merc 170 antifreeze leak

[silverspoon]

Hi all,

Turns out my previous issue with not starting was due to a faulty alternator. Put a trickle charger on the battery, got a new alternator and thing powered right up. Now the new problem. I have a very small antifreeze leak out of the weephole on the port side of the engine. Will drip (15 to 20 drips)until it warms up then stops dripping. My understanding is that I will have to replace the cam seals soon. I would really like to get thru the season before getting this done as I only use the boat 2 or 3 times a month. Does anyone have experience with Bars stop leak. will that get me thru the season? Does anyone know or have experience with a reputable and reasonable marine mechanic in the Sodus area?

thanks in advance.

[UpGrady]

The weephole leak is your final line of defense and a warning that the seals are being compromised before antifreeze gets eveywhere that you do not want it to be... it needs to be fixed... you will continue to add antifreeze during every use and it will be emptying into your bilge and then into the water. I've had Bill Zahn with Independent Marine Services working on my 470's on IBay... he did this job on my port 470 last summer... about 8 hours of labor for him and wanted the boat out of the water to get the front half of the engine apart.

I know that Bill's time is very limited even if he would travel to Sodus, but I am certain that there are many others out that way that could handle the job.

[silverspoon]

Thanks Hans,

I'm sure the seals are on their way out, but I was hoping to be able to use the boat for the remainder of the holiday before pulling it out. Don't know how long the seals will last since the leak stops when the engine warms up. luckily its only a 19ft boat so trailering isn't a big deal. Guess I won't have to worry about it too much if the rest of the summer if the weather keeps up.

[L&M]

You should be ok thru the holiday with it but it will have to be addressed as soon as possible. ( DO Not use any sealer in the system!! ) Everything Hans said above is right on the money. Depending on the room in front of the engine to get at it.

[muskybob]

Hank is in the Port Bay area if you're looking for a good mechanic. Just don't talk to him or you'll never ba able to shut him up.

[UpGrady]

Hmmm... Hank can give better advice,but if it stops leaking after warming up, then it likely is not coming from the weep hole, but rather from a different seal on one of the covers or one of the bolts thru one of the front covers...

Check out www.Breezeworks.net, there are many discussion threads about this on a forum dedicated to the 470 engine.