Zinc pencil broken inside heat exchanger

[ramkay]

Hello everyone,
While performing a major maintenance on my GB32 Lehman 120, I unscrewed the Zinc pencil for replacement, and to my big surprise, it was broken and the whole zinc piece is stuck inside the heat exchanger. Can anyone suggest a way to remove the broken part stuck inside the heat exchanger without having to disassemble it? Your thoughts are highly appreciated. See picture

 

[heysteve]

You might be able to drill a small hole in it and thread a screw to pull it out. Or it might just crumble into pieces.

I had this happen on my boat and just left it in the end cap. Due to the design, there's no place for the zinc remnants to go except through the cooling tubes and out the exhaust. Unless you think large pieces can go downstream and jam something, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Mainecoast]

Usually, it's an easy thing to pull the end caps off the heat exchanger via a bolt in the middle of the cap, however your's appears not to be made that way. Or is it just the photo?

 

[Mambo42]

It happened to me last year, could not find a way to get it out, so just pushed it in and capped it off. Checked on it on a regular basis and about 1.5 months later I could insert a new one. Never had problems with temperature of the engine.
This annode is meant to disolve anyway so I assumed it could not really harm as long as the flow was not blocked.

 

[SteveK]

If you want to get it out ask a radiator shop if they can do it

 

[Comodave]

It is simple to get it out. Pull the end cap off the exchanger and pick it out and then replace the end cap. About a5 minute job. I wouldn’t leave it in there because there may already be some left in the exchanger from the PO.

 

[SteveK]

Dave, et tu? look at his picture

 

[Comodave]

Looking closer the end cap may not come off like mine did.

 

[GoneFarrell]

Looking closer the end cap may not come off like mine did.

So does the tube assembly come out of the other end of the shell? Can't believe both ends are welded shut. Curious.

 

[KnotYet]

If the zinc is free to move you may be able to use a shop vac to suck it out.
Some small vacs have attachments to probe small areas or make your own.

 

[luna]

In my experience most small shell and tube heat exchanges have non removable end bells/caps. Even if you have the more expensive removable end bell/cap design, the tube bundle of the typical water (or oil) to water heat exchanger is non removable by the average mechanic.

Anybody got a removable tube bundle in your coolant's heat exchanger?

 

[heysteve]

Anybody got a removable tube bundle in your coolant's heat exchanger?

My 3208N has removable end caps. The starboard side cap contains the zinc so a wayward zinc can be retrieved if desired. If the port end cap is removed, the core is easily pulled out for servicing. The raw water flow could not be more simple: raw water pump to heat exchanger then out to the exhaust. Oil, marine gear heat exchanger and manifolds are fresh water cooled.

 

[Comodave]

My SP225s and my 6CTAs both had removable end caps. I just put new gaskeys whenever I removed them.