Radiators leaking - Cat 3508 Gensets

I have seen premature radiator failure due to 'coolant electrolysis.' I would recommend you perform a Google search on that term and read up. Plenty of information available.

Additionally, I would only use the coolant mixture suggested by CAT as they pay engineers to create the specification. The pH level of the coolant should be measured as well.

Good luck.

if they leak, either they have gradually corroded over time and will need to be replaced or they might have also developed fatigue failure from vibration, the death of a 1000 tiny cracks.

Once either of these problems develops, you must determine the cause, and replace the cores. I do not think radiator stop leak can be anything but an emergency repair.

Once you get the worst core off the machine to repair/replace, you can assess it, corrosion or vibration failure? CAT should have made them with vibration mounts and their radiator fluid should be non-corroding as long as you empty and safely throw away the fluid every year to avoid the gradual depletion of the anti-corrosion chemicals in the fluid. Inspect the rad mounts. Are they still rubbery? or have they gone hard and brittle = no good at isolation any more?

I would also check the battery grounds.

Radiators leaking - Cat 3508 Gensets

The reason your radiators cores are leaking is you are not treating them with a DCA or zinc to keep the acid neutralized. Or other forms of coolant neutralizer per coolant manufactures. Your problem is the same one for truck and heavy equipment and autos high acid content in the coolant.

Cause and effect , cause All engine regardless of size have oxidation inside and out. Where you have a water cooled even with a antifreeze coolant it will still make hydrochloric acid. This is made where the heat from the piston movement is transmitted to the metal cylinder walls. On the other side is the coolant heat exchanger area. There is the cause as the heat is transferred a tiny little air bubble takes off a micro amount of metal and in that is oxygen to make hydrochloric acid. That is then carried on the coolant liquid to the core heat exchanger where it sticks to the coils of the radiators and eats away the metal there. In the form of oxidation hydrochloric acid.

Last effect is the cylinder sleeve will be eaten away and coolant will start leaking into the engine oil and damage the crank bearing and crank and mostly likely destroy most of the engine. Before you can shut it down. It is recommended to use a coolant test strip and read the acid content in the coolant. Also have an oil sample sent to a lab for the same.

good luck everett w.

There could be several reasons why the cores are leaking. I find that radiator cores are not made as well as they used to be. I see the problem in the materials used in construction of the cores and not the workmanship usually. It seems to me that over the years companies have went away from very stout designs with plenty of meat in the thicknesses of the materials to just supplying the bare minimum to be able to get by. It is probably our on fault for this because we push for the best price and many times the best price is provided by sacrificing quality materials.Many companies can only afford to supply the bare min materials and be able to compete. The bad news is that you probably need to install new cores in at least some of your radiators. If you do not figure out why it leaked and fix the cause the new core will probably start to leak after awhile as well.I would suggest checking a few things that might help:

Do a very detailed visual inspection and hydrostatic test to see if there are more leaks than you thought. If you have to make repairs you will do better making as many as you can at once and not just completing one repair at a time only to another leak in an adjacent area of the core. I call this "chasing leaks" and it can go on and on. you will have to first get the radiator cleaned and dry when you inspect for leaks.

In the last few years I have went away from repairing radiator cores because it seems many times the metal is just not thick enough to solder without causing more leaks from the heat used to melt it with. This and the fact that allot of newer radiators are made from plastics makes repairing them near impossible. I would not think the your industrial level radiator has plastic materials in its construction but it is worth checking into just to be able to eliminate this as a culprit.

Test your coolant, research your manual for recommendations and inspect as much of the inside of radiator to see if it is causing excessive corrosion from the inside. I have seen some coolants cause corrosion on radiator cores made from copper or brass many times in the past. I would not think the manufacturers coolant did this but if you used a different brand coolant it could have not been compatible.

Make sure you are not over pressurizing the core. This can be checked with a gage very easily and I have seen many times in the past where a plugged vent hole in the cap was causing this. In the old days about 13 psi was what automotive cores would run at. You may have to do some research to figure out what pressures this one should be when running.

Check all fasteners on the entire piece of equipment and all surrounding equipment especially the rubber vibration damper pads in all the mounting brackets and fasteners. If you have bad mounting brackets or loose fasteners this will cause excessive vibration and your equipment could have actually shook the leaks into the core. This can also happen from running the engine for to long of periods without PM. It is amazing how much extra vibration a diesel/gas engines can cause when it is not running well not to mention the fuel/money that is wasted. I think this is probably one of the most frequent causes of radiator core leaks I have seen.

good luck

I have had much luck using 50% antifreeze mix in some Detroit engines for years. I do a test strip twice a year, and use coolant conditioner/ filters. There is a product called Nalkool which helps to maintain the correct PH balance. I use this when the test strips show change is needed. I am retiring 2 trucks this year Both are still on the original coolant and radiators. My hours of operation are low, but still I think this plan is sound. Have you tested your coolant?