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Mercruiser makes the ceramic coated manifolds - pricey ! I wonder if it matters which you use - OEM or aftermarket.
Pelican - you have an opinion here ?
What should a set of manifolds and elbows cost for a 2001 350 MAG MPI - fresh water cooled ?
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not sure if the administrator here would appriciate me giving prices-it could be tuned into me soliciting biz...
i use "OEM" parts only-if it's a merc,it gets merc parts-same for volvo's-ect...
truth is,the exhaust system is the weak link-this is usually where problems begin.alot of owners cause their own problems.improper storage is one cause of problems-storing an engine"dry" is one thing that's common.when stored-an engine should be "fogged" and ran on non-toxic antifreeze.reason being,if the cooling passages are "wet",there's an absense of air-meaning,no oxidation-get what i'm saying ?
flushing-you can flush all you want,but,truth is,the exhaust system still has a usefull life of approx 5 years-raw water side.read that as,if the exhaust system is raw water.in a fresh water cooled exhaust system,the risers are the point of raw water expolsion-these are good for 5 yrs max-the manifolds will last longer-only problem comes in,at the riser gasket/block off plate-this point will fail.merc has a "dry joint" here...
if i were you,i would compression test the engine,then winterize it,then replace the exhaust system.during winterization,i preform,and recomend others to perform a compression test,at this time-it will alert you to potential problems in the engine.do not go by the old "water in the oil",when water shows in the oil,the damage has allready been done.an example of this is,rust on valve springs-if rust is present,the spring is gonna fail.this is why,when an engine has water in the oil-and it locked up,attempting to free it with pour in products is like peeing on a forest fire-the damage is done...
i have the same power in my sea craft-2002 5.7 mpi merc,with the horizon package-the boat was in storage for 3 seasons-this year,it's getting a new exhaust system...it's all about preventitive maintance-i practice what i preach,avoid a problem before it happens...