WTF: Leaking water

[koyota93]

Last time at the river, the boat was leaking water. It looked like it was coming from under the flex plate cover. Its a 454 BBC. It was flowing and soaking the starter. My buddies think its a freeze plug on the back of the motor. I have twin bilge pumps so I could still use the boat, but once the starter got soaked it wouldn't turn over. Anyways, I took it apart today. After getting everything apart, the freeze plugs look fine. The ones under the exhaust manifold on the starter side look good too. So we put everything back together and ran it to see where it was leaking from, and now it doesn't leak at all. Before it was flowing fast. I can't think of anything we did to fix it. When it was leaking at the river, it was pouring all over the starter and you can see it splashing right below there.
What do you guys think?
I'm gonna put it in the water tomorrow after work to see if it leaks.

[Oldsquirt]

The reason it looked like it was coming from the bellhousing area while you were running it, is because the flywheel was churning up the water once it got about an inch or two deep.
Before dragging it out to a ramp to check it, just fill it a couple inches deep around the pump and then look underneath the boat to see where it leaks out. Some possibilities would be transom adapter gasket, o-ring between bowl and T/A, pump intake needing resealing....
If the water ever got deep enough to soak the thrust bearing of the pump, be sure hit it with a fresh load of grease.

[watergun4u]

I would look at the packing gland's if there was water coming in for there, it was most likely going up th shaft and coming down from the bellhousing area, I would check that!!!!!! jet's leak there all the time, and if it is leaking to much water ,it will go up the shaft till it hit's the flywheel and then come's down ,looking like it's from that area, ! just my .02 but I would almost bet money, let me know what you find??

[koyota93]

I just tightened the packing glands. They were loose. I was wondering how tight they should be. I turned them about 4 full rotations.

[Jetaholic]

I just tightened the packing glands. They were loose. I was wondering how tight they should be. I turned them about 4 full rotations.
The packing gland should be adjusted with the boat in the water and it's to be tightened so that the gland leaks about a drop or two of water per minute. The water lubricates the rope seal inside there so it does have to have that slight leak. You don't want them too tight or you'll burn up the pump shaft.
But yeah...adjust it in the water so that it leaks 1 to 2 drops per minute.