OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

[Volphin]

Was due to do a little carb tuning this morning on my 4.3L . Decided to muff it in the yard and just adjust the idle mixture. Motor would not start. Hydo locked. W T H?

Water out of #3, 5 and 4. Traces on #6 plug. Ooooooooo I'm POd. Pulled the new manifolds and I'm having them pressure checked at a machine shop Monday. I just upgraded the heads and intake too. Everything was normal and went together well. Blew the water out of the cylinders and squirted some oil in them. Rotated the engine with the starter and the rotating assy sounds fine. Compression test was performed and all cyls are at least 165.

Just wanted to vent. If it is those manifolds, I'll be really ticked. They are new 2-3 hours ago.

V

 

[Don S]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Who's manifolds and elbows did you buy?

 

[mpdive]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Sorry to hear that Volphin. I hope you get this straightened out quickly. That sucks. Maybe we should sell the boats and buy airplanes.....

 

[RandyJ]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Sorry to hear that Volphin. I hope you get this straightened out quickly. That sucks. Maybe we should sell the boats and buy airplanes.....

OMIGOD! If I have as much luck with airplanes as I have had with boats then I'd already be dead... lots of difference when you lose power on water than in the air.... But I have been fantasizing about having an ultralight... I guess the reason I haven't gotten into ultralights is because it's damn hard to fish from up there....

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Who's manifolds and elbows did you buy?

They are GLM aluminum manifolds & elbows. Odd how some cylinders were affected and not others... maybe it was the trailer pitch or orientation. They are under warranty of course, but hopefully it is just a riser gasket or something simple. I really don't have the time for another teardown. Busy coaching little league!

The heads checked out at the machine shop during buildup. I still have all my shop tools, so the deck got a good cleaning with my air gasket scraper.

V

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Sorry to hear that Volphin. I hope you get this straightened out quickly. That sucks. Maybe we should sell the boats and buy airplanes.....

Well then I'd just have to pull two plugs per cyl when it hydrolocks... lol. I'll betcha I get this licked before my fins win a game! HA!

V

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

OMIGOD! If I have as much luck with airplanes as I have had with boats then I'd already be dead... lots of difference when you lose power on water than in the air.... But I have been fantasizing about having an ultralight... I guess the reason I haven't gotten into ultralights is because it's damn hard to fish from up there....

That sir, is the problem. Not a big enough reel for all that line!

Fish fear me, and
women want me.
(Bought my dad a hat that said that for his 70th b-day!)

V

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

They are GLM aluminum manifolds & elbows. Odd how some cylinders were affected and not others... maybe it was the trailer pitch or orientation. They are under warranty of course, but hopefully it is just a riser gasket or something simple. I really don't have the time for another teardown. Busy coaching little league!

The heads checked out at the machine shop during buildup. I still have all my shop tools, so the deck got a good cleaning with my air gasket scraper.

V

Ahhhh GLM.... Stands for Gonna Likely Malfunction...

 

[Don S]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

They are GLM aluminum manifolds & elbows.

Bond-o had a post on here some time back about some GLM manifolds and risers he had that leaked. Turned out the gasket surfaces weren't flat. I think he had them faced..
Just one of the hazards of buying by cheapest price alone.

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Bond-o had a post on here some time back about some GLM manifolds and risers he had that leaked. Turned out the gasket surfaces weren't flat. I think he had them faced..
Just one of the hazards of buying by cheapest price alone.

It wasn't the cost Don, it was the weight savings. I'll look up that post, thanks!

V

 

[rick3452]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

When you replace them use only OEM Gaskets,, much better than aftermarket.....

 

[rwxyz]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

It wasn't the cost Don, it was the weight savings. I'll look up that post, thanks!

V

How much weight we talking about?

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

How much weight we talking about?

54lbs total. Probably 51 in actuality after the box and extra fittings that went unused.


V

 

[Bondo]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Ayuh,.... On mine, the center area around the exhaust passage was 'bout .010 or more deeper, than the outside edge of the water passages....

Had 'em Flattened, 'n used Merc gaskets, 'n they're still holdin'....

 

[ewenm]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

you wouldn't use them (Aluminium)on a moored boat though would you, only on a trailer boat that you can flush, how about the one piece stainless steel ones i see advertised

would you use them on a full time moored boat??? (salt water)

or is it better just to stick with cast iron and replace them every 4 / 5 years or as determined by inspection.

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Ayuh,.... On mine, the center area around the exhaust passage was 'bout .010 or more deeper, than the outside edge of the water passages....

Had 'em Flattened, 'n used Merc gaskets, 'n they're still holdin'....

That's what they are going to do to mine. Did you use any type of sealant on the manifold to elbow gasket? I was thinking about 3M weatherstrip adhesive. I have used it for years on water pumps and such and it seals like nobody's business. Don't know how it would react to being so close to exhaust gasses. These manifolds have the four channels. Merc makes a gasket for that?

V

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

you wouldn't use them (Aluminium)on a moored boat though would you, only on a trailer boat that you can flush, how about the one piece stainless steel ones i see advertised

would you use them on a full time moored boat??? (salt water)

or is it better just to stick with cast iron and replace them every 4 / 5 years or as determined by inspection.

You could use them with an anode. Hey, they out drives are AL.

V

 

[Don S]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Aluminum manifolds should not be used in salt water. Salt water corrodes the aluminum away very quickly, not electrolysis.
That's why you don't see aluminum blocked engines (aka 470's) being raw water cooled, and aluminum intakes on salt water engines.

Oh, and outdrives are also painted, try that on the inside of the manifold water passages.

 

[John_S]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

The Merc gaskets that I last used on my iron manifolds, were a graphite/ss type. There was a service bulletin on which gasket to use for which interface, manifold to riser, riser to elbow, and depended on what type of cooling system you had. I don't remember using any additional sealant. A search should be able to find it.

http://www.boatfix.com/merc/Bullet/99/99_10.pdf

 

[Volphin]

Re: OK, now I'm just plain mad at my 4.3L

Aluminum manifolds should not be used in salt water. Salt water corrodes the aluminum away very quickly, not electrolysis.
That's why you don't see aluminum blocked engines (aka 470's) being raw water cooled, and aluminum intakes on salt water engines.

Oh, and outdrives are also painted, try that on the inside of the manifold water passages.

Good point Don. I stand corrected. <blush>

V