Zinc question

Audrey II

Audrey II

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I have cat diesel engines so I have about 11 zincs on each engine inevitably when I pull the zincsalon and try to remove it from the cap nut it just snaps leaving a piece in the cap making it impossible it screw a replacement zinc in. I remember reading the is a solvent that I can use to desolve the zinc without hurting the nut this would be very helpful does anyone know what to use? I'm assuming I would pleace several of these caps in a cup for a few hours or maybe over night and it would clean them up. I feel like it may be baricle buster or something like it.
 
The zinc will dissolve in acid such as pool acid, muriatic acid. The nut will look new. Just be careful with the acid.

I always used new nuts since the pipe threads are really designed to seal properly with single use. I also added rector seal to prevent drips. check the continuity with an Ohm meter if you doubt connection.
 
Drilling didn't work it left too much of the old zinc on the treads so the new one wouldn't tread in. I guess I will pick up some muriatic acid, I'm no chemist but I'm sure I can handle this. How do you dispose of the acid when finished do you simply dilute until it is safe to pour down the drain?
 
Like Bruce, I use a small amount muriatic acid in a glass jar to clean out the old caps with zinc remnants. If it is full of zinc I often drill out much of it with a small bit as that speeds up the acid zinc-removal process. If the chemical reaction slows before all the zinc is dissolved, I just add a little more MA.

Rubber gloves recommended.

When done, I carefully remove the shiny empty caps and rinse them well, then add a little baking soda to the jar and fling contents out into the woods . And rinse the jar.

But I always have "refurbed" pencil anode caps and extra inserts onboard ready to swap in when the old ones look half-used-up as is generally recommended, since the rest will be so porous.

If routinely replacing pencil anodes at that point, there is a very good chance the zinc remains will just unscrew so the cap can be used with new insert right away if desired.
My gas engines say to check them ~~ once a month .
 
Check them once a month?
I change my oncs a year.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Audrey II

Check them once a month?
I change my oncs a year.

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Which of course is about as often most people tend to check them if they even are aware they are there. :D

Yours are probably larger diameter than my pencil anodes . If I had 2 x 11 of those I'd probably delay a lot more too, but consider, if you wait until the pencils are gone or mostly-all-gone , then something a lot spendier nearby is likely sacrificing itself instead.

Mine are so easy to get to, it's not a chore at all.

Have you checked the maint. sched. for yours in the owner's manual recently?
 
So, since I have just recently purchased my houseboat and I'm not aware where the zincs are located what is the best suggestion to find and replace all of them? Are they only on the engines or should I look other places as well? Engines are Crusader (Chevy 350s). I KNOW they need changed. Where are they and how do I know I got them all?

Thanks
 
quote:
Watch your nose hairs with the muriatic acid!

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How did you get it in your nose??

Eyes need even more protection

Always add acid to water not water to acid. I dont remember how much I diluted the muriatic.

Muriatic is actually diluted sulfuric acid.
 
quote:
Originally posted by River Runner

So, since I have just recently purchased my houseboat and I'm not aware where the zincs are located what is the best suggestion to find and replace all of them? Are they only on the engines or should I look other places as well? Engines are Crusader (Chevy 350s). I KNOW they need changed. Where are they and how do I know I got them all?

Thanks

Click to expand...


If your 5.7L Crusaders are RWC you won't have any pencil anodes at all I believe since there would normally only be one in the heat exchanger of FWC engines.They don't put one in the transmission oil cooler on those engines.

But of course there should be either a single big "diver's dream" transom anode or separate ones on prop shafts , rudders and tabs. Material depends on type of water.
 
Being tomorrows weather looks like crap I thought maybe I would finally take care of this. Does anyone know what ratio I should mix the acid down to no need to use it in too strong a mixture.
 
River Runner, best to start a new thread, however, every Raw water cooled Crusader I've owned, had a pencil anode in the oil cooler. If you are fresh water cooled, you have both.
 
I have 11 pencil zincs per motor so needless I have a lot of nuts that need to be cleaned. In the past I just bought new ones but it is starting to add up at close to $10 each.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Gregory S

River Runner, best to start a new thread, however, every Raw water cooled Crusader I've owned, had a pencil anode in the oil cooler. If you are fresh water cooled, you have both.

Click to expand...


The RWC Crusader big blocks had them in the U-coolers but the 4 Crusader 5.7L small blocks I've had and presently have did/do not employ pencil anodes in the straight oil/transmission cooler hidden under the side of the engine. I wish they did, as I had to replace a cooler last year and it was one hell of a job to remove all the hoses and extract the cooler and same in reverse with the new one. Multi-day job.

Their more recent small blocks finally have the cooler high and readily accessible like the big blocks always had.
 
While is is not a majic posion it does work. It took lo g then i expected but every nut is clean and reusable. I went backnto the boat installed all the bad or missing zincs then dropped the bad nuts back in a bowl and in a few hours they too will be good to go.
99% of the maintenance wish list is complete only thing left to do is clean out my racor canisters resl dirty and in need!
 
Dave,

So how strong a muriatic solution do you use? Straight or 50/50 mix with water or ???
 
I'm not a patient person and I didn't know how long it should take a friend told me it should only be a few minutes so I was expecting a very fast reaction, not the case. I first tried it at a 50/50 mix it seemed to take much to long so I tried again using 80/20. While the second mixture was quicker it still didn't provide the reaction I expected so I tried a third time straight and this worked pretty well. My suggestion would be use somewhere between 50 and 80 but expected it to take a few hours but check it every 30 minutes or so. After my first batch I swapped out a bunch and then had more to clean. The next batch I mixed about 50/50 and left it overnight I forgot all about it in the morning when I returned from work this evening I checked on them and the were clean as can be however it striped the chrome finish off of some of the nuts. I don't think it will affect them in anyway but I wouldn't recommend leaving them in this long this said there was no sign of zinc on them anywhere!
As far as experiments go I would call this a success!
 
No reason to not use muriatic acid ""undiluted "" to clean off the brass caps since that is fastest and won't harm the caps at all. And it is already diluted when you buy it as it should indicate on the label . Often you can save most of the liquid by pouring off into another suitable sealable container but leaving the debris dregs behind. It will be weaker but still can clean caps.

I always use it right out of the original hardware store container and pour it in a small empty jar with the "zinc-y" caps. . But the label on mine says Muriatic Acid 20% , which I take to mean 20% hydrochloric acid. "32%" is not uncommon and would work even better with proper handling protection.
 
Even the 50/50 stripped the finish off my end caps granted mine are coated either chrome or stainless not sure but they are brass underneath I also did leave then in way too long. I will check and see what the bottle says as to the strength but I did look quickly when I bought it and did not see anything about it being diluted but I assume it is.
 
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