Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)
I went to remove the pencil zinc fitting as part of my spring
commissioning, and the plug came out without the remainder of the
zinc. I haven’t tried fishing it out yet, because I’m afraid of
jamming it farther in. Since it appears that I’m going to have to
remove the heat exchanger from the 4.108 to get the zinc out, I
thought I’d ask here if anyone else has done it, and if there are
any pitfalls that I should be aware of before I do it. Also, while I
have it off, is it worth cleaning the tubes? Has anyone done this
themselves, or do I have to have it professionally done?
Thanks,
Lance
Posted by fieldreams@… (fieldreams@…>)
Since you say you’ll be removing the heat exchanger to pick-out remnants of
the zinc which may have lodged inside (assuming they haven’t just dissolved
altogether), take the opportunity to have the exchanger cleaned, even
though it may appear clean to your eye. Depending on how long ago it was
cleaned, it probably has some degree of salt build-up on the inside tubes.
That build-up can constrict internal water flow and also act to insulate
and, thereby, limit effective cooling. Take it to a diesel mechanic (call
them first). They’ll “boil” it and then you can replace it in the engine.
If, after cleaning, the heat exchanger itself appears on its “last legs,”
get a new one and keep the one you removed as a back-up spare.
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)
When I pulled the plug for the zinc, it was clear that the opening
was blocked by whatever was left of the previous zinc (which I’m
embarrassed to say I didn’t even know was there until the middle of
this winter). So I decided to take your advice and get the exchanger
serviced, especially since the engine tends to run a little warm
anyway. I managed to remove the heat exchanger yesterday - anyone
else with a 4.108, it’s easier to remove the heat exchanger if
you’re doing an oil change and the filter is off, but it can be done
with the filter in place, with a little patience.
Anyway, for those of you in the boston area, I found a place in
Saugus that specializes in heat exchanger cleaning and repair:
http://www.holtcorp.com/
I brought it in yesterday afternoon, and take 3-5 days to get back.
Their over-the-phone quote before they saw it was $60 - $100 for the
service. I’ll keep you posted on the results.
Lance
— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, “fieldreams@e…”
<fieldreams@e…> wrote:
Since you say you’ll be removing the heat exchanger to pick-out
remnants of
the zinc which may have lodged inside (assuming they haven’t just
dissolved
altogether), take the opportunity to have the exchanger cleaned,
even
though it may appear clean to your eye. Depending on how long ago
it was
cleaned, it probably has some degree of salt build-up on the
inside tubes.
That build-up can constrict internal water flow and also act to
insulate
and, thereby, limit effective cooling. Take it to a diesel
mechanic (call
them first). They’ll “boil” it and then you can replace it in the
engine.
If, after cleaning, the heat exchanger itself appears on its “last
legs,”
get a new one and keep the one you removed as a back-up spare.
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .