Ok Let's talk about cylinder pitting some more

We were talking about holes (pits) developing in cylinder walls allowing water to enter the combustion chamber once they bore through the wall.

I know that some diesel systems have an "ion filter" in the water line that filters out "ions" (like protons, neutrons, and ions..... tiny little critters).

I also know that mother deere has a pint container of radiator fluid conditioner that is designed to stop the pitting. The pitting is said to be caused by minute boiling of the coolant at the surface of the cylinder wall, be it cast, wet sleeve, dry sleeve, gas, or diesel.

Couple of things that don't make sense.

What does the ion that the ion filter filters out do if left in the coolant? Does it have a name?

What did engines do before ethylene glycol?

What about alcohol as an antifreeze and pitting?

What did the engines do that were run on plain water and it was drained out when a freeze was expected?

What is it about ethylene glycol that evaporates or whatever annually that renders it ineffective for things like rust and corrosion....and now I am hearing pitting?

What does the Prestone water pump lube do or not do with regard to this problem?

For the average cast iron cylinder, what's the penetration rate for this cancer?

What questions need to be asked that I missed that folks need to know.

Ok you guys. Don't be bashful.

With what antifreeze costs, the amount a tractor holds, the problems with disposition, and apparent consequences if pitting is not controlled, it really helps to have the right answers.

Thanks from all of us.

Mark

Gerald J.

Mark

I guess it doesn't matter if the engine is off when the test is made. And I read 0.3V max as the number and I guess it's dc.

Mark

I'm trying to separate salesmanship from facts..... just like in crankcase oil. Stuff is just too expensive now-a-days to be doing it just to be doing it. Looking for some "facts".

Mark

It had quite a few hours with no problems. One summer we got a water leak in the radiator and we got in the habit of adding plain water every day. We never let it get hot - but were running full bore daily - I didn't know about the potential cavitation problem - and within just a few weeks, we started getting water in the oil.

When we pulled the liners, they all looked like termites had been eating up and down them. The pitted patterns on the liners were areas of pits in two "stripes" up and down the length of the liners - on opposite sides of each other. All six were eaten up.

This engine was turboed and aftercooled and was rated at 360 hp.

Howard

Since my previous reply this morning, I went out and attempted to conduct some pH tests to see what was what. I had 3 of the Harbor freight meters (for accuracy correlation) and they read battery fluid as half scale acidic which I would presume is around 4.5 if N is 7.5.

But everything else was a waste of time. I measured the following:

My soil pH tested N. It is Houston Black Clay which I happen to know is absolutely alkaline.

Tap water that I know is alkaline was ever so slightly acidic

Distilled water was N

Radiators on all my tractors were N

Got out a bottle of JD coolant conditioner and it was N even though it said it contained Nitrites, Nitrates, and Phosphates.

Mixed up a heavy solution of Arm and Hammer Baking soda and it was N.

Conclusion is I will find some pH strips for testing.
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Other thing I have to offer is this. As one guy stated and I don't have his input handy, you have to get the right ratio of correction chemicals. Like the JD bottle says that if you have an ionic filter and use the contents of "this" bottle you don't want to get too much of this product.

The bottle mentions a test kit that is available at JD I'd assume.

Man, for a retired guy who is trying to "KISS" I am in deep doo doo.

Mark

PH explains the functioning of the JD fluid and the different colored pellets found in one of the filters could have been deliberately placed there to be contained by the filtration media and as the water passes over them they modify the pH..... all the filter media is for is to hold onto the pellets????? ??

So, I guess I have to talk with JD and find out what the correct pH is (apparently somewhere N or alkaline) and where you get the test strips.....don't laugh, a pharmaceutical supply store may have them. I mean pH is pH I guess.

As a matter of fact, I have a pH meter I bought from Harbor Freight for testing soil. Guess I could stick that baby in the radiator and have a look.

I certainly understand higher hp performance and wall flexing, especially when an engine is built for one hp and designers push the envelope to get more out of the same basic design..... .....one of the reasons my tractors are naturally aspired rather than turbo'd..... ...the turbo on my OTR Cummins was all the turbo experience I wanted.

Well thanks so far.

Best Regards,

Mark

We had more and more problems with Deere engines as power kept being raised. Deere DID have some early problems with their first sleeved diesels - but that related more to the single-seal design that was inadequate.

Another example is the IH diesels used in Ford trucks. The first 6.9 engines had very few problems with cavitation, but when they got bored to 7.3 liters - the thinner cylinder walls along with increased power output cause many caviation problems.