Metal Flakes in my Cooling System. Manifold? Should I worry?

I see a lot of rust on brackets and such. Hey, you own the boat now, too late to sweat it now. Fix the running gear to get thru summer. Next winter remove the brackets sand, paint. Winter is for cosmetics, spring is for getting the mechanics working.
 
Pirate Lady said:
If you truly don’t know last time mans and risers were done, replace. They are sacrificial parts same as anodes. If you don’t you will be buying a new engine.
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Ok that was great to hear. I thought of these as anodes. I think they are going to go.
That bracket makes me wonder what caused this. Maybe water from the back of mani leaking down, or old power steering leak?
 
FYI, that's not your power steering pump. The power steering pump is on the front of the engine just like in a car. That's your power trim pump (for the drive). Look past the aesthetics of the rust and check out the metal bracket out to see how bad it is. As noted, you can sand/paint... there's also SS replacement brackets available for less cost than a Mercruiser brand painted one (last I checked, anyways).

On a side note... I've done flushes with muriatic acid to help loosen/get rid of interior scaling. I used a bilge pump to circulate it for a couple hours... or until the pump gives out :)
 
97Alpha175 said:
I just bought a 1997 Sea Ray 175 3.0 merc Alpha One. I was just feeling how soft the water hoses were by squeezing them and the elbow at the pump crunched. I took it off and found this:

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Should I pull the manifold and other cooling parts clean or replace? Is this the manifold flaking apart? Is there a better manifold?
I am new to boating and a nightmare would be overheating due to clogged cooling. I have an old boat and I want to keep it running smooth and clean.
Any help is very much appreciated!! Thanks in advance.
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Please forgive me if I missed it in another thread of yours, but, have you made absolutely sure that you are putting all of your effort into a sound hull with a dry deck, stringers and transom?
 
techmitch said:
Please forgive me if I missed it in another thread of yours, but, have you made absolutely sure that you are putting all of your effort into a sound hull with a dry deck, stringers and transom?
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No problem, I have posted a few times here and my story echoes in each post I think. I appreciate anything constructive :) and asking about structural problems is just that.
I am not a professional in any capacity in the boat world, but I have done a thorough visual inspection, done a few checks, and walked the deck. No spider cracks anywhere, no damage from bumping something or wrecking, no loose hardware or rust dripping from hardware, runs smooth, I lifted and pushed pretty hard on the outdrive, hammered on the transom, inspected the transom, and took a chance and bought a boat with a lot of rust.
Have I made absolutely sure the transom is good? I do not know how to do that, any tips? This is part of my dilemma, what is the most calculated first decision?
Unless I have a symptom or sign of a bad transom I do not plan on drilling any holes to check for moisture, that does not seem logical to me. I will try anything that is not invasive, but it seems good. I drove it for 2 hours on the water and was very smooth. Transom looked exactly the same afterwards, no cracking, no out drive pulling away from transom or showing movement. There is no signs of damage or repair either.
I have heard about the steering link or shift link causing a leak through the transom (which I also hear should not cause the transom to go bad unless it is a poorly made boat) and do not know how to inspect for that exactly, but I am working one step at a time.
 
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Lazy Daze said:
FYI, that's not your power steering pump. The power steering pump is on the front of the engine just like in a car. That's your power trim pump (for the drive). Look past the aesthetics of the rust and check out the metal bracket out to see how bad it is. As noted, you can sand/paint... there's also SS replacement brackets available for less cost than a Mercruiser brand painted one (last I checked, anyways).

On a side note... I've done flushes with muriatic acid to help loosen/get rid of interior scaling. I used a bilge pump to circulate it for a couple hours... or until the pump gives out :)
Click to expand...

Lazy Daze do you have a source or part number for that? I think stainless sounds great and cheaper!! If you could see this closer it appears to be two sheets and they are separrating too. I see ground connections, so I would like to put in a new bracket.
I found some pretty big chunks of metal so I think the manifold and riser should be changed. I can do a flush but if I am not lucky it will eventually rust through anyway. As much as I keep thinking about it, I would like the peace of mind.
Oh and I know I have said I am going to do this and that to the boat, but that is only once I have carefully inspected and serviced many more areas. Compression test coming and out drive tear down.
I have had some new concern about my transom (no symptoms or problems I can see) but hopefully I can quickly rule it out or confirm if there is an issue with the transom and move on.
 
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Just an FYI....Unbolt the cables from battery before starting. The pump power comes directly from battery, before the switch, not after disconnect switch.

No one needs a little lightning when doing work around electrical parts.
 
Very true. Thanks, for the heads up. I have a feeling this cheap bracket is going to be satisfying when replaced.
 
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