What's in YOUR muffler???

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Ken Juul

#15
I think Claude's fix is a good one.  Either brass or stainless should last for years.  I would make it a permanent fix, by epoxying the assembly in place, I don't trust that the bolts through the fiberglass would hold.  If it was decided to use RTV so that it could be easily changed in the future, I would suggest welding 1/4x20 nuts onto fender washers and epoxy them in place on the inside of the muffler.

2ndWish.  Yes the hose can be changed.  The hardest part is getting the old one off.  I took a hacksaw and cut out the center section between the bottom of the riser and the top of the muffler.  Then use the hacksaw to cut the top section off the riser, make a vertical cut, then pry with a large screwdriver to break the hose loose. The bottom is a bit harder because of the fiberglass.  I used a sharp knife and started cutting the rubber again almost vertically.  When you get to a wire jump over it and cut some more. When your through cutting use wire cutters to clip the wires.  You may need to cut somemore rubber away to get access.  Clean the exposed muffler and riser.  Lube the inside of the new hump hose with dish soap, slide it as far up the riser it will go, then man handle it onto the the muffler and slide down.  I put the clamps on first, the top can be loose around the top, the hump will hold it. The bottom one I expanded and slid over the muffler input and left it on the top of the muffler, when the hump hose was in place, lifted and tightened.  Ron suggests putting a piece of leather between the clamps and the soft hump hose to keep from gouging the hose.  A Dremell with the proper bit is a much better tool to use, just don't have one in my tool box.

Ken & Vicki Juul
Luna Loca #1090
Chesapeake Bay
Past Commodore C34IA

2ndwish

Ken- Thanks. Now which length of hump hose did you use?

T

Ken Juul

I don't remember.  I think I measured the old one and got the one that was the best fit.
Ken & Vicki Juul
Luna Loca #1090
Chesapeake Bay
Past Commodore C34IA

Ron Hill

2nd : You need to get the 9".
Then you might have to cut it shorter to match your length needed for your boat.


Ron, Apache #788

Fuzzy

If I remember correctly, brass is not good around sea water.  Use bronze or stainless, not brass.
Larry
Larry G. Trumble
East Jordan, MI
Katarina
1987 #475

Ted Pounds

Quote from: Fuzzy on December 20, 2011, 08:34:35 PM
If I remember correctly, brass is not good around sea water.  Use bronze or stainless, not brass.
Larry

That is true.  Zinc is an alloy of brass and zinc is very quickly electrolysed in salt water.   :cry4`
Ted Pounds
"Molly Rose"
1987 #447

Indian Falls


Bronze is copper/tin sometimes including phosphorus, manganese, aluminum and silicon.

Brass is generally about 70%copper/30%zinc and sometimes aluminum, arsenic, manganese, silver, tin, iron, nickel and/or lead.  There are 20-30 different brass alloys.

DR or DZR brass with 1% tin, (dezincification resistant) intended for harsh corrosive (the sea) environments.

Dan & Dar
s/v Resolution, 1990 C34 997
We have enough youth: how about a fountain of "smart"?

Stu Jackson

Here's another repair writeup, quite good.

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1167000#post1167000

Click on the PDF for the whole story, nice presentation, too.
Stu Jackson, C34 IA Secretary, #224 1986, "Aquavite"  Cowichan Bay, BC  Maple Bay Marina  SR/FK, M25, Rocna 10 (22#) (NZ model)

"There is no problem so great that it can't be solved."

KWKloeber

#23
Quote from: Stu Jackson on December 01, 2014, 11:42:14 AM
Here's another repair writeup, quite good.

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1167000#post1167000

Click on the PDF for the whole story, nice presentation, too.

BTW, owners don't always understand the need for / inner workings of a wet exhaust & water lift muffler -- here's a great article from my friend / all knowing Jerry Powlas:

http://www.pearson35.com/p35articles/documents/Exhaust_.pdf

Ken K
Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore.  Dream.  Discover.   -Mark Twain

derekb

#24
Well, the time has come to repair my WaterLift muffler!

It's been leaking ever since I purchased the boat over a year ago, and tightening the hoses was not doing anything to help (just crushing the tubes a little more each time!).

All the discussions on here on the Message Board and articles in the Tech Wiki are most useful, so I've started the process of repairing the cracked/crushed inlet pipe and the cracked outlet pipe.

As advised by "those who know", I removed the muffler through the cabinet door under the head sink. I needed to remove the raw water strainer to make room. Removal was made a little more difficult by the wooden supports coming along with the muffler. Twisted it sideways and out it came:


IMG_0728 by Derek Buckmaster, on Flickr

With the muffler back at home, the delightful repair attempt made by the previous owner became apparent. That's about an inch thick of silicone sealant! And still leaking!


IMG_0734 by Derek Buckmaster, on Flickr

The build-up of silicone sealant was removed using a wood chisel (it all came away from the gel-coat surface of the muffler very cleanly) and with some gentle squeezing and twisting the inlet pipe was freed. Not much of the bonding surface was actually bonded (maybe 20% remaining!). Here is the inlet pipe sitting on top:


IMG_0743 by Derek Buckmaster, on Flickr

More to come...
Derek Buckmaster
Esprit, 1986 C34 Mark I #29. Fin keel, Universal M25.
Geelong, Victoria, Australia

KWKloeber

Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do, than by the ones you did.
So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the tradewinds in your sails.
Explore.  Dream.  Discover.   -Mark Twain

derekb

Thanks Ken, yes I've already downloaded that one.  :thumb:

Articles like that give us all the confidence that we can make such repairs!  :D
Derek Buckmaster
Esprit, 1986 C34 Mark I #29. Fin keel, Universal M25.
Geelong, Victoria, Australia

derekb

OK, I've finally finished repairing my muffler. Both tubes have been replaced with new tubes which I made myself. I've added a generous fillet at the base of each tube. The new style drain (from Catalina Direct) has been drilled, tapped and installed.

The photo below shows my pressure testing setup - a section of bike tube clamped over the inlet and outlet tubes, then pressurised using a bike pump. I gave it about 20 pumps and then submerged the muffler in my pool to look for air leaks. On my first test I found a leak (small hair-line crack in one of the lower edges). This was then repaired and tested again, leak free now!


IMG_1477resize by Derek Buckmaster, on Flickr

Next task is to remove the remains of the damaged muffler mount and then put the repaired muffler and new mounting plate back into place in the boat...
Derek Buckmaster
Esprit, 1986 C34 Mark I #29. Fin keel, Universal M25.
Geelong, Victoria, Australia

kh3412

Well I guess you have the Midas touch.
Very nice job
Looks like factory piece.

Wonder how carbon fiber tube would hold up.🤔

1987 mk1 a work in progress #618

Noah

Quote from: derekb on October 22, 2019, 03:45:11 AM
OK, I've finally finished repairing my muffler. Both tubes have been replaced with new tubes which I made myself. I've added a generous fillet at the base of each tube.

Looks great! What material did you make the tubes out of? How long are they, and did you re-gelcoat over repair?
1990 hull #1014, San Diego, CA,  Fin Keel,
Standard Rig