84 3.0 Exhaust Riser Gasket Leak

[Riflejake]

End of last season I pulled the manifold off to repair a small crack with JB Weld and replaced all gaskets of the manifold riser, etc, upon re-assembly. The repair has held fine. Took the boat out over the weekend and realized that my Riser gasket is now leaking somewhat well. Weird. Pulled the riser off yesterday and sure enough the gasket is has a small crack/tear on the underside. The replacement gasket was purchased off Amazon that claimed it was OEM, there's a chance it wasn't. The new one is 100% OEM from a local marina and will be installed on clean metal today.

I'm mostly posting to get a weigh in and a few questions answered.
1. I did notice some water that is pooled in the exhaust manifold where it reaches the riser. Is this normal? I noticed it last year when I pulled everything off to repair the engine block crack.
2. Oil isn't cloudy whatsoever so I'm not too concerned for leaks of oil in the cooling.
3. Anything else I should be on the lookout for?

 

[Scott Danforth]

no, water in the exhaust chamber of the manifold is not normal.

yes, water in the water jacket of the manifold is normal

leaking gasket could have leaked into exhaust side.

 

[Bondo]

1. I did notice some water that is pooled in the exhaust manifold where it reaches the riser. Is this normal? I noticed it last year when I pulled everything off to repair the engine block crack.

Nope,... Not normal, there should never be water on the exhaust side,....

 

[Scott06]

End of last season I pulled the manifold off to repair a small crack with JB Weld and replaced all gaskets of the manifold riser, etc, upon re-assembly. The repair has held fine. Took the boat out over the weekend and realized that my Riser gasket is now leaking somewhat well. Weird. Pulled the riser off yesterday and sure enough the gasket is has a small crack/tear on the underside. The replacement gasket was purchased off Amazon that claimed it was OEM, there's a chance it wasn't. The new one is 100% OEM from a local marina and will be installed on clean metal today.

I'm mostly posting to get a weigh in and a few questions answered.
1. I did notice some water that is pooled in the exhaust manifold where it reaches the riser. Is this normal? I noticed it last year when I pulled everything off to repair the engine block crack.
2. Oil isn't cloudy whatsoever so I'm not too concerned for leaks of oil in the cooling.
3. Anything else I should be on the lookout for?

As others have stated there should be no water in there.

Did u drain it before removing the elbow?

Were the mating surfaces flat filed flat or belt sanded before new gasket went one?

Did u check the manifold for leaks ? The crack
Repaired is obvious sign of freeze damage did u check it for internal leaks with acetone or compressed air ?

Either way you risk getting water back in the engine and potentially rusting valve stems if you don’t figure this out