Finally, Success! (sort of)

[Jamey]

Well, after replacing everything I could think to replace on my cooling system, my engine still overheated and I finally broke down and took it to the shop. No offense to the dog, but mans best friend is truly a good boat mechanic! They backflushed the system, put in a new sea pump (I changed the impeller twice, but they replaced everything, including gaskets, the plate and cover) and also realized I had run the wire off of the electric choke to a power source that was not generating enough voltage. Whatever it was in that sequence, the boat finally ran perfect for the entire 4th of July weekend. It's the best my 80' Entertainer with a 5.7 260 hp I/O has run since I've had it. Of course, no weekend can end too perfect ... Sunday evening as I was covering her up, something told me to check the gear oil in the foot. Lo and behold, it was full of water and just as milky white as it could be. So, given I just had a new gimbal bearing installed, and the water pump in the foot, what possiblilities should I consider for finding where the water is coming in? I'm all about checking the simple things first, so I plan on putting a new gasket on the fill plug first. If that doesn't fix it, where should I go to next?

 

[afd414]

typically i think the prop shaft seal, or the seal/o-ring at the base of the raw water impeller/pump