Exhaust Hose Removal & instal

Hi all I need to Replace one of my exhaust hoses on my Vdrive since it has a pin hole in it . I loosened all the clamps and got the hose loose from the exhaust riser but the only way I can see to get it out is to cut it up . My issue is how the heck am I going to get the new hose back in there . The thing is hard as a rock . I even soaked it in hot water to see if it would flex and its still hard as a rock . I wanted to replace it before this weekend but I'm afraid I'm going to open a can of worms . I think the only way to get it out is to remove the exhaust riser so the hose can come forward off the fiber glass muffler . Then I could reassemble it the same way . What I am worried about is the Riser bolts breaking or not coming off . Do they typically break loose or am I looking at a long uphill battle ? Thanks guys

To remove you need all 4 big ones loosened on both ends. Then you need to break them free as they will be stuck to the risers and exhaust. Then popping them off is fun but going back together is even better!! LOL

Originally Posted by Truekaotik

To remove you need all 4 big ones loosened on both ends. Then you need to break them free as they will be stuck to the risers and exhaust. Then popping them off is fun but going back together is even better!! LOL

Oh man that's what I'm afraid of . I can get it loose from the riser but not the muffler I'm afraid to break the fiberglass trying to remove it . I figured id cut it off but getting the new one in seems almost impossible with out removing the riser. Do you have any tips besides brute force ?

A flat head screw driver and silicone spray are your friends here. Just slide the screwdriver between the muffler and the hose and spray silicone spray there. Pull out and repeat all the way around the hose. Then you should be able to twist it by hand and it'll bust loose. Depending on how your boat is made and what kind of room you're dealing with, sometimes it's easier to drain that side exhaust manifold and remove the riser. A new gasket is cheap. Once the riser is off slide the exhaust hose off, clean both the exhaust manifold and riser gasket surface. Put the new gasket on with some high temp rtv. Spray silicone spray all around anything the exhaust hose touches and slide it on. Slide your riser back in and set down on the the exhaust manifold and bolt it back up. Tighten all your hose clamps back up and wait till the rtv is done drying and go run your boat.

Originally Posted by TTyler89

A flat head screw driver and silicone spray are your friends here. Just slide the screwdriver between the muffler and the hose and spray silicone spray there. Pull out and repeat all the way around the hose. Then you should be able to twist it by hand and it'll bust loose. Depending on how your boat is made and what kind of room you're dealing with, sometimes it's easier to drain that side exhaust manifold and remove the riser. A new gasket is cheap. Once the riser is off slide the exhaust hose off, clean both the exhaust manifold and riser gasket surface. Put the new gasket on with some high temp rtv. Spray silicone spray all around anything the exhaust hose touches and slide it on. Slide your riser back in and set down on the the exhaust manifold and bolt it back up. Tighten all your hose clamps back up and wait till the rtv is done drying and go run your boat.

I got it loose from the riser but I stopped because I can see the potential for muffler damage trying to finagle the new hose back in, its a tight fit . . The riser removal technique is probably the way I'm going to go . I really don't want to damage the muffler removing or installing the new hose . Is there going to be a drain plug on the manifold like a wing nut deal or a brass or steel plug ?

If you wedge the screwdriver in there and pry on it, yes there is the possibility of it cracking. If you just wedge it in there and use the space it created to spray silicone spray in it, pull it back out and repeat all the way around the hose, you wont hurt anything. Ive pulled off and changed many exhaust hoses on different boats and ive never cracked or broke anything doing it this way. It actually takes a lot more than you think to hurt those fiberglass exhaust pipes and mufflers. Ive done it both methods and it depends on the boat as to which is the easiest. As far as draining the manifold, just pull the water hose from the thermostat housing to the manifold off at the manifold and let it drain. Or if you have a little blue wing plug unscrew that. If water doesn't come out, stick a pick in there and scrape around till water does come out. But water will for sure come out at the water hose on the manifold.

Originally Posted by TTyler89

If you wedge the screwdriver in there and pry on it, yes there is the possibility of it cracking. If you just wedge it in there and use the space it created to spray silicone spray in it, pull it back out and repeat all the way around the hose, you wont hurt anything. Ive pulled off and changed many exhaust hoses on different boats and ive never cracked or broke anything doing it this way. It actually takes a lot more than you think to hurt those fiberglass exhaust pipes and mufflers. Ive done it both methods and it depends on the boat as to which is the easiest. As far as draining the manifold, just pull the water hose from the thermostat housing to the manifold off at the manifold and let it drain. Or if you have a little blue wing plug unscrew that. If water doesn't come out, stick a pick in there and scrape around till water does come out. But water will for sure come out at the water hose on the manifold.

Hey big thank you for the advise I really appreciate it !!
This boat is a v-drive the hose is only a foot long and doesn't flex much at all . Like I said I'm not afraid to cut off the old one I know I can do it without harming anything . What I am worried the most about is flexing the new rock hard hose enough to get it on both ends . I guess I should just man up and get the old one off and then if I cant get the new one on I can always remove the riser at that time. .

Also I'm not sure how your muffler mounts down low, but you can also loosen the other side as well and see if the muffler with tilt back enough to get the hose off.

Just take off the riser...It's only 4 bolts and the water inlet hose

Originally Posted by svnfightsvn

Just take off the riser...It's only 4 bolts and the water inlet hose

I think thats what im going to do ..seems like the easiest method . I was just worried the bolts would be stuck .

shouldn't have an issue getting those out. just to be safe, you can spray some penetrating oil (Wd-40/pb blaster) on the bolts a day or a few hours before you work on it. water shouldn't leak there so there shouldn't be a lot of rust. get some gaskets to replace the ones that will likely disintegrate when you take it apart.

Originally Posted by denverd1

shouldn't have an issue getting those out. just to be safe, you can spray some penetrating oil (Wd-40/pb blaster) on the bolts a day or a few hours before you work on it. water shouldn't leak there so there shouldn't be a lot of rust. get some gaskets to replace the ones that will likely disintegrate when you take it apart.

Thats what I'm hoping for. I'm gonna get it good and warm then spray it and let it sit over night just to be safe .