C-2
03-02-2003, 08:55 PM
Alright, heres my deal..
In October at the poker run I ended up with water in my 1,3,5,7 cylinders. The boat ran fine all day (actually all season), no overheating.
It happened like..
After running then idling for a few minutes I turned the boat off. After floating for another few minutes (not under power), I tried cranking it but this time it wouldnt start. I cranked it about 4-5 times before I realized it wasnt just flooded or something minor; I checked the oil and sure enough, chocolate milk. :mad: :mad: At the time assumed it was a head gasket, which puzzled me since it did not overheat and I am constantly monitoring my gauges. I ran the scenario by Paul Pfaff at the poker run, his suspicion was a header let loose.
That weekend really sucked and wrenching on the motor upon arriving home was the least of things on my agenda. I drained the chocolate milk, cranked out the water and fogged the cylinders/carb with WD40. I also yanked the headers (Lightnings) and saw what could be a hole in the inner tube.
----time passes on----
This morning Im all prepared to yank the motor, assuming I should do a complete rebuild. But after talking with my neighbor and a few others, we question if a rebuild is necessary. We put the headers under pressure and sure enough, there is pinhole leak in the #7 tube. The other header looks fine, no leaks but a noticeable wear pattern similar to the #7 tube. Other than the two spots, which are both where water settles, the other tubes look great.
BTW,Previously I had contacted Lightning; he acknowledged the old style headers with the carbon steel instead of stainless and offered to give me a smoking deal if I replaced them with a pair of the newer stainless tubes.
We do a compression check on all the cylinders, with all of them coming in at about 125-130 lbs. Except for the #2 cylinder that comes in at 150.
My stats are as follows;
1995 454 Mag, carbureted, 265 hours (most of which for the past few seasons consists of idling around and parking)
Lightning headers, the old style with the carbon steel inners
Maintained very well, oil changed every 15 hours.
My neighbor works with several professional welders and we believe the pinhole can be welded and the other similar looking spot reinforced, hopefully the steel is thick enough.
Assuming that can be done .
Am I ready to go again?
Are the compression amounts satisfactory?
Am I only prolonging the inevitable rebuild?
With my fist child arriving in two weeks, it sure would be great to bolt everything back together for another couple of seasons before a freshen up.
Whadda ya guys think and thanks in advance!
In October at the poker run I ended up with water in my 1,3,5,7 cylinders. The boat ran fine all day (actually all season), no overheating.
It happened like..
After running then idling for a few minutes I turned the boat off. After floating for another few minutes (not under power), I tried cranking it but this time it wouldnt start. I cranked it about 4-5 times before I realized it wasnt just flooded or something minor; I checked the oil and sure enough, chocolate milk. :mad: :mad: At the time assumed it was a head gasket, which puzzled me since it did not overheat and I am constantly monitoring my gauges. I ran the scenario by Paul Pfaff at the poker run, his suspicion was a header let loose.
That weekend really sucked and wrenching on the motor upon arriving home was the least of things on my agenda. I drained the chocolate milk, cranked out the water and fogged the cylinders/carb with WD40. I also yanked the headers (Lightnings) and saw what could be a hole in the inner tube.
----time passes on----
This morning Im all prepared to yank the motor, assuming I should do a complete rebuild. But after talking with my neighbor and a few others, we question if a rebuild is necessary. We put the headers under pressure and sure enough, there is pinhole leak in the #7 tube. The other header looks fine, no leaks but a noticeable wear pattern similar to the #7 tube. Other than the two spots, which are both where water settles, the other tubes look great.
BTW,Previously I had contacted Lightning; he acknowledged the old style headers with the carbon steel instead of stainless and offered to give me a smoking deal if I replaced them with a pair of the newer stainless tubes.
We do a compression check on all the cylinders, with all of them coming in at about 125-130 lbs. Except for the #2 cylinder that comes in at 150.
My stats are as follows;
1995 454 Mag, carbureted, 265 hours (most of which for the past few seasons consists of idling around and parking)
Lightning headers, the old style with the carbon steel inners
Maintained very well, oil changed every 15 hours.
My neighbor works with several professional welders and we believe the pinhole can be welded and the other similar looking spot reinforced, hopefully the steel is thick enough.
Assuming that can be done .
Am I ready to go again?
Are the compression amounts satisfactory?
Am I only prolonging the inevitable rebuild?
With my fist child arriving in two weeks, it sure would be great to bolt everything back together for another couple of seasons before a freshen up.
Whadda ya guys think and thanks in advance!