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[Leprechaun]

Well, its that time of the year yet again. Time to get going on needed repairs, upgrades, maintenance and Spring Prep.

So, last Fall I wrote that I thought I had an exhaust manifold leak - turns out I had two, one on each side. Geez, I can't believe that it was such a minor sound, given what I found today.

Got busy pulling the old, used-up exhaust system off the block. And it turns out my diagnosis was correct.

Port side #8 exhaust port - badly burned/corroded from whatever nasty stuff the engine generates. This is the tapping I heard at idle:

But look at Starboard side #4, even worse! And yet I never heard a thing on that side of the motor.

Of course being a gas inboard with the exhaust manifold bolts below deck level, this knowledge does not come without some expense, and I don't just mean monetary-wise, thought that's also pretty nasty.

Just the price that must be paid to keep her in shape to find those ocean fluke this coming season. On the old Shamrock Owner's board we used to say "any job worth doing is worth leaving a little bit of yourself in the bilge."

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[Snapprhead27]

Geez Pete! I give you lots of credit

 

[BoatGuy]

Wow....That is corroded! The joys of salt water!

 

[OVERBORED]

The good news is you know how to fix it yourself.
The bad news is you know how to fix it yourself!

Good luck with the repairs.

BTW, How many hours did you get out of the old manifolds?

 

[Leprechaun]

BTW, How many hours did you get out of the old manifolds?

Hah, good question! 10 minutes for each of the risers. One hour on the port side manifold. Not bad, considering the last four bolts have to be done by feel alone. The starboard side manifold, one hour to get out 7 of the eight bolts. The last, rear-most bolt, another hour plus.

Just can no longer contort my body enough to wedge my average-length arm back there from the front of the engine, as getting to it from the side is impossible - for me. Another example of getting too old for this, um, "stuff." I cannot image doing this for a living. Mad respect for marine mechanics everywhere - makes automotive repair look like a walk in the park.

One helpful tip is to NOT use the factory BS iron bolts that are OEM. They corrode badly, rust-freeze in the heads despite using liberal quantities of Never-Seize, making a tough job even tougher. Anyone in the know uses stainless steel "cap screws," with a good-quality 3/8" hex-drive socket - mine is Snap-on, of course! Still not a job I will ever look forward to, but these make it just a wee bit "better."

Also, always use fresh grade-8 lock washers every time the manifolds get changed - which according to universal gas inboard ritual thinking is at 6-year intervals.

One other tip - be a bit of a masochist. It kinda helps.

 

[OVERBORED]

Well done!