We’ve just finished looking over a Caterpillar C15 engine from a concrete crusher, so I wanted to share what we found and how it can help if you’re having issues with your engine.
The engine came to us with reports of coolant being ejected out of the overflow, either caused by combustion gas entering the cooling system or heavy overheating causing the cooling water to boil.
We were asked to inspect the engine to find the cause of the issue for the operator and rectify it if required.
Here’s what we did:
- Pressure tested the system at 2.5 bar for 1 hour
- Removed the injectors and borescoped the cylinders to check for coolant in the cylinders
- Thermostats removed and tested (put in hot water and seen opening)
- EGR cooler removed and pressure tested (2 bar for 30 mins)
- Sump borescoped to check for water ingress (No signs)
- Coolant pump inlet removed to expose and inspect impellor
The inspection found no issue with the engine, and as a result, we’ve determined that it’s likely an issue with the radiator.
The only problem?
The radiator is still with the client and the engine is with us!
We’ve prepared a “next steps” plan for the operator and advised how they can check the radiator themselves (if they wish to) – sealing all holes, pressure testing to check for leaks etc.
However, they also have the option of us attending and testing it, before and/or after reinstalling the engine.
In this case, the engine was already out, which is why it was sent to us, but if you’re having an issue with your engine and require us to inspect it, call us before you remove it as it will probably be quicker and more cost-effective for an engineer to come to you and test the engine in situ.
If this engine was still in place, our engineer would have attended and carried out a sniff test on the coolant to check for signs of a leak, such as fumes being present, followed by a borescope inspection. These steps would have ruled the engine out and directed the focus to the radiator early on.
