Trojan Boat Forum

is it normal?

Nope, should not have steam from the engnine exhaust. Could it be do to you having a bad impeller? or is it a leak into the engine? I would check the impeller to make sure you are getting good water flow. If it is good then you have a leak between the cooling and the engine. Hopefully in a place that is not damaging the engine.

Overheating or leaking into cylinders .. never a good sign.
Check you roil for any whiteness - if its white, you have water in there.

ok, it looks alot like the clilp that chuka posted , take a look,
mine usually stops after a little while.my plugs are super clean, so I dont think its leaking into cylinders,, I mean its not like alot, just like a vapor coming out with the exhaust, I notice it when Im under way, and then slowly diminishes

Going away when you reach full temp is good ...

Some can be normal ( some not a lot ) the cooler the air the more you may see it . If your getting a lot then you may have a issue .

A friend of mine had a new Luhrs 36 with twin 502s (huge gas hog for 60 mile offshore day trips). Not only did it gulp gas, but it was slow, so we would leave at 4am. Many mornings the exhaust was so steamy that it would fill the cockpit until the sun came up.

Here are a couple of posts about exhaust steam from the Marine Engines forum.

http://www.marineengine.com/discus/mess ... 2877.shtml

http://www.marineengine.com/discus/mess ... 1142.shtml

A little steam is normal, especially on a cool day, but consider:
What temp are you running?
Is the cooling water flow normal?
How old are the manifolds/risers?
Raw water or Fresh water cooled? (Manifold life is longer with FWC - but risers and elbows are exposed to raw water, can become plugged and need to be replaced regularly.)
Chuck

I definately understand that cooler water or cool air could cause one to get steam. I figure his engines are running good so I really figure that is the problem or he has a small riser leak. But I am glad for all the information everyone has posted on this subject. Always good reading and informative as usual.

thanks to all for the info, I think my situ, is normal. My engines are raw cooled and ther isers and manifolds are new, My running temperature is normal and tthe pumps work fine, I just mentioned it to get some ideas if some steam is normal, and I do see it, sometimes on one engine, sometimes the other, and sometimes both, I guess Im going to compare it to the car exhaust when its cold out etc. The water hitting the warmer exhaust probably steams a little until it equalizes the temperatures between the water and metal jackets. I noticed it in that clip that was posted yesterday. And I remembered a friend of mine asked me once when we were under way. It also happed when I throttled up from about a 2000 speed to near 2700 seemed like alot more steam at that time as well.

Chrysler engines are prone to steam a little more than others if they are raw water cooled anyway. If you have Chryslers? There is a tube in each manifold with a slit opening. That slit, in the tube, should face to the front of the manifold. The idea is to remove any air trapped in the front of the manifold because of the angle of the engines. If your engine temperatures are good then don't worry with it.

John
F-31
Middle River, MD

Agree about Chrylser RWC engines having some steaming, especially in cooler weather or when the water is colder. Mine has done this since day one, usually at higher speeds.

mine are fords