Bad way to start summer cruise

Doing last minute checks and inspections prior to our cruise to the Erie Canal. Run and leak check of engines produced a show stopper in the form of a rotted out exhaust elbow on the starboard engine, leaking water everywhere. A quick review of the archives didn't give me much hope of finding a new one soon. However, an email to Trans Atlantic Diesel was answered this morning with a replacement elbow. $390 for aluminum, $750 for stainless. They're shipping an aluminum one today. Hopefully we'll be underway by the week-end. However, I always remember "Man Plans, God Laughs".
To be continued.

Have to applaud you for the engine room check. It could have gotten nasty quick.

Capthead said:

Have to applaud you for the engine room check. It could have gotten nasty quick.

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Yeah, the bad news is 750 bucks instead of a breakdown and who knows what else.

I had a similar situation except one of the bolts that holds the elbow on the manifold broke off with maybe a 1/4" of less than half of it showing. This was when my real mechanical talents took over and I tried to center it and use an easy out to get that piece out. I broke the easy out off almost flush.

I tried special bits and then I discovered I was drilling into the manifold.

Fortunately there is a machine shop near by that removed it and put a new thread piece in.

This of course was on the outside of the engine and I just had enough room to get the manifold, all 120 pounds of it, up and over the valve cover. Replacing it was a biach. It took several tries and the large phillips screw driver going through the bolt holes as a guide was the answer.

I use a military grade never seize now. I had a friend give me a can.

Good work on the pre-check. One of my favorite sayings, from the captain of a sport fisher: "Even as we sit here quietly at the dock, enjoying our drinks, things are breaking".

Wow they are a few bucks. Which engines do you have the 4.154m or the 4.236m?
What does the other engines exhaust elbow look like?
Thanks,
Bill

My Ford Lehman elbows were around 80.00 in cast iron.

I have the 4-235 engine. The other one was apart in the spring, and looked fine. Time will tell.

I did the same on my 4.236's after the stbd elbow failed. What a friggin' mess that was!!! Diesel soot EVERYWHERE!!! Fortunately, the water remained contained in the exhaust system. I'm still finding soot 4 years later!!

Is Al bolted to and by steel in a wet setting a good idea?

That was a great quote,
I am reminded that mother nature continues to take our boats apart almost as quickly as we patch them up to continue enjoying.

Aluminum, heat, salt.......Hmmmmmmmmmmm

I did consider the material compatibility issue. We are in the Great Lakes. We plan to do the loop next year, and continue for as long as it is fun to do so. I figure we'd be in salt water about half the year. I think the aluminum elbow will fail earlier than the stainless one, but it will out live me. That's all I need.

Bilgewater said:

I did consider the material compatibility issue. We are in the Great Lakes. We plan to do the loop next year, and continue for as long as it is fun to do so. I figure we'd be in salt water about half the year. I think the aluminum elbow will fail earlier than the stainless one, but it will out live me. That's all I need.

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Your boat, do as you feel ok with. But for the lurkers, continue to change out your zincs routinely on your outdrive or engine parts if you too are in fresh water or your non compatible metals will rot out causing expensive repairs. Aluminum engine and outdrive parts and pieces are the worst in this regard.

Is there any coating they can put on the inside to stop the corrosion? Just curious. I think the exhaust temp is somewhere around 180 degrees but somewhat cooler at the elbow.

Westerbeke has used aluminum mixers screwed to steel nipples for decades. I've seen some 20-plus yr old still in service. I would not really trust one that old, but they were still chugging along just fine. And the joint between the steel and al should (!!!) stay dry, so galvanic action should be minimal. The joint is humid when shut down, and that wastes the steel over time.

My Hinos have aluminium manicoolers with no anodes, the tubing bundle and aluminium manifold are separated with large orings. I've removed the port and had it ceramic coated to help protect it from fretting the aluminium along the exhaust runners, the starboard has to be done still. Could the aluminium parts on the perkins benefit from ceramic coating?

River Cruiser said:

My Hinos have aluminium manicoolers with no anodes, the tubing bundle and aluminium manifold are separated with large orings. I've removed the port and had it ceramic coated to help protect it from fretting the aluminium along the exhaust runners, the starboard has to be done still. Could the aluminium parts on the perkins benefit from ceramic coating?

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That's what I was thinking.

Above it says 180 degrees. I meant to say 1800

Bilgewater said:

I have the 4-235 engine. The other one was apart in the spring, and looked fine. Time will tell.

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You mean 4-236 correct the Perkins 85hp 4 cylinder motors?
Bill

Hey Bilgewater, We will be loafing and fishing in the eastern and central Erie Canal from 6-27 to 7-6. We'll keep an eye out for Lady J. Always nice to meet other TF'ers.

Capthead said:

Above it says 180 degrees. I meant to say 1800

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If your exhaust gets to 1800*F you do not need to worry about corrosion.

Loafs & Fishes, we'll be sure to keep an eye out for you!

As to the compatibility issue, my zincs are in good shape. The elbow is bolted to the cast iron exhaust manifold with a gasket between. The original gasket was a fabric (asbestos?) sandwiched between two thin sheets of stainless. I don't know what the new one will look like. Might just be a single thickness of stainless, so we could have three different metals in contact with the water. The other end is isolated by the 3" exhaust hose, so it shouldn't be a player.

The elbow cam in at noon today. $195 for the welded exhaust flange. $195 for the cast elbow. $20 to ship. $410 total, and received 48 hours after ordering. Well done, Trans Atlantic Diesel! After hunting up a wrench large enough to put it together, it went on like a glove! The aluminum casting is an exact match. The threaded flange piece is longer than the original, but not so long as to be a problem with the hose. The two parts were loose, so you have many options as to alignment of the elbow. Since the flange is square, you only have worry about the final 90 degrees of your location. For you ex military types, we're FMC and Code 1. On to Cleveland in the morning!

Greetings,
Mr. B. What? No coat of blue paint?

Nice, Bilgewater. I'd use anti seize on the bolts if it was me.

RTF - Yeah, I'm slackin' with the followup. If time wasn't an issue, I would have painted the inside with RustOleum Zinc Cold Galvanizing spray, like I did on my props. Then painted the rest RustOleum blue. Maybe in the fall.

Capthead - Funny, I have Lock Tite in my toolbox, but no anti seize. Have to get some in there. Luckily, they came off with no effort.

Does this really work, RustOleum Zinc Cold Galvanizing spray on my props?
Thanks,
Bill