cooling system/exhaust steam/ update

[nyiftos]

Hi guys again from a far, hope the weather there is as mild as here.
Back to update on an issue I had after replacing head gaskets.
1) because of sticky valves I had to remove the head.
2) Found bad/bent valve spring, replaced it, cleaned and inspected all other valves and springs and reassembled.
3)Performed a thorough cleaning of all cooling passages, pressure tested the exhaust manifold, replaced the w/p impeller and pump seals.
3) Questioned the reasoning behind the use of 2! head gaskets(the engine only had 1! at time of dissassembly) but used the set and reassembled head.Torqued over 35ft. pds.
4) Start engine and temp, oil etc at perfect readings BUT some steam at exhaust, less at idle more and more at higher rpm .
All kinds of thoughts of what may have gone wrong, always thinking that the 2 head gaskets may have not seated just right and all hell going thru my thoughts...
Pressure tested manifold again, no problem, pressure tested all cooling system, no problem.
Upon different times of ispection of plugs I started to see moisture/small water drops but sometimes on #4 sometimes on #1, puzzling but surely not head gasket and more of manifold leak?
After lots of head scratching and other things, temperature starts to climb more steam out the exhaust and very little water.
More head scratching and finally remove the hose from the anti-siphon to the EXHAUST RISER!( which happens to have the water entry on the engine side!), find that water enters from the bent elbow on the side of the engine, internally it has a tube/channel (same idea as the manifold to cool the riser)and exits on the downside of the exhaust system on the way to the water lift and out.SURE enough the internal tube is plugged as well as rusted thru to create a small hole and allow water on the side of the engine!!!
Well that is the final chapter to the small amount of steam comming out the exhaust although the temp was all normal.
Hope this may come handy to anyone that has this particular EXHAUST RISER in his engine system. It took me a lot of patience effort and persistence along with other things to learn a lesson on marine exhaust systems.
I want to thank this forum for all the unbelievably extensive amount of info!!!
All curiosity can be solved as long as you have the patience to search thru it.

[hanleyclifford]

Thanks for the epilogue; that's what we like here - another problem solved.