6bta Aftercooler core

[larman]

Pulled out my starboard after cooler disassembled and the core literally slid right out. Anyway I’m concerned with the core. I have had the boat for three years and this is the first time I have serviced this unit. Let me know what you think.

 

[Delta Riverat]

Clean it up and put it back on. Aside from a few bent fins, looks good.

 

[READY]

Great info here about servicing your after coolers. See details about greasing it for easy removal next time. Since you don't know the history and the fact it has visible damage I would have it pressure tested. If it fails you might have to rebuild the engine so fairly cheap and more peace of mind.https://www.sbmar.com/tonys-tips/

 

[larman]

Great info here about servicing your after coolers. See details about greasing it for easy removal next time. Since you don't know the history and the fact it has visible damage I would have it pressure tested. If it fails you might have to rebuild the engine so fairly cheap and more peace of mind.https://www.sbmar.com/tonys-tips/

Yes have read all of that. I was shocked that it just slid out with my hand. No tools needed.

 

[Comodave]

Well, the PO must have serviced it at some fairly recent time. Mine took 13 tons of pressure to get the core out of the housing. My PO never serviced it. I would clean it up and reassemble it. Then pressure test it and make sure it will hold about 25PSI or so overnight. If it doesn’t hold pressure try reassembling it and retest. If it still doesn’t hold pressure it may be bad.

 

[larman]

These cores are $3700 each at sbmar. I don’t have $7400+ to replace. I have just about 1000 hrs on the engines. I know a failure can be catastrophic. Was hoping to get a year or two more out of these.

 

[Comodave]

Yes, they aren’t cheap. Last year I bought a complete aftercooler and a core for the other engine. But I suspect that they had never been serviced and the boat is a 1998. Cilen it up and then pressure test the aftercooler. It can be difficult to get the pressure test done. The hoses were tough to get sealed up. Use soapy water and a spray bottle to look for leaks. I have a lot of different hoses and rubber caps to make a pressure tester but I finally found a combination that would seal up.

 

[Greg QS]

best way to test.
2 aluminum plates with red rubber on top of each end.
use 4 all thread to clamp down
install pressure gauge and air inlet through the top plate.
Fill with air . Turbos generate 40 lbs of pressure. So test in that range.
Spray fins with soap solution and look for air bubbles.
I takes a little to make the assembly , but you need to do this service 2-3 years. Once its made it easy to use. I let my specialty testing rig go to the new boat owner when i sold the boat.

Copied the design form Tony Athens

Testing a Cummins Marine Aftercooler

Testing a Cummins Marine Aftercooler

www.sbmar.com

 

[larman]

I was going to try to make this.

 

[Greg QS]

There are always more than 1 way to skin a cat. Looks great.
make sure the clamp towards the center is on the smooth ring. Make sure you have a valve after the air chock to hold the pressure and release the pressure.

 

[larman]

I was going to try to make this.
View attachment 159657

There are always more than 1 way to skin a cat. Looks great.
make sure the clamp towards the center is on the smooth ring. Make sure you have a valve after the air chock to hold the pressure and release the pressure.

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