Spring Thaw - lots-o-trani fluid in bilge

[X30inCDA]

I have an '01 X30 with the LTR 330 that I bought last year. So I'm just going to say it and take my lumps... yes, I failed to adequately drain the water from the transmission in the fall before I garaged the boat for the winter and winter in Spokane, WA saw temps of -10 this year. I certainly remembered that step when I saw a puddle of trani fluid on the garage floor and more dripping from the center bilge drain tonight when I got home from work.

So - my question is, what is the chance the case isn't cracked and it's a seal or some repairable item? Am I buying a new trani or is there a chance there is a cheaper fix?

[Maristar210]

Chances are your heads and or block are cracked. You need to have your dealer evaluate this..

Really bad example of boat owner responsibility

[BrandonKTM]

The first thing to check is the tranny oil cooler, cause they have water in them and if you did not drain, then freeze and crack and you get tranny fluid in the bilge. Your tranny should not have any water in it. If it does, you had problems BEFORE you forgot to drain the cooler.

[X30inCDA]

RE: Maristar210: Actually, I doubt that. I did winterize the boat, drained the block, fogged the cylinders, put additive in the gas and blew out any remaining water in the exhaust. Then I put it in the garage, put a trebble light in the engine compartment, plugged up the vents and coverd the boat. The one thing I didn't know to do was to blow out the water in the coolant lines that go to the tranny and the tranny itself. It's the first inboard I've owned and I was following the consult of friends who have had them for years - they just left out the tranny part in the winterizing instructions.

So, one part I left out was that last summer there was a lot of milky fluid in the bilge - when I'd clean it out - it came back and I never got a satisfactory answer from the dealer. Another thread on here talks about bad seals causing the tranny leakage and I'm wondering if it could possibly be that it has been leaking for the 6 months it's been sitting?

In any case - I don't understand the configuration of the tranny well enough to guess if this is likely a seal or if residual water in the case could crack it, and if so, that would result in the external leakage I'm seeing? If anyone cares to offer an educated guess - I'd appreciate it.

[X30inCDA]

Thanks, BrandonKTM. The coolant lines come to a manifold on top of the tranny, but I don't see a cooler.

[russlars]

I am certainly no expert on this, but I don't think there is any water that circulates through the transmission cooling lines, only transmission fluid on it's way to be cooled by the water circulating through the engine. So if you drained the engine block and all of the hoses you should be okay. My hunch is that your transmission is leaking fluid from one of the seals and it is unrelated to your winterization routine.

[TMCNo1]

Originally Posted by russlars

I am certainly no expert on this, but I don't think there is any water that circulates through the transmission cooling lines, only transmission fluid on it's way to be cooled by the water circulating through the engine. So if you drained the engine block and all of the hoses you should be okay. My hunch is that your transmission is leaking fluid from one of the seals and it is unrelated to your winterization routine.

Great explanation!

[bigmac]

I agree...there is no water circulating through the transmission. It's cooled by a heat exchanger, so it's unlikely that it has anything to do with your block. It is possible that you had water in your transmission oil, for whatever reason, and that may have somehow damaged your front, rear, or both seals, but it sounds like you had leaking seal(s) before you ever put it up for the winter.

[94PS190]

Maristar 210:

Really bad example of Making a new member feel welcome.

[TMCNo1]

Originally Posted by X30inCDA

RE: Maristar210: Actually, I doubt that. I did winterize the boat, drained the block, fogged the cylinders, put additive in the gas and blew out any remaining water in the exhaust. Then I put it in the garage, put a trebble light in the engine compartment, plugged up the vents and coverd the boat. The one thing I didn't know to do was to blow out the water in the coolant lines that go to the tranny and the tranny itself. It's the first inboard I've owned and I was following the consult of friends who have had them for years - they just left out the tranny part in the winterizing instructions.

So, one part I left out was that last summer there was a lot of milky fluid in the bilge - when I'd clean it out - it came back and I never got a satisfactory answer from the dealer. Another thread on here talks about bad seals causing the tranny leakage and I'm wondering if it could possibly be that it has been leaking for the 6 months it's been sitting?

In any case - I don't understand the configuration of the tranny well enough to guess if this is likely a seal or if residual water in the case could crack it, and if so, that would result in the external leakage I'm seeing? If anyone cares to offer an educated guess - I'd appreciate it.

As shown in the following drawing, (as an example only) , yours should be similar, but the transmission, lines, and transmission cooler is full of transmission fluid/oil that should not freeze (unless there is water in it that does) and the only way the transmission lubricant can be milky is from water entering the transmission thru a leaking seal from excess water in the bilge or a leak in the transmission cooler allowing water to enter the oil path thru the transmission cooler.
The dealers should have technicians who are trained by MC to recognize, research, find the problem and do the repair procedure. It's hard to accept the " I never got a satisfactory answer from the dealer", since it's their job and your paying them to do a job.
Rant over.
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