Proper 6bta heat exchanger cleaning

[blindhog]

Pulled my starboard heat exchanger off and it looks pretty good compared to some I’ve seen, but before I repaint and reinstall what is the best way to clean the tubes while it’s out of the boat?  Is an hcl soak ok for the entire assembly or not needed?

engines are 5.9 6bta m3’s 330hp. 

Topic

[Rob Schepis]

Replacing with new is over the top in my opinion. The H Ex does not fail catastrophically. Sure proactive replacement of a gear cooler is recommended, especially on the motor oil gears that run full operating pressure on the cooling circuit but a heat exchanger can get a full service and testing on the bench.  I understand everyone’s spending habits are different as are their desires to turn wrenches but a blanket statement to simply replace a non-problematic H Ex is a bit much….

[Todd]

+1 for John’s recommendation of get new.

At a minimum clean as Tony suggests AND take it to an engine shop to get it pressure tested to ensure no pinholes.

[John Hobby]

Buy a new one!

Get a new one!  Going through all that, and put the old one on?  I swapped mine out last year and got a ton of stuff from Tony.  Now I never have to worry, or for a while.  And, I fresh water flush every time.  Don’t get lazy!

Can’t beat new and you know what boat means right!  Start fresh.  Don’t forget the gear cooler!

 

[Tony Athens]

Salt water side–inside of tubes–10:1 Pool acid (HCL and water )

 

Coolant side–some strong all purpose clearer (floors, etc,  or a radiator cleaner from AutoZone, etc

[Author]

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