R_p_ryan
Senior Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2014
- Messages
- 171
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Shellbourne
- Vessel Make
- 1978 Mainship 34 Perkins T6.354
It all started out so innocently. I removed the Bowman air charge cooler (intercooler) to take home and clean. The plan was just to soak it in Barnacle Buster to dissolve the deposits. Then I came across this thread at ybw.com that made it seem easy to disassemble. Now I have mess on my hands and need some advice.
It looks similar to this picture without the TAD:
I used a lot of muscle to "tap" the copper core (matrix) out of the cast iron housing. The iron housing had enormous amounts of built up scale that bound the core to the housing. It's like this hard black crumbly crud that grew from the sides of the housing into the core. The crud is jet-black and makes a massive mess like chimney soot. I worked the core back and forth using a variety of solvents and chemicals to loosen the crud. I finally got the core out with a 2X4 and a mallet. I started being super gentle but after a while it just took a lot of pounding.
Once the core was out I discovered about 3/16" of the crud coating the inside of the housing. I was able to blast most of it away with a pressure washer. I soaked the copper tube core in vinegar and alternated between steam cleaning, pressure washing and light bead blasting.
Is it likely I damaged the core with all the banging? It looks like it's in good shape but there's so much I can't see. Is it a bad idea to add some more tin to the ends using a mapp gas torch?
Can I wire-wheel the inside of the iron housing, then paint the inside with epoxy for continued corrosion resistance?
Do I have to replace the two rubber O rings or can I reuse the originals with some non-hardening sealant like Hylomar?
Is there some kind of sealant I should use on the ends of the core when I put it back in? I was thinking about coating the edges with silicone RTV or some other liquid gasket material.
Thanks,
Robert
1977 Perkins T6.354
It looks similar to this picture without the TAD:
I used a lot of muscle to "tap" the copper core (matrix) out of the cast iron housing. The iron housing had enormous amounts of built up scale that bound the core to the housing. It's like this hard black crumbly crud that grew from the sides of the housing into the core. The crud is jet-black and makes a massive mess like chimney soot. I worked the core back and forth using a variety of solvents and chemicals to loosen the crud. I finally got the core out with a 2X4 and a mallet. I started being super gentle but after a while it just took a lot of pounding.
Once the core was out I discovered about 3/16" of the crud coating the inside of the housing. I was able to blast most of it away with a pressure washer. I soaked the copper tube core in vinegar and alternated between steam cleaning, pressure washing and light bead blasting.
Is it likely I damaged the core with all the banging? It looks like it's in good shape but there's so much I can't see. Is it a bad idea to add some more tin to the ends using a mapp gas torch?
Can I wire-wheel the inside of the iron housing, then paint the inside with epoxy for continued corrosion resistance?
Do I have to replace the two rubber O rings or can I reuse the originals with some non-hardening sealant like Hylomar?
Is there some kind of sealant I should use on the ends of the core when I put it back in? I was thinking about coating the edges with silicone RTV or some other liquid gasket material.
Thanks,
Robert
1977 Perkins T6.354