75 cuddy I/O taking water..HELP?

[macojoe]

Listen to all!! The last thing you want is to be offshore when the boat fills with water and sinks!
They are right with about 1 hour to pull the motor, what I did when I did mine was put a piece of ply down on the deck, rented a motor lift for the day and put right in the boat, Lifted the motor and rolled it back a hair, did all my work and lowered it back in, Done!!
But be ready for a few things, one the motor mount holes in front of motor will be rotted! You will need to replace the wood there when you have the motor out, not hard, but just another part of the job.
To check the transom take a 1/8" drill bit and drill the transom from inside, if wood is clean your good if it black or dust like dirt its rotted! start at the top and go down with a few holes to see if or how high its rotted. if its just wet way down the bottom you have time, and i would not worry right away!
The bilge pumps, first silicon a piece of 3/4 wood to the floor and after it drys screw the pump to it so as not drill a hole in boat, 2nd pump do the same but use a 2x4 and up on the curve a little, this will allow the first pump to pump the water and if it gets to bad and goes higher the 2nd one will help it, also keeps the pumps from sucking sand and crap to jam the impeller and burning out the pumps.

[Crifasinator]

got it... so obviously I need to learn how to do this it seems like if i am going to do the bellows I will need to see about getting a new gimbal housing. so does that mean I will have to pull the motor?

[macojoe]

Not really but I am sure them bolts are welded together so it would be easier. Snap them off, and drive them out. If using SS bolts use some never seize on the bolts, this way you can get them off again and it will stop the corrosion from different metals.

[smokeonthewater]

the engine has to come out to get to the bolts holding the gimbal housing