Cleaning Volvo Penta TAMD63L heat exchanger

[David435]

I had an overheating port engine in a Princess 415 which needed immediate attention. I set up an acid bath using Barnacle Bust and with a small bilge pump and numerous reducers was able to clean the raw water system by circulating the solution from the heat exchanger inlet pipe from the impeller and the oil cooler outlet pipe. The only problem encountered when connecting the system was the difficulty in removing and replacing the raw water pipe from the impeller housing directly under the heat exchanger. Thankfully this particular pipe was situated on the starboard side of the engine and was made easier to access due to the space between both engines. This worked well and the temperature of this engine now operates between 80 - 85C even at WOT, which is now cooler than the starboard engine which is operating between 90 - 95C, On the assumption that both engines require descaling it will be virtually impossible to remove the heat exchanger inlet pipe from the impeller on the starboard engine due to lack of space between the engine and the fuel tank and even if it can be removed, refitting would be a nightmare as you would be working by touch only unless you were a contortionist. As an alternative cleaning method, I wonder if the following would be an option:

1. Close raw water seacock and remove raw water inlet from the impeller housing.
2. Fit bung into impeller inlet.
3. Disconnect oil cooler outlet pipe at exhaust bend.
4. Slowly backfill Barnacle Bust solution through the oil cooler outlet pipe until full and leave for 24 hours before reconnecting and flushing the system through.

Do you think the above alternative method is a possible option as backfilling the system would hopefully make sure the solution filled all the cavities that require cleaning?

 

[andy59]

When I cleaned our 75p’s with rydlyme , removed raw water impeller, refit cover, connect pipes to raw water strainer outlet and feed to exhaust elbow. Much easier access ( apart from starboard impeller) ?

 

[David435]

When I cleaned our 75p’s with rydlyme , removed raw water impeller, refit cover, connect pipes to raw water strainer outlet and feed to exhaust elbow. Much easier access ( apart from starboard impeller) ?

I know what you mean as in a previous life I had a pair of 61A's and the access to the impellers was at the front of the engine. A lot easier than tucked away low down the starboard side of the engine. It really does make you wonder who designs some of these engines and whether they have ever attempted to do some servicing.

 

[Mr Googler]

If you have decent size strainers.....shut seacock.....take lid of strainer.....start engine whilst filling the strainer with solution....shut off when you see fizz coming out the back.

leave for as long as recommended.....start up again as normal to flush it out.

3 person operation but dead easy.

not ask good as having it circulate on a pump as the coolers will drain down a bit and the solution won’t be in motion but that’s probably where the build up is anyway.

 

[volvopaul]

I had an overheating port engine in a Princess 415 which needed immediate attention. I set up an acid bath using Barnacle Bust and with a small bilge pump and numerous reducers was able to clean the raw water system by circulating the solution from the heat exchanger inlet pipe from the impeller and the oil cooler outlet pipe. The only problem encountered when connecting the system was the difficulty in removing and replacing the raw water pipe from the impeller housing directly under the heat exchanger. Thankfully this particular pipe was situated on the starboard side of the engine and was made easier to access due to the space between both engines. This worked well and the temperature of this engine now operates between 80 - 85C even at WOT, which is now cooler than the starboard engine which is operating between 90 - 95C, On the assumption that both engines require descaling it will be virtually impossible to remove the heat exchanger inlet pipe from the impeller on the starboard engine due to lack of space between the engine and the fuel tank and even if it can be removed, refitting would be a nightmare as you would be working by touch only unless you were a contortionist. As an alternative cleaning method, I wonder if the following would be an option:

1. Close raw water seacock and remove raw water inlet from the impeller housing.
2. Fit bung into impeller inlet.
3. Disconnect oil cooler outlet pipe at exhaust bend.
4. Slowly backfill Barnacle Bust solution through the oil cooler outlet pipe until full and leave for 24 hours before reconnecting and flushing the system through.

Do you think the above alternative method is a possible option as backfilling the system would hopefully make sure the solution filled all the cavities that require cleaning?

Yes but you need to vent the heat exchanger salt water passage , now that easy on the port engine, just remove the altrrnator 4 bolts and then remove the heat exchanger front plate , you can give the stack a scrape , then refit the cover but rotate it 90 degrees so the anode plug is at 12 o’clock , you can refit the cover but it will only align with 2 bolts as it’s offset so not to get it wrong , back fill from the gear cooler end , you will need to clamp the stern gland feed otherwise you will loose your rydelime down the tube , back fill slowly as it will gass and burp like mad when it hits the limescale , keep an eye at the front where you will also see it bubble out the anode plug , loosen to expel the air . Good luck

 

[David435]

Yes but you need to vent the heat exchanger salt water passage , now that easy on the port engine, just remove the altrrnator 4 bolts and then remove the heat exchanger front plate , you can give the stack a scrape , then refit the cover but rotate it 90 degrees so the anode plug is at 12 o’clock , you can refit the cover but it will only align with 2 bolts as it’s offset so not to get it wrong , back fill from the gear cooler end , you will need to clamp the stern gland feed otherwise you will loose your rydelime down the tube , back fill slowly as it will gass and burp like mad when it hits the limescale , keep an eye at the front where you will also see it bubble out the anode plug , loosen to expel the air . Good luck

Hi Paul, thanks for the positive feedback. I don't remember seeing a stern gland feed as there is just normal stern gland packing used. With regard to the exchanger front plate, do you know if new O rings will be required and where they could possibly be sourced.
Thanks a lot for your time.

 

[volvopaul]

Hi Paul, thanks for the positive feedback. I don't remember seeing a stern gland feed as there is just normal stern gland packing used. With regard to the exchanger front plate, do you know if new O rings will be required and where they could possibly be sourced.
Thanks a lot for your time.

Be a good idea to for a new o ring .

Any dealer for o ring , Golden Arrow will have stock and can post .

 

[Scubadoo]

VP, is there also three internal seals (not sure what you call them) that go inside the heat exchanger along with the oring? I know this is the case for the AD31, but no idea if that is the same for TAMD63 engine?

 

[volvopaul]

VP, is there also three internal seals (not sure what you call them) that go inside the heat exchanger along with the oring? I know this is the case for the AD31, but no idea if that is the same for TAMD63 engine?

If your thinking same as 31 no

 

[David435]

Yes but you need to vent the heat exchanger salt water passage , now that easy on the port engine, just remove the altrrnator 4 bolts and then remove the heat exchanger front plate , you can give the stack a scrape , then refit the cover but rotate it 90 degrees so the anode plug is at 12 o’clock , you can refit the cover but it will only align with 2 bolts as it’s offset so not to get it wrong , back fill from the gear cooler end , you will need to clamp the stern gland feed otherwise you will loose your rydelime down the tube , back fill slowly as it will gass and burp like mad when it hits the limescale , keep an eye at the front where you will also see it bubble out the anode plug , loosen to expel the air . Good luck

Had a good look at removing the alternator and the heat exchanger front plate but was worried about how easy the front plate would be to remove as it looked as if it had never been off before and I really wanted to be able to circulate the rydlyme to see the effects of the cleaning. As I couldn't easily remove the impeller I decided to use it in the cleaning process. After shutting off the seacock and removing the top of the seawater inlet reservoir, I set up 15 litres of fresh water in a 35 litre clear packing bath with the small bilge pump feeding directly to the seawater reservoir. The outlet from the oil cooler was then fed back to the acid bath. We managed to start the engine and bilge pump at the same time and on engine tickover the bilge pump coped with the impeller although some air was circulating through the solution from the seawater reservoir. Once we were happy there were no leaks and the fresh water was circulating OK the acid solution was added to the bath. We left the engine running for an hour ensuring the engine temperature never exceeded 150F and then shut down to leave the solution in situ overnight. The following day the engine was run for a further 45 minutes and by the time we had finished the solution in the bath was a very dirty green colour. Once finished, we flushed the engine with seawater to clear the solution from the engine. I would have liked to test the engine but it was now last Friday with wind gusts of 50 mph on the south coast so the engine test will have to wait for calmer conditions. Hopefully I have not done anything to compromise the engine and was wondering whether it might have been better to connect the small bilge pump directly to the inlet pipe of the impellor to eliminate the air that was circulating from the inlet reservoir.

 

[volvopaul]

Had a good look at removing the alternator and the heat exchanger front plate but was worried about how easy the front plate would be to remove as it looked as if it had never been off before and I really wanted to be able to circulate the rydlyme to see the effects of the cleaning. As I couldn't easily remove the impeller I decided to use it in the cleaning process. After shutting off the seacock and removing the top of the seawater inlet reservoir, I set up 15 litres of fresh water in a 35 litre clear packing bath with the small bilge pump feeding directly to the seawater reservoir. The outlet from the oil cooler was then fed back to the acid bath. We managed to start the engine and bilge pump at the same time and on engine tickover the bilge pump coped with the impeller although some air was circulating through the solution from the seawater reservoir. Once we were happy there were no leaks and the fresh water was circulating OK the acid solution was added to the bath. We left the engine running for an hour ensuring the engine temperature never exceeded 150F and then shut down to leave the solution in situ overnight. The following day the engine was run for a further 45 minutes and by the time we had finished the solution in the bath was a very dirty green colour. Once finished, we flushed the engine with seawater to clear the solution from the engine. I would have liked to test the engine but it was now last Friday with wind gusts of 50 mph on the south coast so the engine test will have to wait for calmer conditions. Hopefully I have not done anything to compromise the engine and was wondering whether it might have been better to connect the small bilge pump directly to the inlet pipe of the impellor to eliminate the air that was circulating from the inlet reservoir.

I hope I’m not reading this correctly.

You ran the engine with just water acid mix circulating around the engine?

So you would have had nothing going down the exhaust to cool the rubber hoses and plastic silencer ?

If that’s true you will possibly be looking at replacing the whole of the exhaust system from the elbow to the stern , raw water is piped to cool the exhaust gas .

 

[David435]

I hope I’m not reading this correctly.

You ran the engine with just water acid mix circulating around the engine?

So you would have had nothing going down the exhaust to cool the rubber hoses and plastic silencer ?

If that’s true you will possibly be looking at replacing the whole of the exhaust system from the elbow to the stern , raw water is piped to cool the exhaust gas .

I'm afraid you did read it correctly and it was something I never considered. I will just have to hope I got away with it in my ignorance. Would I be right that exhaust gas and water will escape from the rubber hoses and silencer if damage has occurred? Would I also be right that if a water hose had been run into the elbow then any damage would be eliminated?