Exhaust repaired.. or is it?

[mary]

Hello all,

I posted about repairing my rotted hot exhaust section awhile back and I have finally gotten all the parts and found time to repair it. FWC engine.

I ordered stainless fittings from Grainger.. added up to around $60

I re-used the water injection fitting and flange and replaced exhaust hose aft with new. Someone had installed PVC instead of exhaust hose previously.

I wasn't able to get the 45 coupling as tight as I wanted to the first nipple because I needed it to line up properly. It was quite snug, but I didn't wrench on it as much as I did the others. There is a small leak there. I can see a tiny sliver of exhaust escaping as well as a few drops of water while the engine is running.
First, should water even be there? I don't have room in my Ericson 35 to run the exhaust up before sloping down to keep the water out and this is the way it was routed before. Second, will this become sealed by crud and stop leaking or do I need to do more?

There is another tiny leak in the weld between where the water injection pipe connects to the larger pipe body. Sea water squirts out there a little. I suppose I'll have to replace the whole part, but is there a way to patch the hole in the meantime? JB Weld?

[ndutton]

The 45

• Any exhaust leak no matter how small is dangerous and I would not rely on it sealing itself over time. Your health and that of your guests is at stake so let's please get it tighter even if it means buying a huge pipe wrench for the added leverage.
• There should be no water at the 45, not until after the water injection fitting. Have you done a water jacket pressure test of the manifold?

The water injection fitting
You can try JB Weld as a temporary fix but I'm skeptical due to heat and vibration.

[JOHN COOKSON]

A union immediately after the manifold would be very helpful. You could assemble the new hot section then tighten the union finger tight to see if you like it, then make adjustments and get every thing tight in the cockpit, then repeat as necessary. I used a union like this when I rebuilt my hot section. It worked well.
As far as the hole goes I would suspect that the hole will get larger as corrosive gasses pass through it.
How much water was dripping out and how hot was the engine? I've seen autos with water dripping out the exhaust when the engine wasn't warmed up. Was it something like this maybe?

TRUE GRIT

[Don Moyer]

Hi Mary, I don't see where anyone has asked if the coolant level in your FWC system is going down in your expansion tank. Or, if you're using a colored antifreeze, does your leak look like that antifreeze. If not, then to Neil's point, there should be no raw water showing up that far above your raw water entry point while the engine is running unless there is some design flaw in your exhaust system. If we get into that exercise, it would be helpful if you could post a sketch (or photos) of the rest of your system. Don

[mary]

Thank you for the help.

ndutton: I have not done a water jacket pressure test. Nobody will be allowed down below with the engine running until all exhaust leaks are gone.

John Cookson: thank you for the union idea.. that would help a lot.
It was a drip every 30 seconds or so. You mean condensation in the pipe before it was warmed up that escaped? It was 107 degrees for a few days here in the Bay Area, I wonder if that had any effect. I'll run it again when I return and take note. It remember it dripping even after the engine was at 180 degrees.

Don Moyer: The coolant level in the expansion tank has remained the same. It is bright green and the leak in question is clear. I'll take more photos when I get back to the boat, but hopefully my childish drawing will help. The raw water hose comes forward from a (I think) water heater heat exchanger.
The exhaust line runs up and around a bend below the cockpit aft of the muffler.. drawing not good.

I talked to Ken on the phone today and ordered a new water injection fitting and proper manifold to flange gasket (he said don't use silicone there).

[ndutton]

Good Mary, please be safe. In the drawing, can you estimate the height of the engine exhaust flange compared to the waterlift inlet? Is the waterlift on the boat's centerline?

[mary]

Originally Posted by ndutton

Good Mary, please be safe. In the drawing, can you estimate the height of the engine exhaust flange compared to the waterlift inlet? Is the waterlift on the boat's centerline?

It is on the centerline and the manifold is at least 6 inches higher.

[mary]

Update.. there is no longer water seeping from the 45 joint.