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Electrolosis issue

Discussion in 'Post Yacht' started by My Affair, Feb 8, 2017.

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  1. My Affair

    My Affair Member

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    My 1988 46' Post transmission oil cooler zincs are dissolving at an alarming rate above the rest of anodes in other parts of the engines. When I went to remove, both sides the zincs broke off after 1 year of use...boat was in the water from April to October- I replaced the zincs after I winterized the engines the prior October.

    My question any clue why? The rest of the anodes were put replaced in April and do not show sign of dissolving yet.

    Thank you.
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Could be location, or how the raw water flows through them, change them more often.
  3. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    Maybe when engines are off, the other zincs are higher and some raw water drains from the top whereas the tranny cooler sits lower and the zincs are always submerged ?
  4. Davidoc

    Davidoc Senior Member

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    671s or V92's ? My cooler (6v92) only had one small zinc at the exit of raw water to the exhaust system. It used to burn faster than the large heat exchanger zinc. I was told to plug it and don't worry about it because the big zinc ahead of the cooler in the exchanger will provide the protection. Been running like that for several years with no problem. If you want to keep the small zinc, meter the zinc heads and zinc to be sure they are grounded to the cooler and that the cooler is grounded good to the engine. Paint rust etc can add some resistance.
  5. My Affair

    My Affair Member

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    Hi- Running 6-71TIB's. I think the water does drain down when the engines are shut off. The transmission cooler is bolted to the back of the engine under the turbo. Looks like all of the parts were painted before reassembly at some point, therefore the connection to ground may be part of the issue. It is very difficult to remove those hoses. What do I put on the hoses so they are more easily removed- I was thinking grease? Soapy water is good to install but trying to think of a way of I don't catch the zinc erosion in time a way to remove the hose other than have to cut it.

    Appreciate the suggestions!

    Thanks
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Work a thin straight screw driver between the hose and cooler, then try to work the hose side to side to break the seal, then once you do that twist side to side and pull.
  7. Fletcher500

    Fletcher500 Member

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    I had some galvanic corrosion issues awhile back. I walked in to the marine electricians office to discuss this, and I also used the word "electrolysis". He asked me if the project involved removing hair from women's legs. Lesson learned. Anyway, hope you get it figured out. My other lesson is that it is somewhat of a black art, and there a lot of people who claim to understand it, but don't. It is one of those areas where I like to see some grey hair on the person doing the investigating.
  8. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    An easier job than understanding all involved in galvanic erosion guessing.
    The good news is, keep all bonding in shape and zinc all ports that require it. You don't have to be a master do-dad guy, just maintain what you have.
    When in doubt, check and replace any poor condition zincs. Your diver will tell you when a new boat with problems is near also,,,,, you do have a diver ????

    BTW, I am a leg man at service.....
  9. mwwhit1

    mwwhit1 Senior Member

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    I have 671's too. I use roughly three sets of trans zincs over the 7 month season. This lets me still unscrew them before wearing so much they break off. Mine are small, I think the E1's, so you are talking about a 1/2 x 2" zinc getting the full flow of cooling water past it plus protecting quite a bit of metal. If you are comparing to the large Detroit sized zincs in the main cooler, I have two of those so that is probably 10 times more zinc to wear. I replace those once a year.

    You could have an issue, but probably not if your zincs overall (rear plate, trim tabs) are lasting for your season.
  10. My Affair

    My Affair Member

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    Has anyone replaced the raw water intake hose with Silicone? I finally ended up cutting off the hose to get the tranny coolers off, the hose was old and wasn't playing nicely.... From the appearance (See pic's attached) it's been a while since they've been cleaned. Does anyone know if there were bonding wires that went to these transmission coolers on the 6-71TIB. The reason is I found a bonding wire on the engines heat exchanger, having those cleaned also! They were bad, but nowhere near like this

    My rear Zinc plate is about 1/2 gone- normal consumption based on my 42 which I could get two seasons out of one. Shaft and Trim Tab Zincs are about 1/3- 1/2 gone also.

    I'm going to be checking the zincs a lot more often...now the ones in the engines barely show any corrosion..



    IMG_2112.JPG IMG_2111.JPG
  11. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    No, do not use Silicone hose on the suction side. You only want to use marine exhaust hose with wiring.
  12. My Affair

    My Affair Member

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    OK. Thank you all for your input.
  13. My Affair

    My Affair Member

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    I am trying to locate the Galvanic Isolator on my 1988 46' Post- does anyone know if one would exist, and if so where?

    Thanks!
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Very close to where the shorepower inlet is, usually.....
  15. Davidoc

    Davidoc Senior Member

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    My 91 did not have one. I put one in behind the breaker panel where the green wire AC ground comes in from shore power. It has a remote LED that gets mounted to the panel.
  16. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Most boats didn't have a galvanic isolator in 1988. They're easy to install and generally I install them right after where the shorepower comes into the boat.
  17. baltimore bob

    baltimore bob Member

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    My 75 did, and it appeared to be original before I replaced it. Look on the bulkhead above the generator.
  18. My Affair

    My Affair Member

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    Baltimore Bob, My 1975 did also, but my 1988 does not.

    Davidoc,
    What brand did you install, I like the remote idea.
  19. ruby

    ruby Member

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    I had noticed through the years that some zinc manufacturers last longer than others, I did prefer using B&S marine anodes.
  20. Davidoc

    Davidoc Senior Member

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    Sorry for the delay. Had to dig through my books to find it.

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 29, 2017