Remove exhaust elbow on 325 Aft Cabin

[Thekaj]

Hello. I’ve removed and replaced 3 of the 4 exhaust elbows on the Crusader 350XLs in our 95 325 Aft Cabin. The fourth, the one on the far port side, I have no clue how to remove. There are two bolts in the front and two studs in the back. For the other three, I just removed the bolts and nuts and lifted them straight up off the studs. But the fourth sits about an inch under a non-removable support beam, with maybe a mm of clearance. I tried to see if I could pull it out towards me, while pulling up, but no joy. I’m guessing removing the studs, so it can slide out is the only option, but as there’s really only room for one nut on the studs, the trick of putting two nuts on the stud and rotating the bottom one won’t work.

Any other suggestions? There is almost zero clearance on the side to work with to get a pair of pliers on them. Right now I’m cursing at whoever at Carver thought that placing any part of an engine under an immovable object was a good idea, and coming to realize that the shop that replaced that engine a couple years back was right that it’s a real PITA to work on!

[km1125]

Are you sure that beam doesn't remove?

Have you looked at removing the entire manifold with the elbow connected to it? Might make it easier, although a bit more work and another gasket you have to buy.

[Viper]

I agree with km, removing the entire manifold is an option. It will be difficult getting the entire assembly back on though especially with the limited access, an extra pair of hands will help. I've run into the same thing several times with welded grids and have often resorted to cutting sections out. They're easily repaired by bolting them back on using some plate aluminum on both sides of the tubes to reattach the cut out section.

It's not an ideal setup for sure but Carver isn't the only OEM with this issue.

[Thekaj]

Thanks for the suggestions. Ugh, I suppose taking off the manifold is an option that would work. I would not look forward to putting it back on though. The elbow is hard enough to get to.

That beam definitely doesn’t come out on its own. That’s the outer edge of the bilge compartment. Cutting it might be the easier option, then bolting it back on afterwards. The manifold is coolant cooled, so avoiding taking it off every time I need to replace the elbows would be nice.

[tomschauer]

I don't have the same boat or the same engines, so just a suggestion that should be thought through.
If you have access to a portable welder, weld a nut on the stud, back out the stud and then replace with stainless bolts.
You would of course risk breaking off the studs, then you would have to pull the manifold to re tap the treads.

Best of luck to you!

[Rocketman]

Can you unbolt the motor mount and jack up this side of the engine to gain clearance.
Looking at the pic, I don't see how you would ever get a bolt back in that space to secure if you cut the stud.

[bud37]

Looking at the pic......it looks like a saw would be the tool.......just cut a bit until you have enough to remove then fix/reinforce later like viper suggested unless you can tip it enough to clear.....that is what I would do anyway.

Check that floor support to see if it is bolted at the ends ,if so it may be removed or moved aside.

Remember to always be careful using power tools around the engine compartment, blowers need to be on , sniff test. perhaps a better option would be a hand saw and take small bites.....safety first.

[Viper]

If you cut out a small section of that corner of the support tube at an angle on top of the elbow, it might be just enough to tilt the elbow for removal and install and not affect the structural integrity of the support. The notched out section would have to be big enough to allow for lifting the elbow until the top section of the casting cleared the bolts, then you might be able to tilt the elbow enough for the lower section to clear them. This is uncertain of course and if you can't notch out a big enough section to get the elbow out and still be left with good support in that area, you'll be stuck with tubing that's got a large cut out in it. That could still be remedied by adding aluminum plate though. For that reason, cutting out a section of tubing would be preferable for me. It will also give you more access to re and re the elbow and exhaust hose now and in the future.

I wouldn't just cut out a tiny section of tube here just enough to lift the elbow out. Cut it long enough so that you can use four pieces of aluminum plate to refasten the section but not have any part of the plates over the elbow. If you're going to cut anyway, remove enough to give you decent access. Use plates of the same dimension as the tube, it'll look neater that way, and use stainless nuts and bolts, Nylocks should be fine. Run something really thin between the support and the floor to see if there are any fasteners holding the floor down to the section you want to cut out. These can be dealt with easily but it's good to know ahead of time before you start cutting. Also make sure no wiring or hoses are running along the other side of the tube before you start cutting.

[bud37]

The trick with the stud removal if it comes to that would be knowing whether they are pressed in or screwed in.....wonder if anyone can help with that info ?

[Thekaj]

Thanks again for all the suggestions. I'm definitely moving forward with cutting into that stud for removal. My hope is that I can just cut into it about an inch to the carpet, and about 8 inches long, so there's still a good chunk of it left intact. I'll then bolt on a piece of aluminum after the elbow is replaced. One that I can remove again later, the next time I need to inspect/replace the thing.

The good news is that the couch goes directly over this section of the cabin floor, and doesn't apply any weight there. So even if it ends up with less structural support, almost none is ever needed in that spot.