Well, when I do things I usually end up taking them to the extreme. Not sure why I expected my little engine clean up project to be any different!  The boat had some odd cooling issues, so I had always wanted to pull apart the heat exchanger to clean it and make sure it wasn’t clogged with debris. After removing the alternator, starter, and various other bits, I wrestled the heat exchanger off of the engine.  I expected it to be super heavy, but it was actually aluminum and only a pain to move because it’s large and awkward! Pleasant surprise!

Part of the engine exhaust actually passes through the lower part of the heat exchanger.  It was caked with black soot (because diesel…) so I got that mostly cleaned up and soaked the whole unit in a chemical called “barnacle buster” to dissolve the salt crusties.  Eventually I had it cleaned up enough that I could remove the tube bundle.

The little tube bundle above was the entire point of this adventure so far. It turned out to not be as dirty as I thought it would be, but a lot of the gaskets were cracked and destroyed, so I’m still glad I pulled it out.

I also had to remove the thermostat housing in order to get the heat exchanger off.  Honestly, I’m surprised this was the first one, but I busted the head off of a rusty bolt trying to get it out.  Luckily an ez-out got the rest of the stuck bolt out after letting it soak overnight in oil.

Today I spent a few hours spraying the engine with rust converter to kill the rusty spots and then cleaning it again with engine degreaser to get the rest of the oil off.  Tomorrow I can hopefully fully prep it for paint and start putting it back together!

I did find time to do a few other odds and ends, both engine related and not!