hello 1999 glastron gs 249 volvo penta 5.0 gi low hours,well maintained,changed spark plugs today,old plugs port side normal other side seemed dirty rust type substaince,condensation in cylinder,boat not in water last year,b4 that ran great,no problems,no oil in water,did not start it up last year left it winterized and covered,does that sound like a exhaust manifold problem,ty pete
rusty spark plugs one side only
- Thread starter bannditt
- Start date
Operated in salt water? How old are the manifolds? If never replaced, they're past due. If my lookup is right, these manifolds exhaust upwards, at the two center cylinders. Are those two (center) plugs more rusted than the ones at each end?
Is it running now? If so, do a compression test to see if the side with rusty plugs has lost compression.
YES, failed manifold, either at the "wet joints" where manifold mates to riser/elbow, or through its water jacket... is possible.
Is it running now? If so, do a compression test to see if the side with rusty plugs has lost compression.
YES, failed manifold, either at the "wet joints" where manifold mates to riser/elbow, or through its water jacket... is possible.
thanks JD HAPPY EASTER,boat was on a lake most of its life,the owner treated it well,however he passed away and unable to locate any maintenance records about manifolds,the manifolds are volvo penta,they look to good to be 17 year old they could be 7 plus)they are center exhaust and all plugs were equal dirty,going to start her up this week,how else could moisture get in cylinders?i only had boat 3 years 1 year in water total 250 hrs
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- Jan 1, 2000
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17 years even in fresh water is time for a change. My boat in freshwater only required new manifolds after 16 years. I got nervous, pulled them and found signs of rust and leakage. I think the realistic number for fresh water on manifolds is about 15 years, then yank them and inspect. If they are clean I would continue to pull them every other year for inspection.
bannditt, we're having a glorious Resurrection Sunday! Our EFree church hosts a Korean church and today we had a joint service and dinner. Now home catching up.
OK... I'm with GeeBee, boat that age with a "marinized" engine, 17 YOA is too old NOT to consider manifolds. I say marinized because I believe the venerable classic "speedboats" with those big heavy true marine engines (GrayMarine etc.) might have had thicker castings along with other factors contributing to even longer life spans.
There are black OEM MerC replacement manifolds and elbows, "Mercruiser" cast right into them and I'm sure there are Volvo-Penta replacements cast and painted like OEM. But most of us get aftermarket exhaust like Barr, Osco, GLM and so on. Osco, by the way, is now absorbed by Sierra. This is OK, they're still Osco-designed and cast. And, Sierra has taken a big jump in wet joint gaskets: they now sell a graphite gasket like MerC was providing. Those are FAR better than the fiber gaskets Osco and etc, including Sierra, provided till around the time Osco became Sierra.
Thinking of Bruce, I think you should spray some lubricant into those cylinders and crank it before trying to start it. The cylinder walls are probably oil-free by now and could have a rust film. Oil'll help in either case. Only problem with that is it'll make a compression test look artificially good if you can't run the engine to clear excess oil out and let everything go back to natural state.
But I digress. What I'm thinking is if the manifolds on this V-P look original, I'm gonna guess they are and it's time to pull them. Pull the Riser/Elbows off first if the design of the boat allows you to. On ours, it's very difficult since the ends of the elbows extend under the edge of the engine compartment and they're on long studs with spacer blocks. But if yours are bolted, short studs, or can clear, pull riser only. Peel all the gaskets and look at the surfaces of the wet joints, the margins of the wet joints (separating water passages from exhaust passage), and look for rust flakes in the passages of both components. When we replace ours, the surfaces are eroded, the margins are thin, and the passages look like they're full of Frito's.
I think you'll be changing out the exhaust. And if you don't you'll soon be wishing you did.
OK... I'm with GeeBee, boat that age with a "marinized" engine, 17 YOA is too old NOT to consider manifolds. I say marinized because I believe the venerable classic "speedboats" with those big heavy true marine engines (GrayMarine etc.) might have had thicker castings along with other factors contributing to even longer life spans.
There are black OEM MerC replacement manifolds and elbows, "Mercruiser" cast right into them and I'm sure there are Volvo-Penta replacements cast and painted like OEM. But most of us get aftermarket exhaust like Barr, Osco, GLM and so on. Osco, by the way, is now absorbed by Sierra. This is OK, they're still Osco-designed and cast. And, Sierra has taken a big jump in wet joint gaskets: they now sell a graphite gasket like MerC was providing. Those are FAR better than the fiber gaskets Osco and etc, including Sierra, provided till around the time Osco became Sierra.
Thinking of Bruce, I think you should spray some lubricant into those cylinders and crank it before trying to start it. The cylinder walls are probably oil-free by now and could have a rust film. Oil'll help in either case. Only problem with that is it'll make a compression test look artificially good if you can't run the engine to clear excess oil out and let everything go back to natural state.
But I digress. What I'm thinking is if the manifolds on this V-P look original, I'm gonna guess they are and it's time to pull them. Pull the Riser/Elbows off first if the design of the boat allows you to. On ours, it's very difficult since the ends of the elbows extend under the edge of the engine compartment and they're on long studs with spacer blocks. But if yours are bolted, short studs, or can clear, pull riser only. Peel all the gaskets and look at the surfaces of the wet joints, the margins of the wet joints (separating water passages from exhaust passage), and look for rust flakes in the passages of both components. When we replace ours, the surfaces are eroded, the margins are thin, and the passages look like they're full of Frito's.
I think you'll be changing out the exhaust. And if you don't you'll soon be wishing you did.
Pressure test the cylinders first. If one or more cylinders are low on that side, it can indicate a blown head gasket too. I don't disagree with replacing the manifolds, but if the had gaskets have to be replaced, there is not a better time to do it than when you already have the exhaust manifolds off.
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