While I wait for supplies to show up so I can finish the exhaust risers, I avoided the blistering heat of summer and headed into the relatively cool engine room to finish up the coolant systems.
Original(?) exhaust manifold coolant hose on the right side was kinked; new formed hose on left won’t
Turbo coolant hose also kinked
Constant torque clamps eat the bands
Another CT clamp cannibalized itself
I’ve never used Constant Torque clamps before, but I know some guys who swear by them. Clearly, Cummins likes them. But they seem to rip out the treaded portion of the bands. I suppose this could be from overtightening… Either way, I need to replace them. Like everything else, I figure out what parts I need, order them online, and hope they show up during the following week. I’ve pretty much stopped ordering parts locally, since state sales tax adds significantly to the cost of everything and shipping (even from far away places) tends to at least break even if not save money.
Out with the old, in with the new
Much better…no kinks!
New silicon turbo coolant return hose
I also replaced the exhaust manifold coolant return hose
With all of the lines replaced, I tested the coolant to make sure it was within specs. From what I’ve read, the 6CTA engines have sleeved blocks and additives are required in the coolant to avoid crevice corrosion. When I drained the coolant it was extremely clean, so I ordered some test kits to check the status.
First color band shows good glycol
Second band is in the middle for molybdate
Third band is a tad low, but within spec for nitrite
Where the column and row cross is in the green at ~1.5SCA Units/Gal
Port side was in the green, too
So I refilled the coolant systems, and that’s another check box on the honey-do list. I’m still waiting for my argon diffuser to arrive so I can finish welding the exhaust risers. The only things left to do on the engines is wrap up the fuel system and raw water supply.
Next up on our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Building a Fume Extractor & Paint Filter Box
1969chriscraftroamer46 