Cummins 5.9 330hp aftercooler zinc stuck

[Edward Shaughnessy]

Just serviced lower E2 zinc on aftercooler, piece is left in the passage upon removal. Is there space inside to bump that 1 inch long remnant into the inside with a wooden dowel and put in a new zinc? 

Thank you for your insights.

Topic

[Edward Shaughnessy]

Thank you Rob for your prompt reply, I was on the road.

I am familiar with Tony’s service approach on these aftercoolers, this one has 100 hours on it since new for a previous owner so I am not ready to do a complete teardown for the sbmar treatment just yet.

The zinc piece is broken off so I will likely end up taking the cooler cap off to remove the small broken off piece. (Unless you happen to have a nifty method for broken zinc pieces in hard to reach locations down low on the cooler and also hull side.) I have a homemade tool for bumping the piece in and thought to try to fish it out or flush it out through the fuel cooler hose opening but recognized the risk is not managing to get the piece out. That  approach led me to ask my original question. 

[Rob Schepis]

Question: The zinc piece that is stuck in place is it broken off or did the pencil unscrew from the brass cap.  If the pencil unscrewed from the brass cap you may be able to get it out using a brass cap make-shift tool.  What you do is grind off the threads of the brass cap and take a bit off of it’s O.D. so you can insert it into the female threads of the cooler cap and then then rotate it threading it back onto the pencil and then slide the pencil out.

You do need to get the zinc pc out.  If  left in the lower cap area it will bounce around down there like a sneaker in a washing machine or a dryer.  It will bounce around and damaged the tube ends at the bottom of the aftercooler core and flatten them out.

You don’t seem familiar with the internals of the aftercooler which begs the question: What is the service history of the aftercooler(s) as to being pulled apart on the bench and serviced based on the methods on this website and the postings here on the forum?

[Author]

Replies