Lifespan of headers
 

can anyone tell me what is the life expectancy of headers used in salt water applications.

if flushed after every use

if never flushed all season

if flushed after every use : three season

if never flushed all season : two season

*if its ,hi quality product

My CMI's lasted 4.5 yrs. on my 500 EFI's. Just replaced them. Give OSO'er, "RPM" a call. He'll hook you up on a new set. 920-203-4000 Rod.

WOW, I guess my CMIs are way over due. I bought them in 95.

i used .......der headers just one season and they are finished.salt water.never flushed.cant give the excat name cause very nice people,actually excellent looking product but material quality very very low.

I bought my CMIs in 95 and up until last season they seem to have had no problems. But ,we found quite a few leaks last year and now im suspecting that was the cause of my engine failures. Now we are going with Stainless Marine. Hopefully, we will have better luck.

Depending on the serial number on the headers, they could be Nine years old. Were the engines the same age ? I would not attribute that length of service to luck, but rather a quality product that received good care. Call Randy at CMI at 920/720-4225 to discuss what can be done.

These headers were installed in mid 95. never flushed during the season. I ran several motors with this exhaust. And I would agree CMI makes a quality product. The only season I did not run the boat was 97. so, I would say I got 7 full seasons out of these pipes. Not too shabby, considering the beating they took.
Salt water, overheating, no flushing, ect ect ect. We just started to notice leaks early last year. However, the leaks cost me two motors. Oh well..live and learn.

Bruce, How many hours were on the headers? Mine had 400 (but.... I read the manual and DID flush them -- haha!!!:D (and they still wore out) :confused: But, I wouldn't have gone back w/ anything else except Stainless Marine. When I dealt w/ CMI (indirectly thru OSO'er, "RPM" aka Rod) they really worked me a great deal on the new headers.

Bruce,

Please elaborate on the type and location of the leaks.

Thanks,

Mark S.

The leak we recently found was a hole in the collector , which was in turn sending water down the #8 cylinder.

Earlier in the season, We found a crack on the port side after blowing a motor in the Daytona race. I dont recall exactly where the crack was, but it was repaired and reinstalled and lasted most of the season.

I am still learning about issues with stainless and salt water. Ever hear of crevice corrosion? Look it up. I may never put a boat in salt water again after seeing some of the pictures!!!!

The chlorides in the salt water will eat pinholes, etc in the stainless. I have seen pictures of stainless hardware that looked like worms ate holes in the metal. Definitely flush ASAP and wash all exposed stainless.

I am checking on the possibility of attaching brass to the headers. Brass acts as a sacrificial anode to stainless and may help extend their life. I may also see if there is an anti corrosive (Salt away?) I can treat the system with also.

Bulldog

When flushing the motors, I try to always squirt soap/salt away etc... into the hose before turning it on. Not sure how much it helps/helped considering my CMI's looked like a sprinkler system after 4.5 yrs!!:mad:

It seems the headders seem to fail mostly at the welds from my experience. I also think the headders take a bigger hit with vibrations than Aluminum headders. I have had Stainless marine since 1995 and the mannifolds are fine but the pipes had to be welded once.

the headders can be repaired a few times before they are junk.

In the end, that is why I went with keith eickert aluminum headers. Ever see the movement in tube headers during a hard romp?

BT :cool: