This is excellent advice. If you don't, and water gets in the engine, it'll
really mess it up, if not destroy it. Don't ask me how I know this.

--


Keith
__
What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?
"John Gaquin" wrote in message
...
"Grampa Bob" wrote in message
om...
My question oncerns my Ford 352 inboard motor. It is a V8 with each
side having its own risers and exhaust pipes. For about three years I
have noticed steam....

The manifolds, risers, and elbows are cast iron parts that are considered
replacable. They corrode over the years, particularly in seawater. The
crucial problem is that if you corrode through from the exhaust chamber to
the water jacket, you could wind up leaking seawater into a cylinder
through
the exhaust valve. This is generally not considered a good thing.
Questions:

How long have you been running the boat?
How long since the manifolds/risers/elbows replaced? Nominal life
generally
5-10 years, sometimes longer if you're lucky, often closer to the low end
in
salt water.
Is the engine raw-water cooled, or do you run glycol in the block?
Are you running in salt water, or fresh?

Pop the risers and elbows and take a look. If the water jackets are
clogged
with flaky, rusty crud, replace. Then pull the manifolds and have them
cleaned out at least. Possible replacement.

JG