Official Cummins 6cta 450C thread

[saopm]

I found a good YouTube on rebuilding the 22SI alternator. Seems simple enough. I ordered the kit and will give it a go.

The stator was in bad shape on one of them, so I found new alternators on Amazon. Made in China, so I pulled the fuse on the grid heaters to give them a fighting chance. If it gets too smoky as it get colder I’ll have to put the fuses back in. Otherwise the batteries tested good. Not sure if there is anything else that’s killing them.

 

[Irie308]

How well do they work and are they hard to remove to replace? Do you leave them on full time, or shut them off when you are gone for the week? Even with grid heaters, it’s a bit smoky when I start on a cold November morning.

Not hard but a bit of a pain to remove and clean up surface. Have them on a timer that runs for about 8 hours per day. I don’t think they cut down on the amount of smoke but seems as if they cut down on how long they smoke.

 

[saopm]

Perhaps they are frying out from over use. If you have WiFi at the boat, maybe a WiFi plug would be a good idea. This way you could turn them on a few hours before you get to the boat.

 

[Alex F]

This would be my 4th pan heater on my port motor in 3 years. Two of them were purchased from Seaboard and 1 from Amazon. I originally purchased a pair from Seaboard the starboard one still works but seems the port dies after a few weeks. They are the 250 Watt pan heaters plugged into the same circuit. Am I crazy for wanting to buy a 4th to see if I will have different results. I can't figure out why they keep dying. I've made sure I followed the installation directions to the letter. I've removed my grid heaters so just trying to add some warmth to the blocks as we boat into early November.

https://www.sbmar.com/product/wolverine-oil-pan-heater-model-25/

Hey Dean,
When I purchased wolverine heaters many years ago, my idea was to put them on the timer to prolong their live. After talking to WV tech support they told me it's not necessary as the heaters cycle every 30 seconds. I made a mistake by taking their advice, b/c the heaters lasted about 1.5-2 yrs max. It's clear that they're not designed to stay on all the time. If I recall, I went with larger version (500 watts).

Working only for two weeks....wow...that's insane. I'd be very upset considering that it's a huge PITA to get them installed due to lack of room.

I'll concur that oil pan heaters help much better than air heaters, as they keep the oil warm. So, being up north it's an added benefit, when they work. The trick is to being able to manage their running time to keep them alive for extended time. IMO, timer is a must. Once you're running, don't forget to turn them off.

 

[Blown284]

Are there any ways to improve the 6CTA450's performance? If so, how?

 

[Irie308]

Installed the acrossoceans nmea temp sensor in the coolant side of the exhaust manifold this weekend. Temp was different from my analog gauges but only ran the motor at the dock for about 10 mins and only up to around 1000rpm. Temps seemed to vary between the dash, on motor and the new sensor. My thought is that the thermostat didn't open so not sure how much the coolant was circulating if at all. Any thoughts or concerns on placement of this sensor? Its sends the reading over nmea to my Garmin's. Would be nice if I could configure an alarm from the screens based on threshold but I'm glad i got this far. My other concern right now is making sure the nut that holds the ferrule tight doesn't back off. Thinking of using some Loctite and also marking the position of the nut so that i can inspect to make sure it doesn't move.

 

[Irie308]

A long day, but a lot accomplished. For starters, Woody, your recommendation on the tool to use to break the mechanical seal on the hoses was invaluable. We couldn't have done it without it! Thanks for tip.

Started at 7:30 AM. Started with easy STB Heat Exchanger. Had it off by 8:15. By 10:00 AM we had the STB T-stats changed. We dropped the alternator for this side. By 1:15 PM, we had the PORT Heat Exchanger off, both After-coolers off, and changed the PORT T-stats. On the Port engine, we removed the belt tensioner and that was way easier than dropping the alternator.

After a break for lunch, we were back at it, this time pulling the gear oil coolers and replacing with new ones. Started about 2:30 (after lunch) and finished about 4:00. We even changed the compression washers on the banjo fitting on Port Turbo.

2 hours of bilge scrubbing and cleanup and we were on the road at 6:00 PM.

Sorry, but I really didn't take pictures along the way. Too busy. Tomorrow, hopefully we are pulling the After-cooler cores and cleaning them up, regreasing everything and putting them back together. The heat exchangers go to the radiator shop on Monday.

If you have any questions, I'll do my best to relay my experience. Thanks to all who gave me tips to take on this job.

Jaybeaux

I know bit of an old post and seems you have moved on tot he QSC. Do you recall if you

Yes, another T-stat changing question.....

Getting ready to do all of this work next weekend. I was reviewing the posts on T-stat changes, and I had a thought. Can you "fish out" the old T-stats after removing the outlet connection, but without removing the T-stat housing?View attachment 61130

Also, does it look as if Rectorseal is used underneath the gasket? Is that recommended?

Jaybeaux

I know bit of an old post and seems you have moved on to the QSC. Do you recall if you were able to fish out the tstats without removing the housing?

 

[Jaybeaux]

I know bit of an old post and seems you have moved on tot he QSC. Do you recall if you

I know bit of an old post and seems you have moved on to the QSC. Do you recall if you were able to fish out the tstats without removing the housing?

I just saw the photo I posted years ago and it jogged my memory. Yes, we just "fished" them out, as can be seen in that old photo.

I hope that's what you were asking.

Jaybeaux

 

[Irie308]

I just saw the photo I posted years ago and it jogged my memory. Yes, we just "fished" them out, as can be seen in that old photo.

I hope that's what you were asking.

Jaybeaux

Exactly what I needed. Thanks!

 

[Irie308]

Has anyone installed a temp sensor on the transmission? I'm looking to install what looks like a bolt on surface temp sensor but not sure best place to install. Anyone with experience?

 

[Irie308]

Curious if the 6 CTA requires any 12v DC to keep running after it has started? Since I can't seem to catch a break with my alternators its got me wondering if I need to always run the gen to charge the batteries while underway.

 

[saopm]

I believe it was stated in this thread or the 420 thread not to long ago, that the fuel cutoff solenoid is the only thing that requires power to keep the mechanical engine running.

I struggled with the alternators as well. I recently replaced them with these(Amazon link below). I only have a few hours on them, but so far so good. They have a one year warranty.

Amazon.com

 

[Irie308]

I believe it was stated in this thread or the 420 thread not to long ago, that the fuel cutoff solenoid is the only thing that requires power to keep the mechanical engine running.

I struggled with the alternators as well. I recently replaced them with these(Amazon link below). I only have a few hours on them, but so far so good. They have a one year warranty.

Amazon.com

ok, so i could probably run for while before it would kill a battery bank if the gen was not running. Confirmed my port was working fine in Sept but Starboard one was dead. Had starboard rebuilt a few weeks ago and went for a ride. Now the port is dead and the starboard is fine. WTF! btw no grid heaters involved as I removed them a few years back.

 

[saopm]

I’ve run with bad Alternators, Gen off, and grid heaters active for about two hours and the battery had plenty of power when I shut down. As long as you don’t have anything else drawing power, you could go for quit a while.

I had my original alternators rebuilt, but they didn’t last long. The stator on one was cooked pretty bad and was not worth rebuilding. Maybe I put too much faith in the rebuilder.

 

[scooper321]

Installed the acrossoceans nmea temp sensor in the coolant side of the exhaust manifold this weekend. Temp was different from my analog gauges but only ran the motor at the dock for about 10 mins and only up to around 1000rpm. Temps seemed to vary between the dash, on motor and the new sensor. My thought is that the thermostat didn't open so not sure how much the coolant was circulating if at all. Any thoughts or concerns on placement of this sensor? Its sends the reading over nmea to my Garmin's. Would be nice if I could configure an alarm from the screens based on threshold but I'm glad i got this far. My other concern right now is making sure the nut that holds the ferrule tight doesn't back off. Thinking of using some Loctite and also marking the position of the nut so that i can inspect to make sure it doesn't move.

Wait. Is that bolt a spot to easily add a temp sensor like this? I have analog temp gauges on the helm and would love to get more accurate digital readings. Was it as easy as it looks?

 

[Irie308]

Wait. Is that bolt a spot to easily add a temp sensor like this? I have analog temp gauges on the helm and would love to get more accurate digital readings. Was it as easy as it looks?

Yes, it’s just a plug. Temps there are much cooler than I thought. Stays in the mid 150’s. I did my coolant change this fall so figured I would add a sensor. Pic from my sea trial this weekend wot run.

Edit:note with the garmins I can set the threshold so visually the temps will display red if too low or too high.

 

[scooper321]

Yes, it’s just a plug. Temps there are much cooler than I thought. Stays in the mid 150’s. I did my coolant change this fall so figured I would add a sensor. Pic from my sea trial this weekend wot run.

Edit:note with the garmins I can set the threshold so visually the temps will display red if too low or too high.

So the sensor threads right into that plug? That's really interesting. All of the temperature mods I've heard about involved drilling holes and tapping threads, and I am not brave enough to do that in my engine anywhere. I know there is a port near the exhaust that can also access a sensor, provided it is accessible past the exhaust flange. Is that where you are getting your exhaust reading?

It makes sense that the coolant temp would be lower than the exhaust temp. But I am also surprised by the large difference, too. The coolant temperature makes sense to me, however. These engines run around 170°, so I would expect the coolant to be lower than that in order to keep it at that temperature. The exhaust temperature reading is an eye-opener for me, but I have no reference for what they should be. Next time I'm cruising I will shoot mine with my temp gun.

 

[my3sons]

Yes, it’s just a plug. Temps there are much cooler than I thought. Stays in the mid 150’s. I did my coolant change this fall so figured I would add a sensor. Pic from my sea trial this weekend wot run.

Edit:note with the garmins I can set the threshold so visually the temps will display red if too low or too high.

Those readings were underway? Do you think those temperature numbers are correct?
That‘s below the thermostat opening threshold.
My exhaust manifold external temperature runs high 160’s at the rear and High 170’s at the front.

 

[Irie308]

The readings in my earlier post was idling at the dock. I did test while underway and found that there is a 10 degree difference in what the exterior of the manifold shows with a temp gun and what the temp sensor was reporting. Your laser readings are what I saw with a laser gun while under way. This was consistent across both motors. All the while the temp sensor reported coolant temps between 152-158.

 

[my3sons]

OK, I must have misread your posts and photos. I thought the temps in the 150’s were underway and from the sensor you put in the exhaust manifold. The exhaust manifold is the hottest coolant, it goes from there to the tstats. 150‘s wouldn’t even open them to send the coolant to the hx