Can I repair my torn bellow?

[natureschild88]

I'm running a 1991 4.3 Mercruiser V6 hooked up to an Alpha 1 Gen 1. I recently noticed while running the boat on the muffs that one of the rubber exhaust hoses that connects to the exhaust manifold (I believe these are exhaust bellows?) was leaking and spraying a light amount of water into the engine bay. I tried tightening the 2 hose clamps from where it was leaking and noticed it wasn't because the clamps were loose, but there is actually a small tear in the rubber.

It didn't seem like that big of an issue at first glance because there is such a small mist of water leaking out. But when I stuck my head in the engine compartment to take a closer look, I could see the part of the motor surrounding the leak was covered in salt particles (I always run the boat in salt water). I cleaned all the salt off to prevent any rust, and now realize that this will need some sort of repair to prevent my engine from rusting away after each use.

My engine compartment is very tight and replacing this bellow with a new one does not look like it would be a fun or easy task. How expensive of a repair would this be? I know that companies make specific bellows adhesive, would I be able to use this to glue the small tear back together? The tear is about 1 1/2" long. I don't want to dump hundreds of dollars into this or have it turn into a project that would cost more than what the boat is worth. Would a high temp rubber cement do the trick?

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Rugby Lock]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

If it were me I would replace the bellows. CO poisoning don't sound fun to me.

 

[MarkSee]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

You did not list your engine serial number but see the link below that is for a 4.3 in the 1998-1992 range and you are are referring to item #1 or #5 which are referred to as exhuast tube?
EXHAUST SYSTEM , USE WITH 4 INCH EXHAUST ELBOW-Performance Product Technologies

If so, for $30-$70 depending on where you buy it or how soon you want it, I would replace it.
http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Parts-Ac...t--search_in_category.f--session_id.170589579

Mark

 

[natureschild88]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

The motor is 1991 Mercruiser first generation 4.3, not the 92 up

 

[natureschild88]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

You did not list your engine serial number but see the link below that is for a 4.3 in the 1998-1992 range and you are are referring to item #1 or #5 which are referred to as exhuast tube?
EXHAUST SYSTEM , USE WITH 4 INCH EXHAUST ELBOW-Performance Product Technologies


Mark

So the part that has the tear/leak is #5 on the diagram you provided MarkSee (thank you, by the way!). The "exhaust tube", Reference ID #5, and it says its $46 on there.

My question is if this would be something I could do myself? Would I be able to just slip off the old one and slide the new one on with ease, or is there more to it than that? I could see this being a pain to slide the rubber tube far enough onto the exhaust pipe so that I could then pull it back onto the elbow. Has anybody ever done this repair by themselves? Or does this require further dis-assembly of the exhaust system?

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

I just replaced both of mine this year (1, 5 and the shutters #6 for you)... I have a different motor entirely. used a blade and cut off 1 and 5. The new rubber parts were nice and soft and pliable and was able to get them both on without removing any additional parts.

 

[MarkSee]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

As Eric said, totally a project you can do. Maybe just take a couple pictures for yourself beforehand just in case you want to refer back to them.

If the current clamps that hold both the rubber boots on look at all worn/rusty, now is the time to replace those also.

Mark

 

[phoenix999]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

if you're talking about the rubber tube in the engine compartment, off of the exhaust manifold, I have changed mine and I found it fairly easy to do. If your talking the actual exhaust bellow that is between your gimble housing and outdrive, thats a whole different thing and can be done but Ive heard can be somewhat time consumming.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

old thread

Welcome to Iboats but PLEASE don't reply to old threads

 

[Lou C]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?



You can see the ones on my OMC here...while you're at it, make sure you check your manifolds and risers...they may be due for replacement. Has the engine ever overheated? Those hoses usually don't melt/tear unless there is a severe overheat that cuts off water to the exhaust system.

I've changed the manifolds on my OMC a few times (salt water use) and this is not a hard job if you have decent access. After years of use the rubber gets hard and there is usually some corrosion between the metal exhaust tube or riser outlet and the rubber. I try to pry the rubber back and spray silicone spray into the gap between the rubber and the riser/ex tube. Let it sit, spray some more and it will come. Do not take a chance with a hole in an exhaust hose. You can poison yourself and anyone else in the boat and that fine mist of salt water will corrode anything in its path in a hurry.

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

As Smokeonthewater stated.... this thread is dead... (by the way, it's a "bellows", not a bellow (yes even just one) :laugh:. (and the OP never even came back tell us how he made out :frusty: )

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

I once changed my bellows on my newest I/O, and never had much luck getting them to seal properly. Mercury designed them with little "lip" for the hose clamps to grab hold of. And the Mercruiser bellows cement must be use.

If you're replacing a bellows, go ahead and replace all the rubber on the back end--exhaust, driveshaft and gearshift cable.

I once had a leaking bellows, and my previous boat was stored in a marina. Though it was a slow drip, over a matter of weeks the boat sank. It's not worth the risk to half ***** fix it.

And it's a job a professional can easily do. Don't attempt to do it yourself.

 

[natureschild88]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

Sorry to reply to old thread, but since I'm the OP I feel like I should tell everyone how it went. Sorry it took 6 months to do so!!

As stated previously in the post, it was not an exhaust bellows that was leaking, it was an exhaust TUBE. I cut the old leaky one off with a fresh razor blade. The new one was more pliable than the old rigid tube, but was still very difficult to put on. I ended up using a generous amount of dish soap and got it to go on fairly easy. I attempted to use the the Mercruiser/Quicksilver cement sealant, but it made more of a mess than anything and did not apply very well.

In the end I fixed the problem and I would not consider it a difficult job if you have a bit of patience. You just really have to muscle the new tube on and use plenty of lubricant. I sold the boat shortly after fixing it because the leak dribbled salt water over lots of electrical connections, a headache that I did not want to get involved with.

Sorry again for replying to the old thread, but hopefully it will help somebody and if others are that frustrated about it I'm sure they'll get over.

Happy boating!

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: Can I repair my torn bellow?

No prob closing out an old thread if you are the OP... Kinda expected! (glad to see you came back!!) Glad it worked out for you and I am sure it will provide guidance to others who search on the topic.