cracked manifold????

[cmtaylor777]

If anyone has any advise I would greatly appreciate it.

I recently too my 2004 launch in for winterization. When the service was done the shop asked me to come in and observe what they found. The mechanic is stating that there are small hairline cracks in both right and left manifolds. He pointed out that there was a rust color on the bottom of both manifolds. He "officially" advised me to replace both manifolds. He then "unofficially" gave me another suggestion. He stated that they could grind down the paint and JB Weld the small cracks then repaint. He said you wouldn't be able to tell it was even worked on.

This then made me a little leery. Not sure if this is common or if this is the act of a mechanic needing to generate a little business. I told him to hold off on doing the repairs. I figured if its as basic as a little JB Weld, i could handle doing the repair myself.

Long story short......what do you guys think? Is he full of crap or could this be legit?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[86Pirata454]

can you pressure test the system? See if it leaks then go from there.

[Fman]

If anyone has any advise I would greatly appreciate it.

I recently too my 2004 launch in for winterization. When the service was done the shop asked me to come in and observe what they found. The mechanic is stating that there are small hairline cracks in both right and left manifolds. He pointed out that there was a rust color on the bottom of both manifolds. He "officially" advised me to replace both manifolds. He then "unofficially" gave me another suggestion. He stated that they could grind down the paint and JB Weld the small cracks then repaint. He said you wouldn't be able to tell it was even worked on.

This then made me a little leery. Not sure if this is common or if this is the act of a mechanic needing to generate a little business. I told him to hold off on doing the repairs. I figured if its as basic as a little JB Weld, i could handle doing the repair myself.

Long story short......what do you guys think? Is he full of crap or could this be legit?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Do you have any pictures? I would think welding it would be a better long term solution. Although JB Weld does work well on the right applications.

[Salty87]

if you've ridden in salt alot, that's about all you can expect from manifolds or risers. can't imagine there's much salt near you though.

there wouldn't be any guarantee of success with jb weld. pressure testing would be best. you run a pretty big risk of damage if your engine is ingesting water.

that said, i've got some jb weld on one of my manifolds. tiny little crack and all seems well so far.

[michael hunter]

Did he say what caused the cracks?

[cmtaylor777]

We recently got several days of off and on freezes. It has been at their shop for a month now. I didn't really complain about it taking so long since I didn't have to bother with it being stored. I question if they drained it as soon as I dropped off the boat but there is no way of proving if they did or not. He said it must have happened during one of the cold spells before I dropped it off.

With myself being a newby boat owner, I just questioned the fact that the mechanics are being straight up with me. I have no way of pressure testing it so I am really at their mercy.(without getting a second opinion) I guess if they were really trying to milk me they would have told me to replace the manifolds.

Does anyone know how hard it would be to do the repairs myself? Are the manifolds "pull off and put on" parts? Never really broke a motor down so I don't really know for sure what it consists of.

[sybrmike]

I don't know what style manifolds they put on in 2004, but repair options will depend on the material of the manifolds. If they're the traditional cast iron - you can't weld 'em, but may be able to braze. They're not structural & only see a few psi of pressure, so JB may be an option - I've seen that stuff hold up pretty well in the right circumstances. Depends on where the cracks are located & how hot it gets in that area.

If they're the slick new fabricated steel header type, welding would be the best option IMO.

[cmtaylor777]

Pretty sure they are cast iron.

[agetech]

I left water in one of my exhaust manifolds years ago in a VIP inboard. Found out it was cracked when I was in the middle of the lake and had water coming up in the bilge. The boat was only two years old at the time. I found a a welding shop that specialized in head repair on diesel equipment. They heated the manifold in a furnace and then brazed the crack. I never had any trouble with the repair in the five years I had the boat after that.

[cmtaylor777]

Well here is the concern that I have. When I showed up to look at the cracks, the Manifolds were still on the motor. he points out that the cracks are on the bottom where there was a little rust showing. I know that he didn't remove the Manifolds and test them. And I know if the cracks are small hairline cracks then how would he be able to tell that they were there. I could barely get down low enough to see the rust.

It just seems fishy to me.