Took the tubulators out!!!

[I DIG IT !]

OK I just took my tubulators out last night and I'm wondering how much this really helps.I have a 496 HO and a 28 HEAT. I have heard that on smaller boats the do a lot. But I wonder how much I'll get on a little bigger and heaver boat????? I'll keep you posted on the results.

[AZJD]

Put them back in........... They are there for a reason!

[Boozer]

This isn't a boating site so you need to take all this tubulator talk elsewhere. :devil: :mad: :devil:

[beaverretriever]

I have had mine out since the boat had about 5 hrs on it. Just sold it with 30hrs on it and never had a problem. The boat did get on plane twice as fast and I picked up about a mph on top speed since the removal. I have a buddy that has over a 200hrs on his boat (took out the turbs the day he bought it)and has never had a problem.
To my knowledge, as long as you have flaps on your exhaust or they are above water and don't get water in them when you back up too fast, you should never have an issue.
Good luck.

[I DIG IT !]

Yea my x is really high too. There about 2 feet in hight as well i do have flaps.

[I DIG IT !]

I mean about 2 feet from the tip to the top of the riser.

[AZJD]

I have had mine out since the boat had about 5 hrs on it. Just sold it with 30hrs on it and never had a problem. The boat did get on plane twice as fast and I picked up about a mph on top speed since the removal. I have a buddy that has over a 200hrs on his boat (took out the turbs the day he bought it)and has never had a problem.
To my knowledge, as long as you have flaps on your exhaust or they are above water and don't get water in them when you back up too fast, you should never have an issue.
Good luck.
It's not the water from outside the boat that is the problem. The turbulators are designed to catch residule water that remains inside the exhaust header after the engine stops running. The water that is not blown out due to shutting down the engine. May not be a problem this year, however over time and for people that put more than 20-30 hrs a season on their engines it will soon become one.
I am not a mechanic, but I play one on TV!:D

[brad22]

It's not the water from outside the boat that is the problem. The turbulators are designed to catch residule water that remains inside the exhaust header after the engine stops running. The water that is not blown out due to shutting down the engine. May not be a problem this year, however over time and for people that put more than 20-30 hrs a season on their engines it will soon become one.
Well said.
Turbulators are there for a reason and a purpose ; I would say leave them in.
Brad

[epeagle]

those turbolators were put in by the man trying to keep the black folks down!

[beaverretriever]

It's not the water from outside the boat that is the problem. The turbulators are designed to catch residule water that remains inside the exhaust header after the engine stops running. The water that is not blown out due to shutting down the engine. May not be a problem this year, however over time and for people that put more than 20-30 hrs a season on their engines it will soon become one.
I am not a mechanic, but I play one on TV!:D
I knew it was to keep water out, I just wasn't sure where from. Everyone I know that has them out, has never had a problem....YET.:devil:

[shockwaveharry]

Leave 'em out... Just don't expect Mercury to warranty any broken exhaust valves for ya. But what are the odds of that happening???

[Beer-30]

I gained about a mph or maybe 2 at the most. A little more bark to the exh note, and easier plane for sure.
110 hrs without them and not one problem.

[Not So Fast]

It's not the water from outside the boat that is the problem. The turbulators are designed to catch residule water that remains inside the exhaust header after the engine stops running. The water that is not blown out due to shutting down the engine. May not be a problem this year, however over time and for people that put more than 20-30 hrs a season on their engines it will soon become one.
I am not a mechanic, but I play one on TV!:D
Dem Murcury enginers dont no nutin do they. Probaby jus thinked them tahr turblators looked good so putem on huh? All kidding aside, why is it that boaters think the engineers from Mercury do the things they do?? There put them there for a reason, Maybe condensation, it doesnt take much for rust to start, but then tinkering with a boat is what we do, right??:idea: NSF

[Beer-30]

When I took mine apart, I noticed no pooling or evidence of same. There was no rust inside, just soot. I don't think condensation has a chance against the black layer of smog that is lining the walls.
Last I saw, there was none of this type of stuff inside of Dana, Stainless Marine, other types of "manifold" systems. Lightnings don't have them inside of each tube, nor do CMIs.
Based on lack of visual confirmation of water pooling on the plate; coupled with no reports of people having any misfortune from removing the plates - I would say Merc has them in there as more of an "overkill" type thingie. Kinda like the rich setup in the ECM to keep "general boaters" from buring up engines.
I didn't design them, but one just has to look at the different angles of it and decide whether it is something they want to do or not.

[AZJD]

Just more food for thought.... I may be wrong, but I don't think Mercury uses stainless vaulves in the 496.............
Maybe a little Rustoleum will help them.....:idea:

[Beer-30]

Dem Murcury enginers dont no nutin do they. Probaby jus thinked them tahr turblators looked good so putem on huh? All kidding aside, why is it that boaters think the engineers from Mercury do the things they do?? There put them there for a reason, Maybe condensation, it doesnt take much for rust to start, but then tinkering with a boat is what we do, right??:idea: NSF
Well, they also put a spaghetti strainer on the front for an air cleaner. I am quite certain they know what they are doing for the most part - or they wouldn't be as successful as they are. However, they are not perfect.

[Not So Fast]

Well, they also put a spaghetti strainer on the front for an air cleaner. I am quite certain they know what they are doing for the most part - or they wouldn't be as successful as they are. However, they are not perfect.
Nobody is perfect, not even you Paul:D NSF

[phebus]

Mercury has to design their products for different installations and for different conditions. The blanket effect of the built in protection is not always necessary for every application.

[blown65]

We took ours out of both engines and didn't really gain any performance.

[rivercrazy]

I have 270 hours on my 496HO. 170 of them are without the turbulators. No problems with my motor. No rust on the valves and no condensation buildup in the manifolds.

[beaverretriever]

Last I saw, there was none of this type of stuff inside of Dana, Stainless Marine, other types of "manifold" systems. Lightnings don't have them inside of each tube, nor do CMIs.
.
That was going to be the next thing I said.
You guys really believe Mercury is the know all. Companies have to make sure that the engine they are bringing to the market is as reliable as possible even if some of the stuff they do is overkill.
Why would you change wheels on your car... you know, Ford put those 15" steel wheels on there for a reason (strong, work well with geometry, etc). How about the muffler on your truck. Don't change it to a Flowmaster. If it was supposed to have a Flowmaster Dodge would have put that there from the factory...LOL;)

[epeagle]

most aftermarket headers dont need them because they travel down before they go up, letting the condensation puddle in the header.
mercury manifolds go straight up, condensation will puddle in the heads without the turbolaters. have yet to see or hear of a case of rust or any problems related to condensation. im sure its just extra insurance for mercurys warranty program.

[2forcefull]

this thread is useless with out pictures!!!
where are they and what do they look like?

[JMC]

Dem Murcury enginers dont no nutin do they
When you figure how long they have been around and the amount of money they use on development......no, they don't know as much as they should. I would say the turbs are really there to cut down on salt creep and a little more insurance for them.

[beaverretriever]

All manufactures of motor products always or at least try to over build their product so there is no issues down the road. People have been modifiying and toying with everything from tractors, to boats for yrs.
Do the turbs do somthing to help prevent puddling? Sure they do. Will the life of your engine be shortened if you remove them?... who knows. I have been boating for 3 yrs and have never heard one issue from anyone who has taken them out.
Honestly, here in Nv, crap drys out so fast I would be supprised if water sits in there for more than a few hrs.
I would like to hear from someone that has taken them out that has had an issue.
I did however have the 6.2, so I don't know if they are different deal than the 496.

[frdvschvy]

I know many have had success with removing the turbulators from the 496 mag/ho exhaust. I have an HP500 and was looking at some diagrams of the GIL Exhaust for this motor. It appears that this motor also has restrictor plates. see link below. They don't call them turbulators on this set up, but I assume they are also restricting exhaust flow. I am sure the name "Turbulator" was jus a name some marketing guru gave these plates on the 496 to try and discourage people from taking them out. If it is comprised fo the word "Turbo" it must make the boat faster :D
http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show_Pictures3.asp?dnbr=853984R%201&ivar=images/CRUISER/853984.R1/10.png&inbr=2450&bnbr=10&bdesc=EXHAUST+MANIFOLD%2FELBOW
Anybody have any experience with these on the HP500?
Thanks.

[dunaholic]

So I have mine in and I am going to take them out I guess. I only get 4800 RPM out of my 496, I understand I should see an increase in RPM?? If this is so, I should realize more than 1 MPH correct?

[spectras only]

this thread is useless with out pictures!!!
where are they and what do they look like?
Had taken pictures when I took my risers off for inspection . Can't find the file :rolleyes: . Was wondering about the turbulator being a choke on performance myself .The turbulator itself seems to be made out of S/S , hence you won't see rust.However I had a small trace of rust showing around the perimeter of the turbulator ,that came from the riser being cast iron . I've only had 40 hrs on my engines at the time of inspection. Also I have the "Y"pipe so no way there was back wash causing to have water at the turbulators. It's condensation after a hot run . If you guys pay attention checking the size of the runners in the exhaust manifold , you'll find it a moot point to get the turbulators out :idea: . You'll need to hack out materials from the exhaust manifold to match the riser's flow to benefit from the turbulator's removal . Mercruiser created this system to meet Ultra low emmissions as well.The turbulator being in place didn't hamper my engine's performance to turn the props to the max recommended rpm's , and I run Bravo 1 26P's . If you're looking for any performance gains , you ought to change to a Revolution , Kodiak etc ..... aftermarket exhaust system . They have nearly twice the size of opening at the mating of the manifold & riser . With your factory rev limit set , you won't gain more rpm's either , but may benefit at the holeshot and midrange .
I have 145 hrs on my engines , so it will be some time before I waste money changing over to the aluminum Kodiak to find out if I can gain anything at all ;)

[BoneDaddy]

What are these and what do you have to do to take them out?

[spectras only]

What are these and what do you have to do to take them out?
The turbulators have a lip that protrudes into the path of the exhaust gas . The hot exhaust heats them up to glow and reburns unburnt fuel , hence the 3 star Ultra Low emission ratings . If you remove them in california , you may have some trouble in the future with the enviro nazis :) .
Removing them is an easy task , just unbolt the four bolts .However the water passages are regulated by the turbulator itself having different hole sizes for the front and back , and I don't know how it will effect the cooling system by not having the restriction of the smaller hole .

[desertbird]

Here's the discussion we had on it 2 years ago. The verdict was to take 'em out, I believe, and I think you'll even find some reputable names agreeing with it!
http://www.***boat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77372&highlight=496

[shadow]

What are these and what do you have to do to take them out?
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/5472DSCF1482-med.JPG
They are between the manifold and risers.Don't waste your time no matter what you do it's still a 496.

[westair]

What about aftermarket exhaust systems such as Dana, I doubt they
would have the turbulators ..... maybe they can explain this.

[I DIG IT !]

man I love all the talk back and forth. I'm still not able to make it to the lake till this weelend but i well tell for all what the result are on speed and rpms. I'm still crossing my fingers that I might get 1 mph and maby 100 or 200 rpms??? but this might all be wishfull thinking. :)

[Beer-30]

man I love all the talk back and forth. I'm still not able to make it to the lake till this weelend but i well tell for all what the result are on speed and rpms. I'm still crossing my fingers that I might get 1 mph and maby 100 or 200 rpms??? but this might all be wishfull thinking. :)
Do like I did and plan on getting nothing. Then, anything is a bonus! :)

[blown65]

http://www.fullthrottlemarine.com/High%20Performance%20Projects.htm
Read towards the end where he dyno tested without the turbulators. Gain of 8hp.

[I DIG IT !]

Wow thats pritty cool evan 1/2 mph might get me to run with my friend. Were realy close but the longer we go the more ahead he gets magy a 1/2 mph faster??? We'll see cant wieght for this week end. Thank for the info.

[I DIG IT !]

Wow thanks for all the info