Almanac – BUKH DV10 Exhaust Elbow Cracks

The exhaust elbow on this DV10 is showing signs of cracking
BUKH Owner
BUKH Owner

I have a Bukh DV10 with approximately 1150 hours on the engine installed in my sailboat. Two days ago I took this photo, from above, showing the exhaust elbow. It looks to me like cracks are developing in the top of the elbow and it appears as though there was a small amount of seepage from the crack. Some questions;
– Is a repair possible?
– I’ve heard good reports about the “Kool-X” stainless replacement?
– Is there a North American source for “Kool-X”?

Not so much a solution, this one. Many owners reported that a longitudinal split in the exhaust elbow of the BUKH DV series engines was a common problem. One owner from the UK had fabricated their own replacement…

BUKH Owner
BUKH Owner

I make them from black malleable iron plumber’s fittings for my DV20. It costs less than £40 for the parts. I replaced the first one after four years, but it was still sound. Number 2 is now four years old, too! I think I’ll leave it alone for another year or so.

You need:-
Blk Mall 45 deg M&F elbow-156 1 1/2 inch ~ qty 1
Blk H/W barrel nipple 1 1/2 inch ~ qty 1
Blk Mall sq tee – 161 1 1/2 x 1/2 inch ~ qty 1
Blk Mall 45 deg M&F elbow – 156 1/2 inch ~ qty 1
1/2 inch male bspt x 1/2 inch brass hose tail ~ qty 1

Plumbers’ merchants can supply all the parts.

There were also a lot of positive reviews of the “Kool-X” exhaust system. Available on Ebay, these are fabricated in stainless and shipped all around the world from Howth, Ireland. Expect to pay around $200.

There have been several generations of these, the latest being the Kool-X2.