Exhaust Elbow R21

T

Thefb

Active member
Joined
Dec 6, 2012
Messages
36
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C SE
Vessel Name
Fat Buoy
MMSI Number
338155826
Thought I would share the photos of the before and after exhaust elbow on my 2013 R21 with ~480 hours.
Before:

After:


Perhaps I should have checked this a little sooner...

Marcus
 
Hmmm, and I thought frequent use was always a good thing for a boat's systems. Not in this case?

Jake
 
How did you discover this? Was there a loss of performance? Any idea what caused this so quickly? This doesn't give me a very confident feeling when I think about an older engine with higher time on it.
 
Great photos and thanks for sharing. Frequent use is absolutely a good thing but you have to remember that the exhaust is raw water meaning that if you use your boat in salt water and trailer it, rinsing it and using some sort of salt away or chemical while flushing the engine will reduce the maintenance on the parts that have raw water running through them.

Thanks again for sharing Marcus!
 
Hello Marcus,

How hard was it to remove the old elbow? What type of wrench did you use?

Mine is looking a little 'rusty' on the outside and lately I've wondered if the inside is substantially worse shape.

WHERE did you obtain the new elbow?

Thanks,

david
 
I suspect Andrew is correct.
Here it is ready to re-install-


Here is the empty place it needs to be-


and here it is replaced-


I boat as often as can, and I like to fish. Lots of trolling!
95% of my boat time is in salt water. I try to be mindful of running it hard every so often when trolling and operate at app. 80% going to and from. I should rinse more thoroughly and more often and should have checked this sooner.
I didn't notice a loss in power, I heard a different exhaust sound that was puzzling.
All of my maintenance is current....except this. The manual states to check and clean or replace at 250 hrs.
Lesson learned.

I live in the Seattle area and purchased the new elbow and joint from Hatton Marine.

Marcus
 
... has anyone used these stainless mixing elbows on their R21 much cheaper but do they do the job ??? Rob

http://exhaustelbow.com/
 
Marcus,

Thanks for mentioning this is a maintenance part per the manual. I just assumed it was a use it till it breaks part of the engine/exhaust. Since it is a clean or replace part as specified in the manual at 250 hours, I guess it shouldn't be considered an unexpected repair. 🙂

Jake
 
As a new 21 owner I'd like to avoid this problem as long as I can. How do you go about rinsing this part out after you use the boat in saltwater?
 
Hook a city water hose to the fitting in the raw water supply hose. Close the raw water thru hull fitting. Turn on the city water. Run engine. Caution: City water can be very high pressure, may need to install pressure regulator in water hose.
 
I carry a short piece of hose to rinse with fresh water or salt away as well as winterize during cold weather.
The key is to use it every time!
 
.. thought I 'd ask again ..
... has anyone used these stainless mixing elbows on their R21 ... much cheaper but do they do the job ??? Thx for any comments ... Rob

http://exhaustelbow.com/
 
Rob,

That stainless steel elbow is not appropriate for installation on our 3YM20/3YM30 Yanmar engines due to the height from the waterline of the exhaust manifold. You must use the cast iron high riser mixing elbow. There is a company in North Carolina that distributes a high quality aftermarket mixing elbow for less than half the cost of the Yanmar part. I replaced mine last year as part of routine maintenance.

The company is Basic Power Industries and the part number is HGE3520 http://bpi.ebasicpower.com/p/HGE3520/ The cost is 109.95 each. I ordered 2 last year and shipping and handling was only $34.00 to Pennsylvania (these things weigh about 10 lbs apiece). After receiving the parts and comparing them to the original my feeling was that the aftermarket mixing elbow castings were of a better quality and construction than the Yanmar casting. Obviously that is my unscientific opinion and your mileage may vary.

I am not affiliated in any way this company just an extremely satisfied customer.

Eric
Tugger Toy
2006 R-21 Classic
Yanmar 3YM20
 
I've found any easy way to flush the engine after each use. I bought a 5 gallon bucket from the hardware store, drilled a hole near the bottom and fitted it with a barb that has a male connection to a regular hose. I put the bucket on the swim platform and fill it with fresh water running from the house. I made a second short hose with female connections on both ends and connect the hose from the bucket to the male fresh water intake on the engine. Once the bucket is full I start the engine and run fresh water through. I keep the water running into the bucket to match the output from the engine. I rev the engine up to flush all the salt water out. So far this is working well. I have about 450 hrs on the engine with no noticeable problems.

Karl
 
Eric .. Thanks for the information .. this is good to know.... thought I had a 21 Classic buy in the bag, but it didn't pan out .. still looking ....Rob
 
Capt'n Karl's method of flushing the engine is much safer than connecting a hose supplying city water pressure directly to the flush out fitting at the sea strainer. If the exhaust valves are in the right, or more aptly wrong position, that city water will be forced into the cylinder through an open exhaust valve potentially hydro-locking the engine when you try to start it. I won't go into the details of the damage that will be done but suffice it to say that it will be an expensive event.

If you are not sure how to properly manage introducing city water pressure into the raw water system use Capt'n Karl's method and you should be fine. This method works well with the boat in the water or on the trailer. If your boat is in the water just make doubly sure you have closed the raw water intake valve before removing the cap at the flush out fitting.

Eric
Tugger Toy
2006 R-21 Classic
Yanmar 3YM20
 
The original exhauster mixer on my 2006 21 EC [3YM30] finally gave way and needs replacing. The combination of heated exhaust under pressure mixing with salt water is the death knell of the cast iron mixer elbow and I am fortunate that it has lasted this long. To washout each time the Tug is used, as discussed below, I use a section of hose with female connectors on each end with a pressure filter to reduce the city water pressure [available at any RV parts location] and also a garden hose shut-off valve. While the boat is out of the water, I connect the hose section to male fresh water in-take on the engine with the shut-off valve closed. After starting the engine I open the shut-off valve and allow the water to flow into the cooling system. I read that doing this procedure while the boat is out of the water is the preferred method and certainly eliminates the frustration of confirming that the raw water through-hull valve is closed and then re-opened at the appropriate times.

After internet searches, I agree that stainless steel is not the way to go when replacing the elbow. We should just accept that the cast iron exhaust mixer is a routine maintenance issue that requires periodic replacement.

Brian
Bessie O’Donnell
 
I have a 1999 Ranger 21. Bought it in 2004 with 1/2 hr on it, now has 3172 hrs. Put it to fultime use in early 07. Has been in the water with exception of 2 wks in 09 to paint the bottom and 2 days last wk to finally repaint. (barnacle and crap buildup is quite impressive. Bottom cleaning vs paint - great conversation. The original 21 will never hit10 mph in my experience but a clean bottom and a following sea will see 7.5. My experience of course.)
Mixing elbow carbon build-up problems tend to be caused from low rpm ie. 1200-1500. 3 simple sol'ns. -1. follow the book. After 1 hr of puttering, run at 2800-3000 rpm for 10 minutes, 2 pull the small elbow from the heat exchanger (it dumps the h2o in) and clean both, 3 remove the mixing elbow - the hose becomes well attached from the heat so jam a screwdriver in to separate, then clean-out the carbon. Don't waste your time being gentle (see the part about these boats can take more than the owner). After reinstalling, 1 do #1 or just run at a higher rpm.
Typically now run 2400rpm and have no problems. (2400rpm gives 2.8-3 hrs per gal at 6.6 or 6.8)
Note- my cast iron mixer has a silver plug on top. I assume the dis-similar metals applies here. No leaks at this point.)
 
Good post. I have a question about replacing this part on my tug...

The elbow is cracked on my 3YM30 (2008 RC21-EC).

Sounds like I should stick with cast iron instead of switching to stainless steel. Would you agree?

I see an aftermarket part link in this thread for the cast iron elbow. Does anyone know where I can buy OEM? Also do I need gaskets?
 
Thanks for the great pictures! I had an issue with the elbow leaking water while cruising in Key West but was able to get the parts to make the repair. 3YM30 with 450hours. It was running fine but I noticed some salt residue on the elbow and found a small crack. Easy to fix. Make sure you DO NOT use high pressure fresh water to flush the system. I’ll keep a check on this from now on.
Cheers,
Karl
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

  • Tugnuts.com is the community hub for Ranger Tug, Cutwater, and Solara owners. Since its inception in 2008, the Tugnuts forum has grown into an active and thriving community of more than 9,000 members. It serves as both a meeting place for the best boating community online, and an invaluable archive of information.

  • User menu
Back
Top