EGR Cooler Bench Test....

[mwilson]

Walked by this in the shop and just had to share some Maine ingenuity...



If the glove inflates as shown, cooler is junk. Only takes a couple pounds of air pressure to test using this method... .....



Nice.



Mike.

 

[Bater]

Very cool Mike. Do you or anyone else have an idea of what the typical lifetime is going to be on these? My understanding is that if these EGR coolers fail, you may be susceptible to severe engine damage.



Andy

 

[mwilson]

Tech that I need to talk to regarding lifespan has gone home, will catch up to him tomorrow and see, I have handled several under warranty but am not sure what size Cummins they are from.



Mike.

 

[sag2]

EB's dealer should have had this test a year or two ago. I think he was one of the first trucks to be diagnosed as a head gasket when it was the cooler. The lifespan is very long as long as it stays full of coolant. The biggest killer is not properly bleeding the cooler when adding/filling coolant. The lack of coolant burns them up in a hurry.

 

[dlmetzger]

The biggest killer is not properly bleeding the cooler when adding/filling coolant. The lack of coolant burns them up in a hurry.

The following is from the service manual (Filling - Diesel Engine):



2. 6. 7L Only. Remove vent fitting.

NOTE: The diesel engine is equipped with two one-way check valves (jiggle pins). The check valves are used as a servicing feature and will vent air when the system is being filled. Water pressure (or flow) will hold the valves closed.



Where is the 'vent fitting' on the 6. 7L? Is there only one? Do the 2 ea. check valves go to the same vent port? I've searched the service manual but can't find it.

 

[Nyoest]

On some of the 5. 9s the jiggle pins were incorporated in the thermostat. Not sure on the 6. 7.

 

[EB]

EB's dealer should have had this test a year or two ago. I think he was one of the first trucks to be diagnosed as a head gasket when it was the cooler. The lifespan is very long as long as it stays full of coolant. The biggest killer is not properly bleeding the cooler when adding/filling coolant. The lack of coolant burns them up in a hurry.

That is exactly what happened. The head gasket was replaced and I didn't go 30 miles before it had blown out all the coolant and was getting hot, luckily, I had taken several gal. of water just in case and was able to get back to the shop with it. The cooler was replaced and the problem was solved.

 

[Bob4x4]

The following is from the service manual (Filling - Diesel Engine):



2. 6. 7L Only. Remove vent fitting.

NOTE: The diesel engine is equipped with two one-way check valves (jiggle pins). The check valves are used as a servicing feature and will vent air when the system is being filled. Water pressure (or flow) will hold the valves closed.



Where is the 'vent fitting' on the 6. 7L? Is there only one? Do the 2 ea. check valves go to the same vent port? I've searched the service manual but can't find it.

There is a pipe plug on the coolant tube beside the egr cooler for the bleeding. irrc there is a sticker mounted that makes some comment about it

 

[Bater]

I think some folks are going to get into trouble when refilling these cooling systems. I didn't find any special warning in my owner's manual, or any caution sticker under the hood other than the little "vent" one next to the EGR cooler. It wasn't until I bought a copy of the service manual, and studied up on this forum and others, that I became aware of how important it is to be sure there is no air in the system.



Andy