Transmission cooler anodes short, very short life

[Portage_Bay]

Trans coolers have 1/4" x about 3/8" anodes. No, that's not a typo, that's all that fits. After running 17 hrs engine run time over 5 days I pulled the plugs, the anodes were completely gone. I don't expect them to last long but that seems far too short a time. Something is amiss. I'm thinking the trans cooler is electrically isolated from the engine. Wondering if bonding to the main cooler will help while I try to figure this out. Thoughts?

 

[DavidM]

Yes, I suspect you have an electrical fault somewhere to the cooler or transmission case and it is eating up those anodes.

Five days of life is way, way too short.

David

 

[Figment]

What inspired you to check the anodes after just a week?

 

[Portage_Bay]

Yes, I suspect you have an electrical fault somewhere to the cooler or transmission case and it is eating up those anodes.

Five days of life is way, way too short.

David

Agree it's likely stray current. That is going to be a huge time swallowing task. The electrical spaghetti on this boat is mind boggling. I've never seen such a puzzling mess. So, the question is, bond to the main cooler and get some protection until I sort this out? Or?

 

[Portage_Bay]

What inspired you to check the anodes after just a week?

The story starts here The dreaded broken pencil zinc in the heat exchanger I knew I had problems so when we got back began the process to open up the main heat exchangers and clean them out. Decide to pull the trans coolers as well because they were full of impeller vanes. That's when I found their anodes gone.

It's an old boat full of all sorts of old boat problems. When will I ever learn to buy something newer? Other boats I aimed for perfect and hardly went anywhere. This one I'm taking a different turn and good enough as long as it's safe and we go. Too old to loose anymore summers to projects.

 

[DavidM]

You can rig a temporary ground wire from the trans cooler to a solid ground like the engine block. That should stop the anode eating until you can sort out what is happening.

David

 

[Portage_Bay]

You can rig a temporary ground wire from the trans cooler to a solid ground like the engine block. That should stop the anode eating until you can sort out what is happening.

David

I was thinking temporary ground to main cooler because it is protected by a larger anode. So you think the block is a better place to bond to?

 

[Comodave]

Some transmission oil coolers have anodes some don’t. The OEM coolers that were on my Cummins didn’t have anodes. I swapped them out for SMX coolers that do have anodes and the SMX coolers had a ground screw on them so I connected them to the engine block.

 

[DavidM]

Well, you don’t know if that cooler isnt the source of the proble. If you ground to the engine block you know it is good.

David

 

[SteveK]

Are these coolers not mechanically grounded to the engine or Trans. It seems to me a stray current DC plus is traveling in the water stream to find ground.
OK, I have no idea why there is zinc in any coolers with rubber hoses attached.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Are these coolers not mechanically grounded to the engine or Trans. It seems to me a stray current DC plus is traveling in the water stream to find ground.
OK, I have no idea why there is zinc in any coolers with rubber hoses attached.

Hard to say how well they are bonded to the block. An angle bracket to the transmission. Two U bolts pull the cooler against a rubber pad. So any bonding is probably not all that good. Painted cooler and painted U bolts. I suppose they have anodes for the same reason underwater metal is bonded or has anodes.

 

[Comodave]

Mine are not electrically connected by any bracketing. But the new ones have a ground terminal. The brackets are cushion clamps that go around the coolers but have rubber insulation on the clamps so no electrical connection.

 

[Portage_Bay]

Mine are not electrically connected by any bracketing. But the new ones have a ground terminal. The brackets are cushion clamps that go around the coolers but have rubber insulation on the clamps so no electrical connection.

That's the way the main coolers. The trans cooler are half arsed bonded, sorta, maybe.

 

[SteveK]

bonding on exterior items to an exterior anode is understandable because our bonding system may introduce a circuit from our neighbours boat . I wish someone would explain why an anode is needed for a cooler.
Two dissimilar metals in a conductive liquid? Introduce an anode and create the circuit which eats the anode. Don't have an anode and no problem with galvanic corrosion.

 

[rgano]

Has anybody suggested getting DVM involved here?

 

[O C Diver]

bonding on exterior items to an exterior anode is understandable because our bonding system may introduce a circuit from our neighbours boat . I wish someone would explain why an anode is needed for a cooler.
Two dissimilar metals in a conductive liquid? Introduce an anode and create the circuit which eats the anode. Don't have an anode and no problem with galvanic corrosion.

I've never seen a engine heat exchanger without an anode. My guess is that that the solder becomes the sacrificial element without an anode.

Ted

 

[SteveK]

I've never seen a engine heat exchanger without an anode. My guess is that that the solder becomes the sacrificial element without an anode.

Ted

Ted, thanks for that.
Maybe it is solder surrounded by copper.

 

[O C Diver]

Trans coolers have 1/4" x about 3/8" anodes. No, that's not a typo, that's all that fits. After running 17 hrs engine run time over 5 days I pulled the plugs, the anodes were completely gone. I don't expect them to last long but that seems far too short a time. Something is amiss. I'm thinking the trans cooler is electrically isolated from the engine. Wondering if bonding to the main cooler will help while I try to figure this out. Thoughts?

If I were you, I would check or have a diver check your external anodes. One of the explanations for anode deterioration is stray AC current in the water, most commonly a boat very near to you. If a boat near you is leaking AC voltage into the water, it can eat your zincs until it starts eating your running gear. I would also check the anode on your heat exchanger. Have you checked your own boat for AC voltage going into the water?

Ted

 

[SteveK]

I like THIS write up for stray current. I know I read SteveD on this but cannot find link.

 

[Portage_Bay]

If I were you, I would check or have a diver check your external anodes. One of the explanations for anode deterioration is stray AC current in the water, most commonly a boat very near to you. If a boat near you is leaking AC voltage into the water, it can eat your zincs until it starts eating your running gear. I would also check the anode on your heat exchanger. Have you checked your own boat for AC voltage going into the water?

Ted

I routinely have the bottom cleaned and anodes checked and changed by diver. Nothing unusual, anodes seem to last the right amount of time. I have not had the boat checked for AC leakage. The home marina is up to the new codes. Problem boats trip the circuits. So AC leakage from my or neighbor boats is not likely.

 

[Comodave]

Do the anodes disappear when the boat has not been run? Maybe try unplugging the boat and see what happens.

 

[Ken Ongemach]

Trans coolers have 1/4" x about 3/8" anodes. No, that's not a typo, that's all that fits. After running 17 hrs engine run time over 5 days I pulled the plugs, the anodes were completely gone. I don't expect them to last long but that seems far too short a time. Something is amiss. I'm thinking the trans cooler is electrically isolated from the engine. Wondering if bonding to the main cooler will help while I try to figure this out. Thoughts?

Has nothing to do with Electricity. This s is a pure abrasion problem. Quit buying those cheap Plugs. Change Brands!..............................Ken

 

[O C Diver]

I routinely have the bottom cleaned and anodes checked and changed by diver. Nothing unusual, anodes seem to last the right amount of time. I have not had the boat checked for AC leakage. The home marina is up to the new codes. Problem boats trip the circuits. So AC leakage from my or neighbor boats is not likely.

How about the anode in the engine heat exchanger?

Ted

 

[Portage_Bay]

How about the anode in the engine heat exchanger?

Ted

They too are wasting away sooner that I think they should. I haven't kept records so can only say they seem to waste quickly.

 

[O C Diver]

Did you use the same manufacturer of anodes or switch to a different one?

Ted

 

[Portage_Bay]

Did you use the same manufacturer of anodes or switch to a different one?

Ted

I don't know what the PO had in there. I buy what I can find. West marine, local chandlery etc

 

[O C Diver]

My recommendation would be to source online, if your chandlery doesn't or can't get them, Camp anodes for both your heat exchanger and transmission cooler. They are a consistently good quality brand.

BTW, you or the PO didn't happen to run Barnacle Buster through the raw water cooling system did you? From recollection, the acid in Barnacle Buster eats anodes (you have to remove them).

While I prefer to find the cause of the problem instead of changing parts, in this case, the price is modest and may solve the problem.

Ted

 

[Portage_Bay]

My recommendation would be to source online, if your chandlery doesn't or can't get them, Camp anodes for both your heat exchanger and transmission cooler. They are a consistently good quality brand.

BTW, you or the PO didn't happen to run Barnacle Buster through the raw water cooling system did you? From recollection, the acid in Barnacle Buster eats anodes (you have to remove them).

While I prefer to find the cause of the problem instead of changing parts, in this case, the price is modest and may solve the problem.

Ted

Thank you for the tip on Camp anodes. I'll look into that. I have not run Barnacle Buster or any similar product through the heat exchangers. Nor will I. Main engine heat exchangers will come off this coming winter maintenance cycle to be professionally cleaned and pressure tested. I will try to source transmission heat exchangers that can fit a bigger anode. The ones that fit the current exchangers are only about 3/8" long.

For now, we're finally out on our summer cruise, I'm just swapping them out or at times ignoring the problem. The winter maintenance cycle will be time to try to sort this out. Along with a seemingly endless number of electrical problems. Old boat, heavily modified kind of issues.