[James DeCristofaro]

Also, with regard to your DC electrical diagram and alternators…

It’s one thing to connect an alternator to a relatively small capacity Start Battery/Bank – it’s a completely different dynamic to couple an alternator with a relatively large capacity House Bank. Just as a small case alternator is a significantly different piece of equipment and has different performance abilities than a large case constant duty alternator.

I really think alternator temperature monitoring/regulation is the most important feature needed for a successful charging system whenever a relatively small alternator is used with a relatively large battery bank.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this – if you agree – and if so, how the temperature monitoring and regulation is (or would be) accomplished in the DC diagram you posted and the DELCO type 19SI’s 3-wire alternators in 105A or 140A tha you suggested using.

And this is not a challenge – your experience and feedback is well taken and much appreciated – I’m just trying to understand and meet my requirements and do a DC upgrade that works in my situation.

Thanks.

[James DeCristofaro]

Yes – I see the increased contact area and number of degrees, and I understand the benefit.

By my request to “elaborate on the specifics” I meant I don’t know how to accomplish that on my ’91 250 hp 6BTA 5.9 M1. Pictures already posted above.

If you could direct me to more information I’d appreciate it. I haven’t been able to find specific direction – instructions and all the upgrade components – tensioner, pulleys, mounts/brackets, belts, etc. – that I can follow for an upgraded wrap and pulley system.

Thanks again.

[James DeCristofaro]

Thanks, Tony.

“Think about it” – and study it – I will. First look I can certainly see the benefit of keeping the engines set up to run as two single/separate systems. And I’m sure I’ll have a few more questions.

In the meantime… the “Upgrade your belt WRAP”.

Is that a different tensioner, the addition of another free wheeling pulley to change the belt lead angles to the alternator pulley and increase the belt to alternator pulley surface area connection – and a new different length belt?

Can you please elaborate on the specifics?

Thanks again. Much appreciated.

[James DeCristofaro]

Tony,

Diagrams you requested sent to you via email.

Thanks for your help.

James

[James DeCristofaro]

Corey,

I’ve had the boat less than a year, and have not replaced the thermostats. And based on my experiences/conversations with the previous owner, the local Cummins dealer, and local diesel mechanics, I’d be very surprised if the thermostats were anything but the standard 180F – but I don’t know for sure. That’s why I was asking the question about the water transfer tube cold being on one end and warm on the other; and if there were other ways of knowing the thermostat was open.

[James DeCristofaro]

Thanks for the replies.

I’m getting when draining and refilling slow and patient is important. And good to know I can run the engines with the filler cap off and add more coolant as needed. It also seems there’s no way to get the T Stat to open (if it did in fact not open) without taking the boat out on the water under load – unless maybe I replace the coolant during the summer when the seawater is warm? If flushing with fresh water and/or chemical flush, that makes it quite a project if having to leave and return to the dock several times. If anyone knows how to get the boat up to higher temp while in the slip please let me know.

I found this post online on Boatdiesel..com, which helps put things in perspective:

Tony May 9, 2003
“From experience, I would say that the “B” series Cummins is not the easiest engine to fill with coolant.. Seems too easy to air lock or underfill….My solution has been to add about 5 gallons of coolant on the six cylinder engine that has the full width expansion tank( most all engines since 1990 or so). This usually brings it up to about 1/2 to 3/4 full in the tank.. I then run the engine at about 800-1200 RPM until I get about 150 degrees with the pressure cap off (idling out of the harbor works fine if conditions permit).. Then I fill the tank up and close the cap…Seems to be the best system for me… The C’s are not as bad but I still run them with the cap off to “de-aerate” before I fill to the top……In all cases, watch your temp on the first hard run, and the next day, pull off the cap and top off…The plastic remote expansion bottle should be about 1/2 full when cold.. It’s also best to have the plastic bottle tank at close to the same level as the tank on the engine…If it’s higher, you can’t check the engine tank level without siphoning from the bottle (I guess you could pinch the hose)..Too low, and it may not work properly…”.

And for whatever reason, my engines don’t have expansion bottles/plastic remote bottles, just the athwartships semi rectangular heavy metal expansion tank and a clear 3/8″ plastic hose from a fitting on the filler cap expansion tank collar down to the bilge below the engine.

There’s another piece here I realized I haven’t mentioned.

Below the heat exchanger is a long tube running fore and aft about 2-1/2″ diameter and the same length as the heat exchanger. I believe it’s called the water transfer tube. At the bottom side of aft end of the water transfer tube is the pipe plug – where the coolant is drained.

After I ran the engines for over an hour at the dock, I felt the tube. The forward end of the tube was very warm to the touch – and the aft end of the tube was cold.

If the thermostat was opening, wouldn’t the entire water transfer tube be very warm?

[James DeCristofaro]

Ok. Thanks for pointing out that there will likely be some heat transfer – rather than more retention – with the foil backing.

My thought then is if I apply the foil wrap over the existing wrap (see picture already posted above) I will add to the already present wrap’s heat retention a little more, and get a more easier-to-maintain finish job.

And as far you writing “I know the foil face exists” – it may very well exist, but so far the only places I see online that have some sort of version of foil wrap are in England, New Zealand, Australia, China, etc.

I wrote to the forum – to understand more about how foil wrap might perform, and to find the source of the foil wrap used in the pictures posted on Seaboard Marine..

[James DeCristofaro]

Rob,

There are several pictures of a “foil faced” type exhaust wrap on the Seaboard site under the title “Custom Dry Exhaust Wrap”. I posted them on my initial post of this thread. If you scroll up to the beginning of the thread, you’ll see the pictures and my initial inquiry.

When I saw installations, I thought it might be a better way then just plain cloth (fiberglass, titanium, lava rock, whatever). Better looking, better to keep clean… I don’t know – that’s why I thought I’d ask. I’m familiar with many of the online sites – Summit, Jegs, etc. – but haven’t been able to find any wraps like the pictures. So I asked what the foil wrap was and where I could find some. You’ll also see Tony’s response.

I posted them below again in case you can’t find them at the beginning of the thread.

James

[James DeCristofaro]

Tony,

This thread was actually about the difference between covering the dry section of a custom marine exhaust with a blanket versus covering it with a wrap.

I’m not in any way disputing that the exhaust blankets that Seaboard and ATP install are top notch – “high quality and good looking” – nor am I trying to find another company that does it better.

I happened to run across pictures of a wrap – not a blanket – with some sort of foil facing that had the potential to perhaps be more serviceable and better looking than a conventional fiberglass-only wrap (not better than an exhaust blanket). And I wanted to learn more about it.

In any case, grateful as always for the service you and the crew at Seaboard provide. Much appreciated.

James

[James DeCristofaro]

Ok. Understand the crankcase riser function. Thanks for the explanation.

As I just bought the boat this past December and don’t really yet know how much blow-by or oil mist or fumes come from the engines into the engine room and maybe beyond – but do know I need air cleaner/filters – I spoke with Brad and ordered two S&B air filters set up for a CCV system with the fitting installed at the end.

In that way I get new filters and at the same time will be ready for a CCV system if / when I determine the need.

Thanks Tony, Rob, and Brad for your help. Much appreciated.

[James DeCristofaro]

Attached are a several pictures of what I need “wrapped. I apologize – I can’t seem to get the pictures to stand upright.

The first two are with the currently installed fiberglass wrap on each engine, the last two are pictures of an older thin blanket that came with the boat, one with the wrap on the exhaust and one with the wrap off the dry exhaust lying on the engine room floor.

I completely understand that Advance Thermal Products makes a very good blanket. I had actually sent an email to you earlier off this forum and you directed me to them. I got a price proposal, but as I mentioned above, at $495 each.

I don’t disagree – the ATP blankets are a very good solution (and as I found when I got several other proposals from other companies, competitively priced for the quality).

But are blankets the only way to professionally treat the dry exhaust section of a marine exhaust system?

It would seem that a carefully applied good quality “custom dry exhaust wrap” system can do the job just as well. It may not look as “modern” as a custom exhaust blanket, or perhaps not last as long, but still, unless I’m missing something, it does the job required – with almost $1000 left for other engine expenses.

I first explored trying to find a custom blanket like the existing ones – very thin and more cosmetic than protective but together with the fiberglass wound wrap had done the job since 1991 – but I could not find a company that made thin blankets. So I thought I would try to just add another layer of a new wound wrap over the existing to increase the insulation and make it look cleaner and newer.

That was the reasoning for my request for the what appears to be some sort of foil faced wound wrap.

[James DeCristofaro]

Thanks for the sample pictures.

Are both the valve cover angle fitting and/or the valve cover extension threaded to seal to the threads in the valve cover hole?

What determines whether or not an extension is used in the installation?

[Author]

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