transom leak troubleshooting
 

Greetings from Lake St. Clair in Michigan,

I have an old 1972 Sea Ray SRV 190 with a 165 Merc I/O.

Have a bit of a leak at the transom. I know the correct repair is to
take it in and replace the transom seal, but I won't do that until the
end of the season and only when I know what's leaking so I don't get
killed by my local boat repair shop. I can see a trickle from the
inside coming from below the transom plate. But when I fill the boat
with water from the inside, it doesn't leak out from there.

There are two knurled caps on the outside of the transom plate at the
bottom. I looked at the service manual and can't find anywhere where
they are mentioned, so I don't know what they are called. They are a
bit loose.

Here is my question. Are there fasteners underneath these caps that can
be tightened? If so, how do I get the caps off? Also, is there anywhere
else I can check for leaks? Just for troubleshooting purposes, I have
laid a bead of caulk around the transom on the outside and it seems to
be sealed. I had the outdrive rebuilt recently and the boots are all
new.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jim