water exit on Mercruiser 888

[holorinhal]

Mercruiser 888/ 302 ford. Is the water supposed to exit out the prop hub only or is it normal for water to come out between the outdrive and the part that out drive pivots on, mounted to the transom?

[CDK]

That part is called gimbal housing.
It is not normally a place for water to come out. The water has entered the exhaust hose near the engine and is expected to stay in the drive until the end. But the exhaust bellows may be damaged or not properly seated.

If the boat's history is not known, it is good practice to replace bellows, hoses, V-belts, impellers, filters etc. to avoid unpleasant surprises on the water.

[Jeff]

If it's only the exhaust bellow that is allowing water/exhaust to exit there I have heard people say they've run that way for years without issue. But I wouldn't. As CDK says I'd take it as an opportunity to inspect and replace the bellows (ujoint, shift cable, and exhaust bellows and water hose sold as a kit for $100 to $150) now and start out in top shape rather than with a big question mark.

[holorinhal]

The accordian hose (bellows) is not leaking. Upon a closer look The water is comming out of a round hole on each side of the gimle housing,on both out drives. It looks to be a normal thing, but without an exploded view or manual ,I cant say for certain what the holes are and if it is normal. They apear to be water dumps of some sort...Hal