Yamaha 3.1L 225 EFI Exhaust Leak?

[Amistad Tackle]

I have water leaking out in the space just below the exhaust ports (see photo). It is a slow steady stream at idle. I pulled the plate to see if I could see where it was coming from and couldn't see anything on the hose, but I never got the motor hot enough for the thermostats to open and for water to start coming out the exhaust. There was no sign of water leaking underneath the plate (e.g. - stains) that covers this part of the engine.

Is this normal or do I have an exhast leak. If it is leaking how critical is it I fix it immediately? The engine runs great.

[hooken203]

Take that lower apron off and see if you can tell where its coming from. Gasket failure in this area is common. I had a powerhead failure when one of these gaskets failed an engine injested water. Powerhead must come off to replace these gaskets.

[Amistad Tackle]

I had it off and didn't see anything, but I never had the thermostats open when I had it on the hose. Do you think if the stats open I am going to see where it is leaking?

[Pacer]

I could be coming from anywhere on the powerhead, draining into the pan, and then running out of the little drain holes in the pan. Take the cover off, and check all your hoses, and look at the powerhead gasket while its running.

[BuzzB8]

The next time you have it running, look around where the poppet valve is located. Not that the poppet is leaking, but you might have some bolts getting loose on the outer exhaust cover. The ole OX66 has been known to have that problem.

[Amistad Tackle]

Thanks all for the replies. I will look and report back. Probably won't get to it until tommorrow night. I don't think it is draining into the pan. I have had the exhaust cover bolts come loose before and fixed that. I'll double check everything.