I found the leak, need an opinion?

[TrailInn2]

I was having a lot of water coming in (auto bilge running every 3-4 minutes). I found three out of the four bolts that hold the drive shaft support were loose and one of the bolts was buggered up and could not be tightened. I got a new bolt and nut today and will install it today. My questions are, should I use some caulking in the bolt hole and if so should I also do this for the other bolts, and why would this of loosened up? Did the previous owner hit something maybe could the shaft be slightly bent or not aligned properly? There doesn`t seem to be any noticable or abnormal vibration when under power. Maybe that will change once the bolts are tightened. I just got the boat this year and it has leaked since I got it.

I am new to inboards so not sure if this is something that needs checked periodically or not. While fiddling with this I also noticed the four bolts holding the rudder bracket were slightly loose also. The boat is a 96 SS.

Thanks for your help.
Ken

[83sn2001]

RE: I found the leak, need an opinion?

It probably just worked it's way loose,maybe not tightened completely at the factory.You should seal all the bolts that were loose. Make sure you use below the waterline sealer.

[wake_fun]

RE: I found the leak, need an opinion?

How about some 3m 5200..........

[TrailInn2]

RE: I found the leak, need an opinion?

The sealant I just bought is Elastomeric Marine Sealant made by Sudbury, I got it at the marina, it is what they use for underwater use. Hope it works.