# Water under my outboards cowling



## scoobeb (Oct 21, 2016)

I went to the lake today to test my 25hp 2 stroke merc,when I stopped to check something under the cowling it had some water,not a ton but enough to to be like wth is up with this. Now my drain,holes are quite big in the back and it was rather rough on the lake today. Does anyone else ever experience this,just a bit of water not allot. The motor ran I mean great,water is pumping great,not over heating or leaking thst I can see anywhere,I took off the plugs to see if water was on them,nothing,the plugs looked great. I'm guessing from the rough water maybe when I came to a stop some of the water squeaked into the drain holes,that's all I can think of. Anyone have this happen to them when it's rough out??? I ran it on muffs and no leaks that I can see. I guess it must be from the rough water. Any opinions would be great,thanks. Like I said everything seems to be working perfectly, I just got caught off guard with this,maybe it's just from a rough day on the water. I wonder if I should block the 2 big drains in the back with something because I bet that is were the water is coming in if I had to guess.


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## scoobeb (Oct 23, 2016)

No feedback on this one I guess?????


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## Crazyboat (Oct 23, 2016)

Just so you get a reply between me and my dad we've owned 6 outboards going back to a 1957 Merc. Never had any water under the hood. I wouldn't worry yet, but look for the seal maybe being pinched or perhaps it was just getting in through the out door. Go out again on a calm day and check.


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## richg99 (Oct 23, 2016)

I've never had any such water. 

Only thing I can think of is...some boats can get a "rush" of water when you shut them down quickly. That, combined with some larger waves, might have caused a big wave to hit the back of the motor. ????

richg99


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## scoobeb (Oct 23, 2016)

I did go in reverse through the rough water,maybe that caused some water to get up into the drain holes because I've taken this outboard out several times with no water under the cowling, i this was just an isolated incident were water got in from going in reverse,that is my guess. Like I said nothing is over heating, everything seems to run great, just this time it happened and it was odd.


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## scoobeb (Oct 23, 2016)

After all it is a tiller outboard and with my big butt in the back of the boat it weighs the motor down even more so that may have helped the water get in easier by going in reverse In rough water.


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## Shaugh (Oct 24, 2016)

It would be possible at high temperatures that the cooling system has a small leak in the form of steam. The steam would likely condense against the cowl and could form water?


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## muddywaders (Oct 24, 2016)

Exhaust cover leak or water jacket on the head can develop a leak not a big deal on the head cover but if exhaust side is leaking internally not good.Get your motor hot and while its running dab the edges of the gaskets with dry paper towel looking for wetness.If you do find a leak on the exhaust side dont cheap out and try to use sealant.Buy the gaskets and carefully prepare mating surfaces.Is your motor equipped with a thermostat?ps any speed numbers after carb swap?mw


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## huntersdad (Oct 25, 2016)

It sounds mostly like a seal leak to me. If water was getting in the motor directly from the lake it would most likely be coming over your transom as well since its usually the lowest point. Had the same issue on an older evinrude but it was clear that it was the exhaust cover leaking which caused water seepage as well as dirty air being recirculated into the carb.

Sent from my SM-N910H using Tapatalk


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## hankthecrank (Oct 27, 2016)

How cold was the water you were in. On a warm humid day in cold water the condensation on the motor will be noticeable.


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## scoobeb (Oct 28, 2016)

No leaks anywhere,it was just really rough and I believe when I backed up in the rough water,the water did splash up over the back of the boat. That is the only thing I can think of. This has never ever happened before so I'm fully convinced it was when I went in reverse. There wasn't allot of water just a couple very small bits of water sitting on the bottom of the lower cowling. I have taken this motor out tons of times and no water. I pulled the plugs,clean,no water on them. Runs perfect. I'm going out again here soon so I will re evaluate the situation. I've run the motor in my driveway on muffs for 10 to 15 minutes and not a drop of water.


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