2014 Phoenix 618 Pro Water Leak (Weird)

[LHPhoenix]

I am chasing a long battle with a water leak. The engine is a 2013 Mercury 150 four stroke (not the ProXS). I originally discovered that a livewell elbow was cracked which was replaced and that seemed to slow down the frequency of the auto bilge coming on. Water however was still coming in so I filled up the bilge area after unplugging the auto bilge and could not see anything dripping out of the fittings. I then tested coming off plane too fast to see if that was the issue and that wasn't the issue although some water did seep in through the compartment lid. Finally, I decided to get up on plane to about 30mph and saw the water coming in through what looks like the pass through hole for the engine (wiring, fuel line etc...) Could this be related to the speedometer tube? I hope the video link works.


https://youtube.com/shorts/MAaFFvTJstE

[basscat tyler]

Yeah. The water tube for the speedometer is probably the culprit

[BigFishSteve]

Wow. That is quite a bit of water coming in. Dang. Hate it. That seems like more water than a broken water tube to speedo or water pressure gauge. Hope you find the reason quickly and also hope that is hasn't soaked stuff that isn't suppose to see that much water. Good luck.

[billnorman1]

I don't have a Phoenix. I have something that sounds like a phoenix, but that's another story. Anyhow, on my Stratos, the top cap overlaps the hull at the rub rail and the two are screwed together. These screws sometimes get loose and on plane, water will fly up through that juncture and go into the hull.
Maybe your Phoenix has a similar issue. Your Phoenix leaks. Mine does too.

[LHPhoenix]

Thanks for responding and I will need to check that area to see if something is loose. I keep thinking either speedometer tube or water pressure tube but that seems like a longer repair but then again, I haven't messed with rub rail before so I'll go watch a few videos.

[LHPhoenix]

I'll certainly need to check that tube and will post back what I find. Thanks for the response.

[Rich1]

My old speedo water tubes only broke in the winter and always at the guage so it sprayed water all over your foot.

[LHPhoenix]

That is what I have been hearing from others as well so I may be chasing something else that is spraying water into that area so could be rub rail related.

[BigFishSteve]

These cheap camera actually work and pair to your phone. Find that water source soon.

https://www.amazon.com/Inspection-Fa...s%2C108&sr=8-6

[tonybfishing]

My culprit was the water pressure tube. The more I ran the Mercury the more water in the bilge.

[CaymasCobaltKen]

Please Mr. Norman, do not post photos.

[barbarian]

Is the water that we see coming in on the backside of the rigging tube?

[LHPhoenix]

I believe the answer is yes. It is from the view inside the battery compartment where the rigging tube comes in but is is really subtle to tell if the water is really coming from the tube or squeezing through between the tube and hold since that is not sealed.

[barbarian]

If that’s the backside of the rigging tube, I’d unscrew it in my driveway and 1. See if you see a cut or disconnected tube. If not, I’d run the motor on rabbit ears to see if it’s the water pressure gauge. Can’t be many possibilities. 2. If speedo runs through there, I’d just disconnect from transom entirely. You can eliminate your two highest % possibilities in your driveway

[LHPhoenix]

Thanks for those recommendations. I’ll post back if one of these solves the problem!

[LHPhoenix]

Finally tested our fix last weekend and it was the speedometer tube that runs up through the lower unit and through the rigging into the battery compartment area. The fiberglass hole that the rigging goes into must have rubbed a hole in the tube as it exited into battery compartment. I couldn't confirm that hole because it was difficult to extract. The quick fix for now was to cut the hose inside the engine cowling and plug with a screw with a bit of silicone and double bend the tube with 2 zip ties. I'll consider removing the entire tube next time the lower unit is pulled off. It wasn't clear where the water goes if you simply disconnect the tube at the pitot or if it doesn't matter since that whole area in the lower unit is wet anyway. Thanks for the help!

[billnorman1]

[getfished]

Glad you found the culprit. Based on your experience I would consider making the repair as opposed to removing the feature. Either route will probably be about the same in terms of time and difficulty.

[rchavis]

Yep cut the bad spot out and add a coupling .