Annual Maintenance

[john maybeck]

I have performed the following annual service on my factory re-con QSB 5.9

End of season- generally September- flush engine / gen set with fresh water for 15 minutes and then antifreeze.
2015 – 75 hrs
oil change Valvoline 15-40- lube and fuel filters – racors – engine zincs – 2 aftercooler 1 Heat exch
2016 – 160 hrs
all above as well as raw water impeller – remove and service aftercooler by Cummins shop
2017 – 220 hrs
oil – filters – zincs

Am I neglecting anything? When should heat exchanger be serviced? and how often would you suggest tending to the aftercooler. Approx 40% of these hours are at very low rpm -getting in out of our harbor at 5 mph. I never run this engine at greater than 75% load.
Thank you

Topic

[Tony Athens]

HX end caps can safely be removed and reinstalled .. You are looking for excess/old Zinc clogging of the tubes..

Never remove the Aftercooler caps without a complete service of the engine.

Tony

[john maybeck]

Thanks Corey,
We run the boat 2 -3 times a week and it doesn’t sit for more than 1 week or 10 days during the season.
At the end of the season I flush with fresh water for 10 minutes or so then run the antifreeze thru for the winter lay up.
Re: heat exchanger
What do I look for and can it be inspected by just removing the end caps or should it be removed completely ? If I do remove it , what should I look for and what can I do to remedy any concerns.

[Corey Schmidt]

John, it’s “Marine Age” that takes the engines out… it looks like you put less than 100 per year on the engine mostly? Do you only freshwater flush the engine when you lay the boat up for the off-season? How long does the boat sit in between usage? It would be a good idea to inspect the seawater components altogether every 1-2 seasons at least… that includes the heat exchanger, gear oil cooler, and most importantly, the aftercooler.

[Author]

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