Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

onebadc10

Seaman
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
Messages
55
I just put jb weld on the outside of my manifold to seal a small crack caused from freezing.I ran my engine on the hose for about 15 minutes and shut it down a pulled the plugs a there was no water in the cylinders.I have a beam type temp gun. Do you think I could run my engine and if water is getting into a cylinders they would be cooler than the other side .and where would i aim the gun? Maybe around the spark plugs.<br />Any Ideas<br />Thanks<br />Tony
 

DHPMARINE

Captain
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Dec 16, 2003
Messages
3,688
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

If water is getting into a cylinder,you'll have a skip,as water wont burn.but your temp gun might find it .Aim around.<br /><br />My temp meter can find three different temps on a can of beer.... top middle and bottom.Love these new tools<br /><br />DHP
 

rodbolt

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 1, 2003
Messages
20,066
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

DHP <br /> ya got to much spare time. just be careful trying to melt micelobe bottles with oxy/acetylyne. dont ask why :)
 

Don S

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Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

What we need, is for the people with all these wierd ideas, is for them to try there method and then post back how it works. Hell, anyone can come up with ideas that can't be done in the real world, and then expect someone else to find a way to do it. Man that could cost some people a few engines.
 

Dunaruna

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May 2, 2003
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Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

Necessity is the mother of all invention Don, for a thousand wierd ideas you might get 1 or 2 brillant ones. Gotta try.<br /><br />Aldo
 

Uncle Dave

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jun 10, 2003
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240
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

:) <br />Don has given some very good advice about manifolds.<br /><br />I have always heard of the marine enviroment being so much tougher on an engine than an automobile. Do you think your engine stays dry just because the hood is down. Driving in the rain, and there is not a dry morsal in the engine compartment. Then up north add the salt to the mix.<br />So the comments always bugged me about why marine engines fail faster than auto. I beleive now the answer is in the manifold area. Unseen passage ways between two hostile enviroments. Water and hot exhaust.<br /><br />Don may add something to this, but I suspect most leaks start out sorta slow then proceed to a hydalock condition if something like valves or cracked head doesnt show first.<br /><br />Some one else on here said use them 3 or 4 years and then put on new manifolds.<br /><br />Thanks again don<br /><br />U D
 

Don S

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Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

2 Down, only 997 to go till we get to the magic 1000 number.<br /><br />I see it now:<br />The Wonderful, Super, Inovative, new manifold epoxy that will repair your old, rusted, worn out, marine exhaust manifold so it will now live forever. And for only 3 easy payments of $29.95. PLUS, yes folks we will now throw in new riser gaskets, free, for the unbelievably low price of 3 easy payments of $29.95.<br />Just add 1 oz per day to the cooling system and within as little as 7 days your manifolds and risers will be just like new. Saveing hunderds of dollars. And should this product that cannot fail somehow fail, we will send you free (with proof of purchase of the manifold epoxy and certified copies of 237 marine mechanics saying the improper use of the product was the cause of the failure) we will send you the wonderfully new microbot cast iron stitcher that will fix any crack in metal know to man, even if you can't see it.<br />How could you possibly go wrong.<br /><br /><br />Sorry Aldo, but give me a break on this one. There is one way in this time period to fix a defective manifold, without buying a new one.<br />No one ever said that boating was inexpensive, and just because it's fun doesn't bypass the rule of "The Real World"
 

Dunaruna

Admiral
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May 2, 2003
Messages
6,027
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

I'm not saying it was a good idea, what I am saying is that people need not be berated for trying. His question was a fair one and it deserved a reply such as "nope, won't work". But thats just my opinion.<br /><br />Besides, my post was tongue in cheek, sorry if it ruffled your feathers.<br /><br />Aldo
 

Uncle Dave

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Jun 10, 2003
Messages
240
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

Don<br /><br />Go ahead and send me 2 deals right away.<br /><br />My credit card # is 123 456 789 JUMP<br /><br />Such a deal. <br /><br />Uncle Dave
 

Don S

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Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

Thanks for your order Uncle Dave.<br />We did notice you had mistyped your credit card number and since you do post on the internet we were able to rectify the problem with no problem and the 2 epoxy manifold repair kits are on there way.<br />We use the method below for keeping up.<br /> The System
 

Don S

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Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

Aldo<br />Sorry, just way too many "want a cheap fix for leaky manifold" posts lately. I guess I got caught up in the fun..... :D
 

Scaaty

Vice Admiral
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May 31, 2004
Messages
5,180
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

Originally posted by Uncle Dave:<br /> :) <br />marine enviroment being so much tougher on an engine than an automobile. Do you think your engine stays dry just because the hood is down. Driving in the rain, and there is not a dry morsal in the engine compartment. Then up north add the salt to the mix.U D
Fair enough, BUT... now try running that mix THROUGH the motor, not over it! Thats why you toss the Mani's...
 

lakelivin

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Aug 19, 2004
Messages
1,172
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

Originally posted by Don S:<br /> ...I see it now:<br />The Wonderful, Super, Inovative, new manifold epoxy that will repair your old, rusted, worn out, marine exhaust manifold so it will now live forever. And for only 3 easy payments of $29.95. PLUS, yes folks we will now throw in new riser gaskets, free, for the unbelievably low price of 3 easy payments of $29.95.<br />Just add 1 oz per day to the cooling system and within as little as 7 days your manifolds and risers will be just like new. Saveing hunderds of dollars. And should this product that cannot fail somehow fail, we will send you free (with proof of purchase of the manifold epoxy and certified copies of 237 marine mechanics saying the improper use of the product was the cause of the failure) we will send you the wonderfully new microbot cast iron stitcher that will fix any crack in metal know to man, even if you can't see it.<br />How could you possibly go wrong....
Hey, sounds like a real moneymaker. Just look at the diet pill commercials on TV, lol.
 

trog100

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
751
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

i was never after a cheap manifold fix.. i know there isnt one.. he he.. i was mainly concerned about just how i should approach the inevitable failure of these expensive items..<br /><br />No 1.. assume i might have my boat only a couple of years and hope they last out and forget about them..<br /><br />No 2.. replace them just in case.. <br /><br />No 3.. use the boat with care and keep an eye and ear ever open for signs of things going wrong..<br /><br />####<br /><br />now i know that they (mostly) fail slowly and give fair warning that things are amiss i am quite happy to take the No 3.. option..<br /><br />the No 2 option is for those with money to spare and who dont want to have to bother with my No 3.. option.. this is a life-style approach and aint just connected to boat manifolds..<br /><br />as for that No 3 option.. well again its a life-style thing and is for those that cant afford the desirable but not entirely environmentally friendly No 2 option..<br /><br />with me its money.. i cant afford the No 2 way of life.. but i can see a logic for making things last a little longer if possble.. other than being just a cheapskate.. he he<br /><br />i see two main types of folks in the world.. there are those with common sense and there are those with money.. sadly one tends to negate the need for the other... he he he..<br /><br />and there aint nothing wrong with exploring possibilites.. even seemingly silly ones.. <br /><br />trog100<br /><br />ps.. my reply here is in a freeze damage thread its more appropriate to rust damage.. there are that many manifold threads going on i kinda forget what this one started off as..
 

onebadc10

Seaman
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
Messages
55
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

I did not mean to start a big controversy. I am not even trying to be cheap by repairing my manifold. Just trying to be (frugal) with my money.<br />Don you may need to look up that word.
 

lakelivin

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Aug 19, 2004
Messages
1,172
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

onebad,<br /><br />The more I'm learning about this sounds like it comes down to a risk/ reward equation that each will have to calculate for themself. The risk being total engine failure, the reward being saving money by getting extra time out of a manifold one might repair.<br /><br />Sounds like in this case 'frugal' to you may be considered by Don to be 'penny wise, pound foolish'. (I've got a feeling that his sarcasm isn't addressed at you in particular but the issue in general; it's shown up in so many threads over the past week or so.)<br /><br />trog has stated how he will approach the risk/ reward equation with his aging manifolds. At the end of the day everyone decides what to do with their own boat. But I'm sure glad to learn from the discussion about the issue, in this and the other recent threads about the issue....
 

rodbolt

Supreme Mariner
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Sep 1, 2003
Messages
20,066
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

dang<br /> DonS done stole my idea. <br /> I guess I will stick with selling bad gas rejuvenator at 50 dollars a tankful. but to comment on uncle Daves statement. its rare to be running down the river and hydrolock . it happens but rare. usually it starts out as a miss at idle. then a broken valve cause it stuck due torust. although sometimes they they will hydrolock when sitting and leaking.. by that time its usually sat for a few weeks and is junk.
 

trog100

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
751
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

pay small bill now to avoid paying big bill later is the reason always quoted..<br /><br />as u say lakelivin its down to personal choice..<br /><br />kind of a gamble thing really.. mind u in buying a sixteen year old boat i made my first gamble.. i should stop being penny wise pound foolish sell the thing while its still going and go out and spend twenty grand on a new bugger.. i could really relax then.. he he<br /><br />except of course i would have other more pressing things to worry about.. he he<br /><br />trog100<br /><br />ps.. and lakelivin.. one big thing that played a sigificant part in my way of approaching the manifold thing.. is the fact i might well decide to sell the boat before my manifold eventually fails.. if it was a simple question of now or say in a years time or in other words if i knew for certain that i was gonna keep the boat for long enough for these thinmgs to have to be replaced i might well say bugger it why risk things its as well to buy one now as later.. in fact i am sure i would..<br /><br />let me quote an ideal world situation from my point of view.. i get two years use praps even three out of my old boat with no major (expensive) mechanical repairs needed.. cosmetic repairs i expect.. then i sell it on for something close to what i paid for it and perhaps by a better one..<br /><br />these things are never as simple as they seem.. why we make the choices we do aint always obvious but buying old with the idea of throwing money at it to make it as good and as reliable as new is usually very bad practise where mechanical things are concerned..
 

lakelivin

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Aug 19, 2004
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1,172
Re: Chech for crack in manifold with temp gun

trog,<br /><br />if you got the feeling I was criticising your approach that's not the case. As a matter of fact, if I recall your info from a different thread, I'm probably in a similar situation to you. I've got an '89 4.3L Cobra. One manifold replaced 7 or 8 years ago due to known external cracks from freezing (frozen 'cause the plug was clogged when I drained it; the other one didn't clog and so didn't freeze). So I've got one 15 year old manifold, but I know the boat has only seen fresh water. Money is really tight for me now, so preventative replacement without any indication of a problem isn't really an option. I'm also gonna follow Don's advice from that other thread, keep close watch and address as soon as I see any sign that something might be amiss.
 
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