Has anyone replaced the muffler on a Beneteau First 42? Seems impossible!

[Enyar]

I had some cooling woes and it appears I just keep working myself stern replacing items. It started when one of the bowman endcaps sprung a leak on my Perkins 4.108. After replacing it I noticed on startup that it started to swell up and I knew I had a restriction down stream. Since then I ended up:

• Replacing the mixing elbow with a stainless one because the 40 year old cast iron one was completely clogged
• Replacing the exhaust hose going to the muffler because the previous one was 2.5' to make up for the swelled up cast iron elbow
• All new hose clamps after one broke after tightening it on the muffler

Unfortunately now I am dealing with a leak. I can't see the actual leak, I can just see the water coming into the bilge and I can hear it. I took a boroscope and best I can tell it's not coming from where the hose attaches to the front or rear of the muffler. To me that means while the boat was sitting for a couple months saltwater must have corroded the muffler and now it's leaking.

Accessing this muffler is terrifying to me. I have no idea how I am going to reach it and I am hoping one of you have prior experience before I take a chainsaw to the cockpit and just hack my way to where it is. Recommendations for a replacement muffler would be helpful as well. The boat is a 1984 Beneteau First 42.

Thank you.

[Enyar]

Bumpp

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Enyar

Bumpp

Nothing’s impossible, some things are just harder to accomplish.

[MicHughV]

Easy...call a mechanic and quite stressing about it.

A good mechanic can do something in one hour that will take you all day.....zip...zappity do....done

Most area marina's have a boat mechanic nearby....

[Dublindara]

Originally Posted by Enyar

I had some cooling woes and it appears I just keep working myself stern replacing items. It started when one of the bowman endcaps sprung a leak on my Perkins 4.108. After replacing it I noticed on startup that it started to swell up and I knew I had a restriction down stream. Since then I ended up:

• Replacing the mixing elbow with a stainless one because the 40 year old cast iron one was completely clogged
• Replacing the exhaust hose going to the muffler because the previous one was 2.5' to make up for the swelled up cast iron elbow
• All new hose clamps after one broke after tightening it on the muffler

Unfortunately now I am dealing with a leak. I can't see the actual leak, I can just see the water coming into the bilge and I can hear it. I took a boroscope and best I can tell it's not coming from where the hose attaches to the front or rear of the muffler. To me that means while the boat was sitting for a couple months saltwater must have corroded the muffler and now it's leaking.

Accessing this muffler is terrifying to me. I have no idea how I am going to reach it and I am hoping one of you have prior experience before I take a chainsaw to the cockpit and just hack my way to where it is. Recommendations for a replacement muffler would be helpful as well. The boat is a 1984 Beneteau First 42.

Thank you.

Hi Enyar,
I’m experiencing the same issue on our First 42. How did you access the muffler?

[boatman61]

Skip the muffler and run a length of hose to the exhaust with a large loop.. no back feed from following sea's and just as quiet.

[Dublindara]

Originally Posted by Enyar

I had some cooling woes and it appears I just keep working myself stern replacing items. It started when one of the bowman endcaps sprung a leak on my Perkins 4.108. After replacing it I noticed on startup that it started to swell up and I knew I had a restriction down stream. Since then I ended up:

• Replacing the mixing elbow with a stainless one because the 40 year old cast iron one was completely clogged
• Replacing the exhaust hose going to the muffler because the previous one was 2.5' to make up for the swelled up cast iron elbow
• All new hose clamps after one broke after tightening it on the muffler

Unfortunately now I am dealing with a leak. I can't see the actual leak, I can just see the water coming into the bilge and I can hear it. I took a boroscope and best I can tell it's not coming from where the hose attaches to the front or rear of the muffler. To me that means while the boat was sitting for a couple months saltwater must have corroded the muffler and now it's leaking.

Accessing this muffler is terrifying to me. I have no idea how I am going to reach it and I am hoping one of you have prior experience before I take a chainsaw to the cockpit and just hack my way to where it is. Recommendations for a replacement muffler would be helpful as well. The boat is a 1984 Beneteau First 42.

Thank you.

Hi Enyar, would you be available for a quick chat. I also am baffled by this muffler replacement/ access. (Pun intended)
Cheers
Darragh

[Enyar]

Originally Posted by Dublindara

Hi Enyar, would you be available for a quick chat. I also am baffled by this muffler replacement/ access. (Pun intended)
Cheers
Darragh

Of course! In hindsight this wasn't that big of a deal and it was only ultraproblematic for me because it was issue after issue and I live 4 hours away from the boat so every issue basically set me back a month. I will PM you my phone number.

[Enyar]

For anyone else who stumbles across this thread there are 3 bolts that bolt the muffler to the bulkhead between the engine and aft stateroom. Once you remove those, remove the hose connecting the mixing elbow and the muffler. There should be enough slack to pull the muffler forward enough to remove the rear hose. If not it can be removed either through the small hole in the bulkhead between motor/stateroom of from the back access hole that gets you access to steering components (I'm 5'11", 170#s and can squeeze in there, much bigger than that and it's going to be tricky). I replaced it with a Vetus plastic muffler, they have 2 sizes that fit and I went with the larger one VTSLSS50A

[Enyar]

Also I would highly highly highly recommend replacing all hoses while down there. I ended up using I think around 24" of blue silicone going from mixing elbow to muffler and I think around 15' of the regular black stuff going out the back.