1999 21V Riders - New to Group - few questions

[rski1]

hello everyone, pardon me with the elementary questions. I graduated from a deck boat to a 99 21v and love it. I've had it for about 3 weeks now and have used it about 5 times. The last owner took good care of it and had regular maintenance.
Questions:
1. The last 2 times I have noticed more water in the bilge than before - it actually got high enough that the belt was misting water in the compartment....I cant see where water is coming in...maybe the shaft? It was rare that he used the boat so maybe all of my use disturbed something.
2. After that, I think I have a slight miss - maybe the distributer got wet so I was going to replace it. I'm not sure what cap to order - is this a thunderbolt 4 or 5 ignition?
3. So...is the transmission and Vdrive the same thing? I thought it was but I've seen several posts referring to them as separate... I can only find the engine oil dipstick and the one under the rear seat (which I thought was the PCM Vdrive)

I'm fairly mechanical but am feeling like an idiot with this boat! I did install the Ridesteady GPS system the other day which is awesome!

[cltTige]

Welcome to TigeOwners! Pics are required as payment for help on the forums! haha. But serious lets see some pics.

1) Since you can't see any leaks, such as from hoses I would start with the prop shaft packing. It will only leak when underway so look the next time you are in the water.

2) I would doubt your distributor getting wet would cause this, and would lean towards say either your spark plugs need replacing, timing needs to be set, or a wire isn't making a good connection. Look to make sure each wire is getting a spark signal (can be done with a timing light), then that will help determine if the plugs need replacing (prob a good idea anyway, its one of the first things I do whenever I buy a "new" car). It is a thunderbolt 5 ignition, that started in 1996.

3) I'll be honest, I'm not 100%. I have a DD. I do know the Walter ones mount to a transmission, but don't know other brands do. I would assume you have a trans and V-drive.

Uhoh already upgraded to the cruise control. They say once you get it you can't go back.

[TeamAllen]

Welcome to the site and congratulations on your new boat.
My first guess is the shaft is leaking. I'm guessing your boat has the older packing style, like mine did.
It uses a little rope/gasket that you tighten down until it drips a few drops per minute or something like that. It is the least expensive option.
I replaced mine with a dripless set up. http://www.shaftseal.com/pss-type-a-seal.html

You can find most Merc parts by entering your engine serial # here.
https://www.perfprotech.com/mercury-.../04/mercruiser
Try opening the cap first and see if there is any moisture in there and look at the condition of the contacts. It might just need to be aired out?
Mine is a Direct Drive so I don't know anything about your V set up. Someone else will.

This link might help.
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...hlight=packing

And this one for your V-Drive question.
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...t=transmission

[rski1]

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[rski1]

Thanks for the info!

[rski1]

Thank you, I will check the shaft packing. Thanks for the merc parts and other info. I've been piecing info together since I've only owned outboards up till now. Thanks again.

[mikemcclain8]

The transmission could be a "velvet Drive" which is not a V-Drive. V-Drive basically means there is a V shaped turn from the engine to the prop shaft versus a "direct" shot from the engine to the shaft. It allows the engine to face the other direction and be placed in the rear of the boat while still allowing a relatively centered shaft/prop. At least, that's how I understand it.

V-Direct.jpg

[rski1]

there is a few pics for you...all I had currently. I appreciate the response and will start with packing since I have searched for everything leaking while running. Got it, thunderbolt 5 - thanks, as you mentioned I will probably go ahead and replace the plugs and cap. Thanks again!

[Bakes5]

OK.

1) Your shaft packing is probably needs to be replaced. Get the good teflon stuff. The dripless is nice but who wants to take apart the boat right now when the boating is just getting good. It should drip a little bit while the shaft is turning but should not be a stream. You kinda have to lean over and be almost upside down to see it. Check it when sitting and when driving....don't get your hand down there while anything is turning of course. I typically adjusted it 1/6 turn and ran it for a few minutes before adjusting again. Too tight is bad. Too loose is bad.

2) You have an engine, a transmission and a V drive....in that order You access the V-drive dipstick by pulling that center cushion out of the back middle seat and there should be a port. The transmission dipstick is, well, in the transmission which is bolted to the engine. V drive and transmission fluids do NOT communicate. They are different. "Velvet drive" is the name of your Walther V-drive unit.

3) Definitely change out your cap, rotor and wires. I swapped my cap/rotor out 3-4 times over 8 years. Super easy. Super cheap. Each time I did it had a little miss that went away after I changed them. And they were pretty worn out each time. Can't hurt to do it yearly.

4). Also check your impeller pump as well as your engine circulation pump. They could be the source of your leaks. I replaced my impeller every year. First few times was a pain but it got easier each time. Ended up replacing the entire raw water pump as well once cause it kinda cracked. There is another pump on the engine as well. It's right under the 4 hoses towards the back of the engine near your batter switch. That one will go out as some point as well and leak water all over the place. Check that one with a good flashlight while the engine is running. Again...watch your hands. Neither of these units are very expensive. Not cheap but not kick you in the nads expensive. Some places will try and rip you off so watch out.

5). Extra crap to have in your 19 year old boat that will absolutely save your weekend: Spare alternator, spare starter, spare serpentine belt, spare prop/prop key/prop nut/prop removal tool, spare plug, jumper cables, assorted wires with electrical tape, needles nose pliers, connectors for wires, spare fuses. I also carried a pretty good toolkit with me. Kept everything for adjusting the serpentine belt tension in a little bag.

6). Start to learn about your boat. Looks like you already are moving in the right direction. I learned a ton on my 2200v that I bought 10 yrs old and ran for 8 summers.

Good luck. You have a great boat

[KoolAid]

His boat is a V drive.

[TeamAllen]

Boat looks great. Motor looks clean and you have a cruise control device. Awesome!

Here is another recent thread with another owner's boat a few years newer than yours.
http://www.tigeowners.com/forum/show...e-that-need-it

[gumby]

I was getting a lot of water in through the air intake when I would come off plain to a stop to fast. My hull is the same as yours.2000 21v. Just something to look at. In your pic the blower hose isn't hooked up to the box. It needs to be hooked up and go up as high as you can before it goes down to the blower. This will help keep the water out of the bulge. There is a drain hole in the bottom of the box I put a piece of duct tape over it on the inside and outside to keep it from draining in the bulge. This helped a lot with the amount of water I was getting in the boat.

[NICKYPOO]

Also get under the boat with a big philips screw driver and check that the tracking fins are tight. It can be a major source of water coming in if one is loose.

[gumby]

The blower hose that you get from the store isn't very robust.( just aint much count) Here is a pic of mine. Of corse modified that is what I love to do. To describe.... backpack blower bellows, to the box, to a 3" 117CFM blower, to 18GA stainless steel flex.You are getting water in through the big hole for sure. how much? IDK, but it is some of your problem.
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