Stainless Exhaust Elbow?

[Paul Reading]

I have a Yanmar engine and I want to replace the exhaust elbow with a stainless version. There are two manufacturers of these there is Sedilmare and HDI. I wondered if anyone here had used either if these brands and if so were there any problems with compatibility as a third party product.


Paul

[Ratbasher]

Paul - drop Ben at https://exhaustelbow.com/ a line. He ships to the UK and will customise any elbow if you have specific requirements, such as needing a straight as opposed to an angled version.

[SailingHarmonie]

I’ve installed HDI elbows on several different engines. Always fit perfectly.

[Paul Reading]

Thanks are the internal bores of the HDI units as smooth as the fabricated stainless exhaust elbows?

[Kello]

Yanmar or not, different size engines have different size exhaust elbows with different designs and features. If the SS one you are considering has sufficient water cooling spray then give it a try. If it works then buy a spare. Exhaust gasses are extremely corrosive and hard on SS ... and hard on cast iron too, as is salt water ... Whatever you use you need to pull it off every 3 to 5 years and inspect it.

[Tin Tin]

Have used HDI on 2 * 4JH5E, a 6LPA and now 2 * 3YM30 - the last 3 were international shipment which were extremely well priced and quick.

[Rapanui]

Our 2 Yanmar 3ym30s had beautiful fabricated original stainless Elbows new. Unfortunately, they were fabricated, thin very expensive and leaked like a sieve after a couple of years and spewed hot salt water over our lovely nearly new engines. The welded joints grew pinholes and leaked. Bought 2 investment cast HDI ones 7 years ago with no issues. Import duty was pretty reasonable. Memory says that 2 HDI were the price of 1 Yanmar.

[Sos]

Originally Posted by Ratbasher

Paul - drop Ben at https://exhaustelbow.com/ a line. He ships to the UK and will customise any elbow if you have specific requirements, such as needing a straight as opposed to an angled version.

I have just fitted one of these to our 3GM30 here in the UK.

Fitted perfectly and looks to be well made.

[fxykty]

One of our mild steel exhaust elbows developed a growing pinhole leak. At the time we discovered it a neighbouring cruiser in the marina we were visiting said that his son in law lives in the town and is a welder and fitter. He made us up two SS exhaust elbows using the perforated original as a guide. He charged us the same for two as one new one from the manufacturer would have cost. 2 years and no problems, but will be culling them in about 6 months and will check. This is on Nanni / Kubota engines.

[Compass790]

My advice having some experience with this is if having ss exhaust elbows fabricated make them out of schedule 10 316L pipe rather than tube. Best purge TIG welded but can be stick welded with 2.5mm if welder is competent. HDI stainless elbows are cast so they are not shiny polished like tube. Much longer lasting & less likely to crack the schedule 10 pipe or the HDI cast than tube.

[Captain Bill]

My boat was 3 years old when I bought it and the original(?) Yanmar elbows corroded through at the weld less than two years. I replaced them with Yanmar elbows and in slightly less than 5 years they again failed at the weld. Both times the welds failed just a couple of months apart. I replaced them with HDI elbows in 2012. I have just over 4000 hours and 12 years on these elbows and no failure yet and at less than half the price of the Yanmar Elbows.

[SaltyMetals]

Absolutely agree. The fabricated ones (such as original Yanmar) will fail rather quickly at the welds and IMHO are a complete waste of time. Best is cast 316.
No idea when the previous owner of my boat changed the ellbow on my Yanmar 4JH3-TE from original welded Yanmar elbow to a cast 316 and would have been at least 9 years ago and another 1,500 engine hrs by me. Still going strong. No leaks.
Andrew

[Paul Reading]

Thanks everyone I have fitted an HDI unit. It arrived in the UK in three days.

[Schapera]

Originally Posted by Paul Reading

I have a Yanmar engine and I want to replace the exhaust elbow with a stainless version. There are two manufacturers of these there is Sedilmare and HDI. I wondered if anyone here had used either if these brands and if so were there any problems with compatibility as a third party product.


Paul

HDI is perfect (I have on my 4JH2E).

[CSY Man]

HDI, great product.