www.iFourWinns.com

OK, here is the deal. I trailer the boat everytime. Plug is always out until I'm ready to put it in the water. Sunday was a cool sunny day. Around 65 degrees most the time. We boated around like normal and ended up anchored in a cove. The kids and dog were exploring the banks and such. We were there about an hour. I opened the hatch and noticed quite a bit of water in the bilge. Don't know if it is important but I backed into the cove pretty fast. The auto bilge had not turned on (it works). I could hear a small stream of water like someone was slowing pouring a glass of water into a bucket from about 1 foot high. My wife and I looked and looked and could not locate it. It sounded like it was coming from the port side, stern (left side rear as you face it) of the motor. I raised and lowed the lower unit and noticed no damage. Water temp seemed fine all day. I ran the bilge pump and emptied it out. We took off and boated for about 15 minutes. I opened the hatch again and could not hear anything.

When I loaded the boat and pulled the plug, it ran for longer than it ever has, about a minute. The speedometer was working. Could not fine any exterior damage.

1995 220 Horizon with 5.8L EFI motor: 58FAPHUE

Any ideas, I think the exhaust flaps have been removed because of a factory notice. (not sure)

Thanks for any help!!

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Shawn
Washington, Iowa
1995 Four Winns 220 Horizon

5.8 EFI 58FAPHUE

When something like that happened to mine it was one of the bellows popped off and all I had to do was put it back on. But I had that same sound and crawled into the engine compartment and found a stream of water coming in. got the boat back out of the water and found the bellow.

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Troy
2008 Centurion Avalanche
1994 Four Winns Horizon 180 SE 5.0L OMC Cobra (Sold)
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition (http://www.nhtoc.com) 378 hp & 465 tq at rear wheels
2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Nav

Nice Harley - Rookie here on the bellows (and let me add to it the Gimball). Exactly where is this located on the engine. I looked up the part online but do not recognize it.

A board member suggested I replace the gimball bearings and I think the bellows just due to age on my boat (2003 that I bought a few months ago).


They look pretty basic and easy to do.

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2010 Sea Hunt Triton 220 "Big Whiskey"
2003 FW Freedom 180 Volvo Penta 4.3GL/SX-M "It'll Do Four Now" (Sold)
2012 Avalanche LTZ 4X4

The Bellows are Tubes that run from the transom to the outdrive. One is for the exhaust and the other is for the "drive shaft" for the outdrive. The Gimbals bearing holds the drive shaft basically. To find the bellows trim the outdrive all the way up and get outback and look up underneath the outdrive between the drive and the back of the boat. You should see the bellows.
I don't know if it would be a job you would want to tackle? I had a guy replace mine for me last year but I think I might try it this year. Pull the Outdrive and check the gimbals and replace my u-joints, maybe. I will have to find the alignment tool though.

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Troy
2008 Centurion Avalanche
1994 Four Winns Horizon 180 SE 5.0L OMC Cobra (Sold)
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson Edition (http://www.nhtoc.com) 378 hp & 465 tq at rear wheels
2008 Honda Accord EX-L w/Nav

Bellows typically look like a rubber "boot" you would see on a drive axle of a front wheel drive car aka CV Joint/CV Boot.

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Craziest thing, today I was on the lake for about 4 hours and no water in boat. All I can think was that we had a bunch of kids, wet tubes, wet dog and that is what caused the excessive water in the bilge.

Do you guys ever get enough water in the boat that you have to use your bilge pump? Last week was the first time I ever pumped any water out. I was on Table Rock for a week, boat never left the water and the bilge never ran or pumped anything out, even when I turned it one manually.

I will keep monitoring it. Unfortuately, winterization is not far away and we'll give it a good once over then.

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Shawn
Washington, Iowa
1995 Four Winns 220 Horizon

5.8 EFI 58FAPHUE

Is it possible you had the faucet for the swim platform stuck, and it ran all your water out into the bilge? I don't know if your boat has that hose, but mine has gotten stuck open before...

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2008 Four Winns F224
5.0 Volvo Penta
Towing with Audi Q7 4.2 V8