www.iFourWinns.com

Another new guy on the forum. Just bought a 2001 H180 LE 4.3 and haven't had the chance to put in in the water. Besides it's just too cold at this time of year (Alberta Canada) The previous owner said the boat was winterized but somehow I didn't completely trust that. So I did some layup work on my own. The boat has 257 hrs. since new and the outdrive had never been removed. Found out the u-joint is a permalube type but the splines do need grease from time to time. The drive was difficult to remove because the grease had dried out. After checking gimbel bearing alignment and cleaning up the splines and re-lube the drive slipped on easily. The sea water pump was also trashed however everything else seemed ok. So now to my question. While running the engine using a cuff and garden hose to circulate the Stabil and fog the engine, I noticed that there was water dripping from the front side of the exhaust elbows both sides. I checked the clamps and they were tight. I did tighten them as much as I dared (they do have limits) but still dripping although slower. The elbows appear to be made of a composite material. Has anyone seen this or able to suggest a fix.

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2001 Horizon 180LE 4.3 VP SX
2008 GMC 1500 6.0L Z71

The actual piece was leaking or is it leaking at the gasket?

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Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

I just did the same thing to my boat. The exhaust bellows on mine had holes formed in when it was molded from the factory so water can drain out. Yours may be the same. As long as the drive shaft bellows does not have any holes or cracks, you should be fine.


08 VP 5.7 SX

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Tanker Toad
NKAWTG..N!!
2008 H220 SS
2008 Chevy Silverado 4x4
2010 Tahoe LT 4x4

The dripping was at the elbow upper rubber coupling. There is a rubber coupling piece between the exhaust manifold and the elbow secured with a total of four hose clamps and it was the aft (at the elbow) point that it was leaking. Not a fast drip mind you but I don't think it should leak at all. It appears that it has been leaking for quite awile since there is water staining on the elbow itself. Don't relish the thought of taking this apart since it is very awkward to get to. Below the elbow there is another rubber coupling secured again with four hose clamps but this one seems to be ok.

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2001 Horizon 180LE 4.3 VP SX
2008 GMC 1500 6.0L Z71

I replaced mine when I rebuilt my engine. You may need too take them apart and clean the elbow it can build up with corrosion between the rubber and aluminum. Mine were aluminum I know because I had to weld extensions on them to make them longer. If I remember the bellows went on one way so mark them if you take them off.

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'96 200 Horizon 5.8l VP/SX

You've got two clues there and you need to put them together to figure out what might be going wrong. A trashed impeller, and leaking rubber exhaust hoses...well if your impeller is trashed, then the exhaust does not get enough cooling water and the rubber hoses can get burned inside, and they may not seal correctly any longer. I'd remove the risers , remove the rubber exhaust hoses and inspect everything. With an I/O, making sure the exhaust does not overheat is very important, because if it does, the rubber hoses can burn through and you can have water leaking into the boat. Also make sure the sealing surfaces of the manifolds and risers are good and the gaskets should be replaced.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

What LouC said.

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Brian Borchik
The Winds of Cold Springs Harbor Marina
Baldwinsville, NY

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions. It's January here and no boating for at least four months so, eventually, I will take the elbows and couplings apart and will post results of my findings. Incidentally when I mentioned that the sea water pump was trashed, all of the vanes were attached, however some were bent forward and some backward and some both ways with some vane tips torn away. I suspect that this is a result of freezing since the boat used to be stored outdoors in the winter and I'm not sure that the previous owner was aware of the requirement to fully drain the seawater pump. I doubt that the engine has overheated however I have a suspicious nature and despite what the previous owner told me had been done, if I do it myself then I am sure.

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2001 Horizon 180LE 4.3 VP SX
2008 GMC 1500 6.0L Z71

Actually that's not likely to be due to freezing, that would be more likely to crack the impeller housing, the rubber can flex, the housing cannot. If you see tips torn off, its because the previous owner either never changed it, or ran it without water. If he kept running the boat it could have overheated the exhaust, without overheating the engine, but that's hard to tell. Did you see blistered paint on the exhaust manifolds and risers? How about on the cylinder heads? I would not worry about it now, but check the whole cooling system in the spring, and replace the impeller every 2 seasons.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

A little slow on the follow-up but here it is. The leaking couplings was a result of old, dried and cracked rubber. These were replaced with new. On spring runup prior to launch, I noticed that the left riser was much cooler than the right and that the temp guage was erratic. I decided to replace both the temp sensor and the thermostat since engine temperatures are critical. When the thermostat housing was removed, I discovered a couple of pieces of rubber, likely from a previously failed impeller was partially blocking the right hand outlet from the housing. Since thes pieces were above the thermostat, they may have migrated from left to right and so caused overheating of the manifolds (read old dried and cracked rubber). Because of previous problems with the water pump, I have decided to pull it apart annually since it only requires a 9/16 and 5/16 socket and a ratchet after the hoses have been removed for seasonal draining. This time the impeller was perfect. I also pulled the outdrive since it comes off quickly and provides an opportunity to closely inspect the drive bellows, u-joints, splines and alignment. Also, lubricating the gimbel bearing when the drive is removed provides an opportunity to ensure the grease is getting into the bearing. First season with the boat, used it every day for two weeks and was well pleased with the Four Winns performance. The only issue I had was the trim indicator failed but the boat can be trimmed by ear and by feel. Still not sure if I will replace the trim sender (yes, I can see the broken wire) since they are now priced over $140 and based on discussions here and elsewhere they don't seem to last very long.

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2001 Horizon 180LE 4.3 VP SX
2008 GMC 1500 6.0L Z71

A very delayed update!
I'd love to see some more pic's of your boat, if you have any to post?

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2011 Four Winns H180 SS.
Aussie built Mustang 2800.
SOLD - 1997 Four Winns Horizon RS

I was having so much fun with the boat, I completely forgot to take pics. All I have is on the trailer, which is rather boring - pics should be taken with the boat in the water. I installed courtesy lighting in the spring and will be installing Attwood LED docking lights this winter. I will try to remember to take pictures next summer.

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2001 Horizon 180LE 4.3 VP SX
2008 GMC 1500 6.0L Z71