So it’s the 4th weekend and motoring up the ct river we get ugly noise and smoke. Open the hatch and see that the exhaust piping has broken clean off just above the custom piece of the Y connection. We limp into a nearby harbor, but at the end of that two mile run, I have lost about half of my power. I know how to replace e the exhaust as I have done it before, but can anyone tell me what the power loss means?
Blown exhast
- Thread starter odaydokay
- Start date
Just out of curiosity, is this engine gas or diesel? Was seawater pouring into the boat anywhere? What is your oil level and what color is the oil?
We can't begin to make a guess what the issue is until we have A L L the details of what happened when it failed.
Not a great way to start a holiday weekend.
The Y connector you mentioned, is this the water injection fitting? Do you have a photo.
One possiblity is the broken exhaust reduced the back pressure on the exhaust system which may be part of the reason for the power loss. It is also entirely possible that the two events, power loss and exhaust failure are unrelated.
Some more detail and photos would help.
The Y connector you mentioned, is this the water injection fitting? Do you have a photo.
One possiblity is the broken exhaust reduced the back pressure on the exhaust system which may be part of the reason for the power loss. It is also entirely possible that the two events, power loss and exhaust failure are unrelated.
Some more detail and photos would help.
Apologies for the lack of info. It has happened only an hour before and I was on a hand held device with which I was not familiar. Home now, so here goes:
This is a Universal Marine M12 Diesel (Kubota base tractor engine). The photos showed where the water injection fitting (Thanks DL for reminding me of the name) broke at the first elbow above. As the rest of the awful plumbing (not stainless, but rather black pipe) was so corrroded, I accessed by extensive tool kit and pulled everything off all the way from the water muffler fitting (large rubber hose you see) to and including the flange at the header. Thanksfully with some WD40, I got the 3 studs off. So after I wrote last night I am thinking why the power loss and reminded myself we ran the motor for 45 minutes with awful smoke trapped in the engine compartment. Accordingly, I thought the air filter must have taken a lot of smoke and soot an that tine intake was probably getting 75% smoke and 25% air or worse. I pulled off the filter canister and the mesh screen and foam filter and I have never seen something so awful, foam totally soot filled. Cleaned all and put in a new foam. So now the question modified: Is the bad or no air the engine was getting enough to leave it down on power? I am guessing yes, but the previous time I had bad exhaust problem I got a warning with light soot only from a small perforation. Thoughts?
This is a Universal Marine M12 Diesel (Kubota base tractor engine). The photos showed where the water injection fitting (Thanks DL for reminding me of the name) broke at the first elbow above. As the rest of the awful plumbing (not stainless, but rather black pipe) was so corrroded, I accessed by extensive tool kit and pulled everything off all the way from the water muffler fitting (large rubber hose you see) to and including the flange at the header. Thanksfully with some WD40, I got the 3 studs off. So after I wrote last night I am thinking why the power loss and reminded myself we ran the motor for 45 minutes with awful smoke trapped in the engine compartment. Accordingly, I thought the air filter must have taken a lot of smoke and soot an that tine intake was probably getting 75% smoke and 25% air or worse. I pulled off the filter canister and the mesh screen and foam filter and I have never seen something so awful, foam totally soot filled. Cleaned all and put in a new foam. So now the question modified: Is the bad or no air the engine was getting enough to leave it down on power? I am guessing yes, but the previous time I had bad exhaust problem I got a warning with light soot only from a small perforation. Thoughts?
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You did one hell of a lot better in you initial write up that I could have. I'd have been in some bar, half passed out after going through that
!Pretty sure that's the cause of the loss of power. With the lack of oxygen plus soot in the filter, it became a vicious circle. The only thing in the compartment was exhaust which had almost no O2 so the exhaust became smokier which further plugged the filter which further made .................................. etc, etc, etc
.Any possibility you can make that exhaust fitting out of SS ?
Thanks to this terrific site I did some reseaarch to see what others did. I learned that Westerbeke (2004 no less) cam up with a cleaner more elegant setup, stating that the original design was O'Day's and not Universal's anda that it was not working well (duh to that!)
New type of exhaust flange replaces old, new part nipple or similar with the water injection connection right nearby. Then you run normal exhaust pipe all the way down to the water muffler. If this is true, cooler exhaust for sure, no need for a wrap and no black pipe and cheap-assed injection nipple that fails every 10-15 years (This was my third nipple that filed and second or third black pipe failure in the 28 years I have owned, though have to could all 38 years since build date probably.) I will call Westerbeke tomorrow to see if this "fantastically happy tale" is really true.
The wife was impressed how I pulled all that crap off the engine, us sitting at this mooring....until she saw how filthy I was when I cam out of the "hell hole". Gojo took care of most of it..
New type of exhaust flange replaces old, new part nipple or similar with the water injection connection right nearby. Then you run normal exhaust pipe all the way down to the water muffler. If this is true, cooler exhaust for sure, no need for a wrap and no black pipe and cheap-assed injection nipple that fails every 10-15 years (This was my third nipple that filed and second or third black pipe failure in the 28 years I have owned, though have to could all 38 years since build date probably.) I will call Westerbeke tomorrow to see if this "fantastically happy tale" is really true.
The wife was impressed how I pulled all that crap off the engine, us sitting at this mooring....until she saw how filthy I was when I cam out of the "hell hole". Gojo took care of most of it..
This saga ended yesterday when I got the part from Westerbeke. Large Northeast distributor Hansen did not stock and forget about finding it at a dealer, but Hansen should have had this. (The Hansen guy said, "just change it every 5 years", ridiculous when you think about it as it should have been ss in the first place and yes, $250 for SS would be fine with me instead of crappy for $74.50. And the Hansen guy put his foot in his mouth as, if all the boats that use this nipple will break it every 5-10 years, he should have had the bloody part in stock!)). Just shameful how crappy this part is. Cannot say much for O'day using black iron for the rest of the system, but it lasts longer than this nipple and can be found at any decent plumbing supply, 3 elbows and 3 nipples. I am now having the injection nipple made for me custom in SS. Those operating in salt water that do not want to swap out in 5 years or break in the middle of a voyage should either stock the nipple and the pipe pieces on board or get the part made in SS as I am. Lesson learned for me, For you all, maybe look at when that part was last changed.
And oh yes, the Hansen guy made it sound like one must go to 2" flange and pipe to make the mod I noted earlier work, but I was in a hurry and had no time to get creative.
Black iron pipe was used for injection elbows by more than just O'Day, Sabre also used them back in the 70's and 80's. When mine failed, I purchased new pipe at the HW store and had the welding class at my HS weld it up. I don't remember what the cost was, but it was pretty inexpensive.
Hansen Marine is a pretty small operation. Maybe a half dozen employees and a pretty small warehouse, I've been there. If you spoke with Fred, he is a little rough around the edges.
Hansen Marine is a pretty small operation. Maybe a half dozen employees and a pretty small warehouse, I've been there. If you spoke with Fred, he is a little rough around the edges.
Black iron exhaust risers can last a long time, it's usually the injection elbow that fails. I replaced one on my Catalina 36 with Universal M25. I had a plumbing supply place cut and screw new iron for a new rise, and purchase the elbow, from Hansen, I think.
Stainless is better for the injection elbow, of course.
I have had nothing but excellent experiences with Hansen, BTW, including conversations with Bob Hansen to sort out issues on my Universal and Westerbeke engines. They usually get parts out the same day you order, and they miraculously arrive at my boat yard the next day via UPS.
Stainless is better for the injection elbow, of course.
I have had nothing but excellent experiences with Hansen, BTW, including conversations with Bob Hansen to sort out issues on my Universal and Westerbeke engines. They usually get parts out the same day you order, and they miraculously arrive at my boat yard the next day via UPS.
I have not had much experience with Hansen, no big axe to grind here either, though I wish they had stocked the part, but if it is not a mover no one stocks anything anymore, relying on the mfg or importer to finance the inventory. Sign of the times.
I've gotten all kinds of oddball parts from Hansen, in stock; like a custom molded coolant hose for my Westerbeke M35B-FOUR. Also seawater pump, and so on. Kinda pricey, but if it's available it's worth it. You just have to ask and hope!
Something like an injection elbow I would think a "generic" would be fine, doesn't have to engine specific.
I got super lucky when by chance I was working (cleaning) in the engine compartment. I had jammed myself into the lazarette, trying to clean the other side of the engine compartment when I knocked the old (identical to one in the OP's picture) water connector and black pipe. It just disintegrated!!! After separating the flange from the manifold I tried separating the flange from the black pipe. Sure sounds simple. Never happened. I could not budge the sucker. So I bought a new one and a new elbow with the water injection port from Discount Marine Source. Put it all together and now I rest easy.
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Any idea what the red mixing fitting is made of ? Almost looks like some form of ceramic coating which should last forever and a day, even in that environment.
Here is one unfinished. Looks like it's casted. Maybe a mix of iron and some other metals. I can't say for sure and the sites I looked up don't give any information.
Interesting little beast. If it's stainless steel, a magnet won't stick to it. Other than that ? ? ? ? ? ? ?