getting a significant amount if what seems to be fresh water in the sump under the engine on my '92 MK II.

The stuffing box does not appear to be leaking and my only other thought would be that it is an overflow from the steering quadrent space where the drain seems to get easily clogged and which then fills with rain water.

Does that make sense or should I be looking elsewhere?

I thought I'd ask here before I tried flooding the steering Q. space myself to see if this is the source of my problem..

I realize that if I'm getting water in that space I need to put in some gasket material as well.

 

[Jack - La Paz Mx]

Taste the water, salt or fresh?

 

[GreenLight]

Good question unfortunately there's a scum of oil in the sump. But it looks like fresh since it is a lot clearer than the brackish water which we have at our pier

 

[Coriolisbc]

Pour some through a paper coffee filter to get rid of the oil, dip a coffee stir stick in the filtrate and decide if it is salt or fresh.

 

[Brad Woodward]

I had that problem too. Thought it was the packing gland. Got a non-leak type but still had the problem. Was told the new gland had to seat, then no water. I kept adj it until it stopped leaking and the shaft was cool. Used my shop vac to dry out the bilge. Came back in a week, dry bilge. Took her out running the engine for a couple of hours and water was in the bilge again. Looked clean but I'm not tasting it to determine if it's fresh, even if it looks clean, too many nasty things to make you ill to try it. Long story short it was a crack in the water muffler. Was getting a small drip from the input hose to it. The water ran down the outside of the motor mounts before in went into the bilge. Took me a year to find it. If your water pressure pump cycles often when you aren't using water you have a fresh water leak. Otherwise it most likely is salt, unless of course it is green, then it is your engine coolest.

 

[GreenLight]

Brad did your muffler leak put water into the bilge or into the sump under engine?

 

[Brad Woodward]

It ran into the bildge. But from what I can figure out from what I found. Apparently it has been happening for a long time. When I got the boat the surveyor lifted the float switch and the buildge pump worked, he failed to notice it was stiff and didn't drop down on its own. I was washing the head down and assumed it was working, the float would rise but was completely under water without the pump activating. I don't think the PO checked the buildge ever. So my guess is that the muffler leak filled the buildge which also goes under the engine, the bottom of my oil pan has a lot of corrosion on it. Another near distant project. So even when the water was going directly into the buildge it would then run back into the area under the engine as it got deep enough.

 

[mortyd]

you don't say if you sail in fresh water or salt, which just might be useful knowledge for the rest of us. i had a small leak in my galley through hull which resulted in water under the engine that just didn't make it to the bilge. no big deal, just had it fixed fall haul out.

 

[Brad Woodward]

If your comments were addressed to me, I sail in salt water in and around San Diego.

 

[mortyd]

no, they are addressed to the first poster who doesn't know if his problem has to do with either fresh or salt water.

 

[Jack - La Paz Mx]

The ingress of water into a boat can be very dangerous. To help determine its source, if the boat is in saltwater, one can quickly determine the extent of the danger from the leak. Salt water means you have sea water coming in the boat, one consequence of that is sinking. If it is fresh water, the source is rainwater, or the internal plumbing within the boat. Much better than sinking, ruining an engine, stored items, etc. A simple test, tasting the water, separates one from the other. Tasting doesn't mean swallowing, drinking, etc. Salt water intrusion can come from the engine cooling system (raw water side), a defective thru-hull, shaft packing, or even a holed hull. Fresh water leakage is usually in the pressurized water system (hoses, pump, fresh water side of engine cooling), rain water, or a leaking water tank, toilet (fresh water flush), sink drain. Cycling water pump will indicate a leak in the pressurized system. Taste it (or have someone else), spit it out, and move on to possible sources. If I had a salt water leak I would not rest until I found and corrected the source.

 

[GreenLight]

Mortyd, I sail in salt water too. On the Chesapeake.

 

[GreenLight]

Thanks everyone. I have been unable to find a diagram of the bilge system which might help me identify the problem. At this point the usual suspects are the packing gland and rainwater overflowing from the steering quadrent when something blocks the drain hole. It seems odd to me that the packing gland, which in some configurations is supposed to drip, drains into the engine sump which, in my boat at least, has to be manually pumped out, rather than into the bilge.

 

[Fogg]

My ice box drains to a hose which has a loop to trap cold air. As ice melts, the water works its way around the loop and drains out the hose and appears just under the stairs to the cockpit. Had me concerned until I did to old taste test. Took it one step furhter and poured a quart of water into the reefer. Out it came sure as could be.

Good luck...

 

[djdurrett]

Do you have AC on board? Condensation can cause more water than you think in the bilge.

 

[Glenn17467]

Water in blige

You did not say when you have water, at the dock, while motoring or under sail. Did you find out if it is fresh or salt water? Possible causes:

Fresh - water tank leak, drain leak, fresh water system or engine coolant (should be colored).

Salt - thru hull, raw water pump, HX, mixing elbow, muffler, exhaust hose and packing gland.

I have had the raw water pump and exhaust hose leak. My exhaust hose was split at the transom allowing some of the water back into the boat. Only traced it down with a mirror and flash light. The raw water pump leak was caused from salt build up at the HX raw water inlet being 95% blocked. Now a monthly check, pull hose and look inside.