Would like opinion on the condition of the exhaust elbow Mercruiser 3.0

[Bababouy]

It's a 2007 with not too many hours. It has been in salt water the past two seasons and flushed, salt away, every time. Should I replace? The shutter looks good with zero rust.

 

[achris]

Clean the gasket off and re-photograph. Can't see the places we need to see with the gasket in place. And a bit closer to the gasket surface..

 

[Rick Stephens]

Agree with Chris, but what little can see looks pretty good.

 

[Bababouy]

Sorry about the bad pics. I can tell you that the round end is the worst of it. I am gonna descale the inside somehow. The manifold seems solid, I am having a ***** of a time removing the old gasket from it.

 

[stonyloam]

Try "draw filing" the flat surface. Clamp the elbow, and take a bastard cut file lay it flat on the surface, and with a hand on each end pull it toward you. Let the angled cuts on the file remove the high spots (gasket in this case) without gouging the surface. Like this https://www.google.com/search?q=bas...#tbm=isch&q=draw+filing&imgrc=bl4JeBNiUNMllM: Start with a course file and finish up with a fine, a little care and it will leave you with a nice flat surface.

 

[achris]

I use a very sharp 1" wood chisel to remove the main part of the gasket, then a wood brickies' float with about 120 girt emery on it to 'flatten out' the rest.

 

[Bababouy]

The hard part is the gasket that remains on the manifold. Why isn't this gasket a bit more modern, with a composite makeup. I could see a metal gasket with o-rings in it.

 

[achris]

Too much heat. Also the need to seal well. If that gasket leaks, you lose the engine. When you replace, use ONLY the Merc genuine gasket. A 'home made' gasket or an aftermarket gasket will not work.

Chris.......

 

[Bababouy]

No Title

This is the gunk that came out of the elbow after chipping away at it and a couple of bangs with a hammer. I figure maybe one more season?? The manifold looked fine with no flaking that I could see

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... So far, yer lookin' in all the wrong places,....

Yer lookin' for the width of the gasket surfaces,...
They need to be solid iron, wide enough to support the gasket,...
Should be atleast 1/4" wide all 'round, where the gasket meets the riser, 'n the manifold,...
It's the gasket surfaces that fail, not so much the riser or manifold inner surfaces,....

That's why ya clean 'em with a flat file, to see where, 'n how flat the gasket surfaces are,.....

 

[Lou C]

Agreed with those above, it looks good, but we can't see the actual sealing surface, is it pitted and rusted, or will it clean up flat? One of your cooling outlets looked clogged also.

 

[bruceb58]

Agreed with those above, it looks good, but we can't see the actual sealing surface, is it pitted and rusted, or will it clean up flat? One of your cooling outlets looked clogged also.

That picture that Lou just showed is a riser on the top and a manifold on the bottom. A new riser is going to look quite a bit different than a manifold.

 

[Bababouy]

No Title

If I can describe it... The sealing surface looked good with no scratches deeper than a razor blade scratch from me scratching the surface removing the gasket remnants. No corrosion or pitting on either the manifold or elbow sealing surfaces. I used a new oem gasket and Permatex aviation and automotive gasket sealer recommended elsewhere. I also chased the threads in the bolts and manifold and torqued down to 30 ft lbs.

 

[Bababouy]

Also, there are four cooling outlets on the manifold and three intakes on the elbow. The gasket has three holes in it as well. BTW, I did trim the gasket a bit where the gasket material was obstructing the passage. This was an oem gasket and the old gasket was also blocking some of the passage. Looks like Merc doesn't match the hole sizes in the gasket very well.

 

[bruceb58]

Yes...your riser is perfectly fine.

 

[flipbro]

For future reference. I've always used my 4 1/2 angle grinder or dye grinder with a brass wheel. Makes short work of old gasket. Then take a flat file and go over it.

 

[crazy charlie]

When in boubt......CHANGE IT OUT.... the cost outweighs the potential cost if it fails but thats just my 2 cents...Charlie

 

[Bababouy]

I appreciate the tips. Will change it out next season.