changing engine zincs on Cat 3126

katricol said:
ktcanuck....boatzincs.com. Pipe wrench, no. You don't want to over-tighten these. Just use a small wrench and after they are tight, loosen them a hair. That way when you want to take them off you can tighten them a hair then loosen so they "break free" easier.
Click to expand...

Thanks. The studs I have from Cat have no flats to put a wrench on. That's why I asked about a "grip" wrench like a pipe wrench. I can still do what you suggested, which makes sense to me.

Let me also correct what I said before. Cat sold me 4 studs (large) dia and the other 18 were small dia. Judging by http://www.boatzincs.com/CAT-3126-AnodeKit.html I am ok. Not sure why the kit comes with the plugs for 5 of them though.
 
Last edited:
Cat's OEM zincs are from Camp.......which is Canadian Metal Products. Maybe you can buy them direct in Canada or down here most people use boatzincs.com.

There should be 2 large zincs per engine.......E-1FZ's and they go in the transmission oil cooler. ALl other Cat zinces as well as the Westerbeke are E-0Z........and, I know this doesn't agree with the boatzinc's website for 3116 and 3126 engines, but it is what Caterpillar supplied when they shipped the engines to Sea Ray.
 
boatzincs have oversized heat exchanger zincs. they are like twice as long as CAT supplies and they last a long time. I'm going on a year with the boat zinc's size in the heat exchangers. The aftercoolers are the ***** zincs on the 3126's. Never fails to have to go zinc diving for one. All of the others seem to be easy unless you let them go.
 
fwebster said:
Caterpillar does a great job in planing for future maintenance. I can walk up to all of my zincs and only have to do 3 by feel. Its about a 15 minute job if you figure out that zincs are cheap and when you change them every 6 months, you don't go zinc diving.

Also, using acid will free the hole where you can insert a new zinc, but the remaining anode is then loose in the heat exchanger or cooler where it either eventually breaks up and passes thru in the exhaust or gets lodged in a tube where it stays and grows into a "corrosion flower" where several tubes get plugged. ONce again, zincs are cheap.......change them more frequently do avoid long term and more expensive issues.
Click to expand...

When I mention using acid I mean for when I go to remove the zinc from the cap they sometimes break off. I don't tighten them other than hand tight when I installed them but the seem to get pretty stuck still. I am thinking about using some sort of thread lube next time. When the break I put the caps in some acid and leave overnight and the zinc is gone. Any tricks that will make the zinc easier to extract from the cap Frank?
 
katricol said:
ktcanuck....boatzincs.com. Pipe wrench, no. You don't want to over-tighten these. Just use a small wrench and after they are tight, loosen them a hair. That way when you want to take them off you can tighten them a hair then loosen so they "break free" easier.
Click to expand...

When I reload, I hold the zinc gently with vise grips and the plug with a socket wrench. I tighten just past what would be hand tight. You DO NOT want them loose as karicol does. They should be snug so they don't rattle out.
 
Sea Gull said:
When I reload, I hold the zinc gently with vise grips and the plug with a socket wrench. I tighten just past what would be hand tight. You DO NOT want them loose as karicol does. They should be snug so they don't rattle out.
Click to expand...

Understand, thanks.
 
fwebster said:
Cat's OEM zincs are from Camp.......which is Canadian Metal Products. Maybe you can buy them direct in Canada or down here most people use boatzincs.com.
Click to expand...

Looks like they sell under the brand name "Martyr". I will look into it. Thanks.
 
Sea Gull...I tighten the zinc on the plug also. I don't tighten the plug into the engine too much tho. I back it off a hair as they tend to get too hard to take off. /Also cat recommends using anti-seize which I do.
 
Got it. Sorry I misinterpreted what you wrote. We are on the same page now.
 
Most go to boatzincs.com. Hopefully I don't get hand slapped for linking a website.

Nick
 
fwebster said:
If you can unscrew a pipe plug, you can handle it.

However, if the zincs have not been changed recently, it is very likely that the anode will bind and unscrew from the plug or break off in the heat exchanger/oil cooler/aftercooler or riser. If it does you will have to fish the broken or dislodged anode out of the engine which may involve some disassembly that might exceed your skills. This alone is reason enough to service the zincs every 6 months on the Cats and every month on the Westerbeke, if you have a red generator.
Click to expand...

Frank,
I unfortunately read this after I had my boat about 8 months. When I read this I called my CAT dealer right away. I had no idea those engine zincs needed to be changed every 6 months. Mine were all screwed up and the PO had even put the wrong brass plugs in with the wrong threads. The CAT mechanic broke a wrench and some knuckles getting them out. Well they are all changed now (even the transmission zincs) but it was not cheap. He assured me next time it will be painless, for his knuckles and my wallet.
Thanks for the help.
 
6 months on some zincs, longer on others. You won't know until you pull them.
 
In fresh water, once a year is more than often enough. You can go 2 years without issue if you don't sneak into salt water. My bottom zincs are over 3 years old!
 
I am in fresh water and only spend a couple of weeks a year in the salt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,229
Messages
1,428,965
Members
61,120
Latest member
jingenio
Back
Top