outboard bracket leak

[fieldingf]

I have a 1987 24 offshore and on my third engine (250 Yamaha). Great boat, but noticed a small leak (when I put it on a lift for the first time in it's life) on the back of the mount, just below the zincs attached to the engine bracket. It was leaking (pissing) like you would see on the water pump discharge from the engine. I pulled the cover and noted that it is all foam filled, so can't expect it to hole too much water. Heck, it could have been there all along and I just never noticed it when pulling it on the trailer.
Thinking of having the hole welded shut and welding a plate to the bottom and having a drain plug installed, just to be able to check it periodically. The rest of the mount appears to be fine. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Fred

 

[DennisG01]

If you have a hole, that's most likely going to be from pitting/corrosion. It'd be odd for this to be the only bad spot - there are probably other spots that getting ready to go. I suggest a good sanding of the area, address the bad spot (epoxy/weld/whatever) and then properly prime/paint the bracket. Then, keep up on the maintenance of the bracket to keep that from happening again.

Doesn't the bracket already have a drain plug? It should. Depending on the condition of the foam, it can get soaked with water so it may be holding more water than you think, adding quite a bit of weight.

Yes, the bracket integrity and drain plug/inspection plate should be checked every so often.

 

[fieldingf]

If you have a hole, that's most likely going to be from pitting/corrosion. It'd be odd for this to be the only bad spot - there are probably other spots that getting ready to go. I suggest a good sanding of the area, address the bad spot (epoxy/weld/whatever) and then properly prime/paint the bracket. Then, keep up on the maintenance of the bracket to keep that from happening again.

Doesn't the bracket already have a drain plug? It should. Depending on the condition of the foam, it can get soaked with water so it may be holding more water than you think, adding quite a bit of weight.

Yes, the bracket integrity and drain plug/inspection plate should be checked every so often.

If you have a hole, that's most likely going to be from pitting/corrosion. It'd be odd for this to be the only bad spot - there are probably other spots that getting ready to go. I suggest a good sanding of the area, address the bad spot (epoxy/weld/whatever) and then properly prime/paint the bracket. Then, keep up on the maintenance of the bracket to keep that from happening again.

Doesn't the bracket already have a drain plug? It should. Depending on the condition of the foam, it can get soaked with water so it may be holding more water than you think, adding quite a bit of weight.

Yes, the bracket integrity and drain plug/inspection plate should be checked every so often.

 

[fieldingf]

Thanks Dennis. I will take it down to bare metal to see what it looks like. Will post the results when I know what I am dealing with.

 

[DennisG01]

Be gentle on the sanding... aluminum is soft metal. Good luck!