CAT C-12 Aftercoolers- Tony

[mwelsch]

Tony I know these are not Cummins but I see you have commented on lots of aftercooler discussions some which were not Cummings. I just purchased a 2002 Azimut 55 Fly with CAT C-12’s. I had the engine surveyed and samples pulled. The engines have about 1100 hours. The CAT tech said the engine performed well and seems to be in good shape. The samples came back clean. CAT had no service records for the motors. As best we can tell the aftercoolers are original. Do you think I should have them pulled and cleaned/pressure tested or just replace them? The boat has always been a salt water boat but I just moved it to Lake Ontario. Thanks in advance.

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[mwelsch]

Reply To: CAT C-12 Aftercoolers- Tony

Tony,

Do you have link that show how to pull them & maybe what parts are need to reinstall (gaskets etc)? I will pull mine and send them to you. Thx

[Tony Athens]

C12 Aftercoolers

From what we have seen, C-12 aftercoolers do not have a good track record ( that would be saying it a nice way) ..

As to having them serviced, that is a 100% must, but only if done correctly. If the CAT tech’s in your are are on par with the Cummins techs in S. Calif, you are wasting your time .. Do it yourself, send them to Dallas Coolers in Texas ( a super class service facility) or to us, to get them done right.

They are the major weak link on that engine, and most all SWAC modern engines today.. Once done, keep your engine flushed with fresh water.. That is also a 100% “must do” .

[Steve Lewis]

My wife and I just went to look at a 2005 Azimut 50 fly this past Saturday and it has C-12’s. This boat is on Lake Erie but the engines and componentry showed salt water exposure and there was a level of wear that turned us off so we are not going to make an offer on the boat. The reading I have done on the C-12 is the aftercoolers are a weakness. absolutely have these things removed, cleaned and pressure tested.

This will give you absolute understanding of the condition of these important items. It is an investment but will be significantly less costly than any kind of damage done by a leaking AC. You will have a known good position to start from and then continue the preventive maint regimen. Do not forget to have the gear cooler looked at as well and any other components in the sea water cooling circuit. Marine Age!

If these are the 715hp model, like they are in the ’05 we looked at, I attached the spec sheet for the engine and it includes a prop demand curve. I would seriously look at the fuel burn of your boat against the prop demand chart in the pdf. You might want to tune your props a bit if your boat fuel burn is more than the demand curve from CAT. Or atleast have a discussion with CAT technicians about that.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

[Author]

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