pattormey
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2018
- Messages
- 53
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Hail Mary
- Vessel Make
- Sterling Yachts Atlantic 45
I am posting to share the importance of doing the above maintenance whether you have a Cummins or other turbo engine with an after cooler. I had planned to do this at 1000 hours, then came onto Tony Athens' article on "marine age" and realized that my 2006 boat had and after cooler that has had seawater in it, since it was launched!
While I did not find some of the terrible things that neglect can create in this component, I did see the start of seawater intrusion onto the air side of the core and corrosion building up around that o-ring (the bottom, where the seawater sits when engine isn't running).
I always noticed that the lower zinc got eaten up much quicker than any of my other engine zincs (upper after cooler and heat exchanger) and this is likely due to the fact that water sits in that pool always. So...check this zinc every 2-3 months and replace more often as needed.
My after pictures are exactly as shown in Tony's excellent video on how to clean (brake fluid on the air part, simple green on the water side after clearing tubes with a rod, then soak entire core in bucket of simple green to loosen up anything else, rinse, dry, done).
links to my research prior to this job, which I will now do every 2-3 years;
use the recommended grease...
https://www.sbmar.com/articles/cummins-marine-aftercooler-maintenance/
check which o-ring size to use on the QSB
https://www.sbmar.com/articles/b-series-aftercooler-o-ring-identification/
While I did not find some of the terrible things that neglect can create in this component, I did see the start of seawater intrusion onto the air side of the core and corrosion building up around that o-ring (the bottom, where the seawater sits when engine isn't running).
I always noticed that the lower zinc got eaten up much quicker than any of my other engine zincs (upper after cooler and heat exchanger) and this is likely due to the fact that water sits in that pool always. So...check this zinc every 2-3 months and replace more often as needed.
My after pictures are exactly as shown in Tony's excellent video on how to clean (brake fluid on the air part, simple green on the water side after clearing tubes with a rod, then soak entire core in bucket of simple green to loosen up anything else, rinse, dry, done).
links to my research prior to this job, which I will now do every 2-3 years;
use the recommended grease...
https://www.sbmar.com/articles/cummins-marine-aftercooler-maintenance/
check which o-ring size to use on the QSB
https://www.sbmar.com/articles/b-series-aftercooler-o-ring-identification/
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