Hello,
I have a 2005 Mercruiser 5.0L MPI engine. It's for a Bravo 3 so it has the integrated water pump. I am changing the manifolds and elbows (and I also have spacers) and have two quick questions.
One, I bought new sierra manifolds. The directions say to use red threadlocker on the bolts, but everything I've read online says to use anti-seize. What's the best practice here?
Two, I bought the same manifold part number. They came with a little drain:

But, my current manifolds don't have this drain. Instead, on the only port that seems like it would fit the drain, they have a little Y-connector piece:

What is this piece? Does anyone know what part number it is? It seems like I should replace it since they're quite old and rusty. It ties back into my water system if that helps identify it. Or is there some reason I should switch over to the drain? The piece in my current manifold is not a drain, I don't think... one side of the Y threads into the manifold, another outlet is tied into my thermostat housing, and the one pointing down goes into a tube that seems directly tied into my water recirculating system. So I don't think it's designed to drain.
Or, am I completely missing something and my manifolds actually have both parts and I'm just not seeing the drain on my old manifold?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
I have a 2005 Mercruiser 5.0L MPI engine. It's for a Bravo 3 so it has the integrated water pump. I am changing the manifolds and elbows (and I also have spacers) and have two quick questions.
One, I bought new sierra manifolds. The directions say to use red threadlocker on the bolts, but everything I've read online says to use anti-seize. What's the best practice here?
Two, I bought the same manifold part number. They came with a little drain:

But, my current manifolds don't have this drain. Instead, on the only port that seems like it would fit the drain, they have a little Y-connector piece:

What is this piece? Does anyone know what part number it is? It seems like I should replace it since they're quite old and rusty. It ties back into my water system if that helps identify it. Or is there some reason I should switch over to the drain? The piece in my current manifold is not a drain, I don't think... one side of the Y threads into the manifold, another outlet is tied into my thermostat housing, and the one pointing down goes into a tube that seems directly tied into my water recirculating system. So I don't think it's designed to drain.
Or, am I completely missing something and my manifolds actually have both parts and I'm just not seeing the drain on my old manifold?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated, thanks!


