Leaking Exhaust riser at flange......Advice needed

[mytime]

I started the boat today on the hard and noticed a slow drip coming from the threaded area connecting the heat riser to the exhaust flange.
My intent is to remove the exhaust flange and attempt to tighten the heat riser onto the flange.
My concern is that it looks very rusted in that area. Should I have a new exhaust flange, heat riser, and shield ordered and ready to go at $500.
Or are you typically able to separate without any issues and reuse the parts? If so, that would be a repair of $10.
Thanks in advance for anyone who has had this problem.

 

[Donnybrook]

Sounds like you are leaking coolant. Try, carefully, to tighten the three nuts that hold the flange to the exhaust manifold.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Here are some ideas:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3945.0.html

 

[mytime]

Donny it seems like fresh water not coolant??
Stu thanks for the info
I connected a hose to the intake side of water pump. Could I have forced some fresh water into the exhaust with the pressure of the hose as the new aqualift muffler filled up? if water pressure was turned on without motor running?
I ran motor today and instead of running hose into the water pump I kept a bucket full and drew the water out with motor running using the water pump sucking out of bucket. initially there was about a drip per minute but seemed to stop when motor came up to temperature? Could it be steaming off? Motor ran fine no discoloration in exhaust or for that matter no smoke of any kind. Also no signs of exhaust leaking in engine compartment.... Baffled?

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Donny it seems like fresh water not coolant??
Stu thanks for the info
I connected a hose to the intake side of water pump. Could I have forced some fresh water into the exhaust with the pressure of the hose as the new aqualift muffler filled up? if water pressure was turned on without motor running?

That is a NONO !!! You can actually run water into cylinders through opened exhaust valves ! Do check your oil and if foamy or grayish change it immediately as well as the filter. You may have to do more than one change to get it back like it should be if you got water in the engine.

I ran motor today and instead of running hose into the water pump I kept a bucket full and drew the water out with motor running using the water pump sucking out of bucket.

Your pump sucks water out of the lake normally so pumping out of a bucket is the ONLY way to do it

Initially there was about a drip per minute but seemed to stop when motor came up to temperature? Could it be steaming off? Motor ran fine no discoloration in exhaust or for that matter no smoke of any kind. Also no signs of exhaust leaking in engine compartment.... Baffled?

You already ran the engine and you say it ran normally. So you might indeed have been real lucky with no consequences to connecting a hose to the intake. After making sure my the oil is OK, I would run engine again to bring it to operating temperature and I would check for exhaust gas leaks (you should feel it on your hand if you can put it close to the riser) or water (blue paper towel will show it very quickly if there is a water leak). If you're statisfied that everything is OK, then chalk it all up to experience. good luck.

 

[mytime]

You already ran the engine and you say it ran normally. So you might indeed have been real lucky with no consequences to connecting a hose to the intake. After making sure my the oil is OK, I would run engine again to bring it to operating temperature and I would check for exhaust gas leaks (you should feel it on your hand if you can put it close to the riser) or water (blue paper towel will show it very quickly if there is a water leak). If you're statisfied that everything is OK, then chalk it all up to experience. good luck.

Claude, The more I think about it I believe you may be right. I checked oil after running for 20 minutes and it looked clean not milky or water contaminated. I will note this experience as "What not to do" Thanks all