Cummins 6BTA mixing elbow

[Nancy]

Repair or replacement of our mixing elbow is in our future. You can see a hole in the first photo below, and a crack in the second.

Has anyone done this project? Have you used a custom riser? Stock riser? Tony at boatdiesel generally prefers a higher riser, but I don't think there's room.

(I just about had heart failure when I saw the price of the mixing elbow. How can a 6" (?) elbow with a flange and a port possibly cost so much?!)

Don't know yet what the condition of the turbo is. This project will occur after we haul for the season in a few weeks as the bolts have shrunk from rust and will have to be removed with vice grips, heat, whatever it takes.

riser-1-082113-1600.jpg

riser-2-082113-1600.jpg

[Merry Kate]

Nancy -

I had Tony take a look at making a custom riser for my 1997 '28 with your same engine, but there was no room under the motor box. Not much more we can do except replace the elbows now & then. Call him and see if he has a stock Cummins factory elbow on hand - he often has some take-outs from his install jobs. Figure $800-1000, but see what he'll do for you.

The v-drive motor box '28s do not have a very good exhaust design (at least for the big Cummins pipes) and need careful attention to keep on top of problems. Check the condition of your exhaust turbine when you pull the elbow to make sure water's not getting back in there. Often it can be cleaned up if the bearings and all else is good. Good luck!

Ed

[Nancy]

Not much more we can do except replace the elbows now & then.

Thanks, Ed. That's pretty much what we figured. We definitely plan to check the turbo once we get the elbow off. Great idea to check with Tony to see what he has available.

[RobS]

Broaden your search and check eBay, Craigslist, Boatdiesel classifieds, Google searches, etc. I did that for my 6LP and found a new take off on eBay for a third of the retail price..

[Nancy]

Yeah, I'm doing it all, Rob. Thanks! I hadn't noticed the Boatdiesel classifieds.