Cooling system test results Cummins 6cta8.3m 450

[Matt]

I did the oil change today and tested the cooling system with the test strips. I get 2.6 and 2.8 for the starboard and port engines. So what do I do now? Do the filters that I have stay on or do I replace them with something special?

Also I was looking around for the zincs on the engines I find one in each heat exchanger and it looks like there is one in the top and bottom of the intercooler.
Are there more? Also what size are the zincs.

I really need to get the manual for these engines but the last two times I have gone to the Cummins dealer they have not had the manuals they did offer to order them but they take three to four weeks and by then the boat will be laid up for the winter. I know I should have ordered them earlier but as usual procrastination kicked in and I am down to only a couple of short week before they will want to haul the boat.

Thank you all for the help.

Matt

 

[Four Suns]

I did the oil change today and tested the cooling system with the test strips. I get 2.6 and 2.8 for the starboard and port engines. So what do I do now? Do the filters that I have stay on or do I replace them with something special?

I'm going to be at the boat tomorrow afternoon and will look at my stuff. There is a range that is "OK" and I don't recall that off the top of my head. If you are in the range, you can put a "blank" water filter on with no SCA in it.

 

[endless seas]

Boat zincs .com all the zincs for your engines.11 per engine,great price..

 

[Asureyez]

Hi,

Your Cummins 450's have three Zinc's in the raw water cooling system. Two are installed in the "After Cooler" which is the tapered top and bottom aluminum box that air from the turbo passes through on the way to the intake manifold. The zinc on the top of the after cooler rarely ever needs changing, the bottom one is almost always consumed. This zinc is critical to check every three months.

The third Zinc is on the heat exchanger on the end closest to the belt housing. It is located on the bottom of the HE and it too is critical and should be checked every three months.

I'm going to mention it here, but make a more exhaustive separate post later in this diesel section. The Cummins 450 is "After Fitted" with two special cooling heat exchangers that are placed differently in that Sea Ray Installs that these engines differently after fitted than other boat builders (this is common in Sea Ray).

First, the transmission oil cooler, and this small tubular HE is generally installed immediately on the backside of the "After Cooler" bracket. Raw sea water passes through it to cool the trannies.

Second is the diesel fuel cooler that cools the diesel fuel being returned to the tank after passing through the high pressure fuel pump.

The raw water flows from the sea strainer through the diesel cooler, then to the bottom of the After Cooler and out the top to the tranny oil cooler and then off to the HE for the main engines and finally out of the HE to the exhaust mixing elbow.

This issue is these additional two cooling units are marine bronze (good) with end-caps of marine Bronze (good), soldered into place on each end with tin lead zinc solder maybe okay if we didn't have a nobility of metals issue with respect to galvanic action.

Why tell you all this? Well a carefully and probably aghast inspection will reveal that these two bronze coolers are NOT bonded into the system anywhere! Common failure is in the tranny cooler due to lack of bonding and the solder is eaten away, as is the stainless crossover pipe leading from the tranny oil cooler to the main HE.

Diligent owners of these 450's after fit for Sea Rays should carefully examine their installation and add ground/bond straps led to the block to the fuel cooler, Tranny cooler and the crossover pipe if they are missing.

This little tip could save owner "megalla" bucks.

 

[Boatdave]

Can anyone tell me where I can buy the test strips and also
if they supply the information regarding the readings to figure out which filter to go with. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Asureyez]

:smt024The information you need for using the test strips is on the test strip color comparison card. The reading will tell you whether you must add additional corrosion retardant or not. The strip reading and the card will tell you how many points you have to move in one direction or another. If you must add, you buy a Fleetguard filter with the proper amount of additive impregnated into the filter media. Put on a new filter and your done for the time being. If you must reduce the corrosion elements in the coolant, you close off some of the filter or shut off the filter altogether for 10 -20 hours and then check again.

 

[jetlag]

Is this testing required on the QSC500's as well? I have an '07 SeaRay 44 DB with these engines. I seem to have 6 zinc annodes per engine and one for the genset. Don't remember anything about testing the coolant or having an impregnated filter. Help!
Thanks,
Jetlag