Cat d6d radiator help please

[Mountainmover]

Hello.
I have a cat d6d with a slight warm running problem. A large group of fins along the bottom are bent over and to get to them I assume I'll have to take the radiator out. They are on the lower sections on the engine side. Do I remove the hood and the hard nose? Or just the hood and the limb risers and pull straight up?

While I am doing this....do you think I'll develop a leak if I start combing the fins? The radiator is at least 25 years old.
I've ran cascade in it many times.

Machine isn't getting in red currently but I can predict a problem in summer. It so close to red already. I take care and try to blown the fins out with purple stuff and compressed air using a suction gun and also a blow gun with a brake line attached.

Do I just reuse my upper and lower cap and put in a radiator core if I buy new?

How much is a radiator? Where should I buy one?

I would appreciate any help you guys offer.

I am much appreciative!

 

[Bob/Ont]

You need to get hood, rad cover and sweeps off the top, the skidpan off of the bottom and the grill off of the front. Then you will see all that needs to come off. Take it to a rad shop and they will clean and recore if needed. They reuse the top and bottom tanks. Go the distance it will not cost any more now than later and nothing else will be ruined.
Later Bob

 

[oldirt]

helps to get the blade out of the way. I went through all this on my D and now my motor does not ever run more than 1/4 of the way up into the green after I swapped for a new core. the old one was full of lime and was so weak a power washing broke tubes loose. you can buy your own core and build your radiator in your own shop, it is not a big job at all. get new gaskets at cat. once you get it all out of the cat, I will bet you need all new pulleys/belts, easy to fix now too, check the fan drive too, mine was all wobbled out and needed new bearings and housings as well. if you haven't done the water pump lately now would be the opportune time to get after it too. check your fan blades to make sure they are not fracturing. this would be a bad thing against a new radiator. helps to have some sort of hoist to drop the radiator back in safely too. good luck, you can do it.

 

[Mountainmover]

Thanks! So, what do you think a radiator would cost? Best place to get one? Quality differences?
I replaces pulley and bearing a year ago.

 

[oldirt]

got mine through a radiator shop, I think it was a little over a grand. this was two years ago. When I took the fan pulley housing apart, the bearings were run loose long enough to pound out the housing that they fit in, and the new bearings were loose, hope you checked that.

 

[D6c10K]

Contact Rocore....I got a core from them for my 6c. They're super fast....build to order and delivered to me in 2-3 days.

http://www.rocore.com/

 

[Mountainmover]

Thanks. What did yours cost? Shipping cost?
Did you have to measure and have yours custom made it did they have a cat d6c radiator already sized and in stock?

 

[D6c10K]

If memory servers it was around $1200 but I'm not for sure.

They have extensive catalog listings. You have to read carefully to be sure you're getting the correct core as there are probably several different ones for a D6D.

http://www.rocore.com/docs/AftermarketCatalog2004.pdf

 

[wrwtexan]

Are you willing to take the radiator apart after you remove it? My 6C was running hot also. I had powerwashed it to no avail and finally pulled it and removed the top tank. The core was covered in crap but the tubes were nearly all clear. I used a dull bandsaw blade and carefully rodded out all the tubes and it runs perfectly cool now. Had to replace all the bolts as thy were rusted. The old cores are heavy duty unlike the new aftermarket junk I seem to get for my farm tractor repair jobs.

 

[Mountainmover]

I am willing to take it part.
How did you use a bandsaw blade to rod it out?
What type of gasket does it use? What type of permatex would I coat it with?
I have been dosing it with cascade powdered detergent for over 59 hours of use.
Thanks!

 

[kshansen]

I am willing to take it part.
How did you use a bandsaw blade to rod it out?
What type of gasket does it use? What type of permatex would I coat it with?
I have been dosing it with cascade powdered detergent for over 59 hours of use.
Thanks!

Not wrwtexan, but to use the bandsaw blade take one that is narrow enough to fit down in the tube and long enough to reach the other end of the tube when cut. Then just work it in and out of the tubes one at a time till it will slide through easy. Would help to flip over so teeth will clean out both sides of the tube. Please note he did say a DULL bladeyou don't want to use a nice sharp one or you will be ordering a new core from www.rocore.com!

I'd check with Cat for a new pair of gaskets, also for inlet and outlet. Also would suggest gaskets and a pressure relief valve for the top tank.

Update: Not sure of your S/N but I see our D6D uses a more or less normal pressure cap like a car or truck, some Cats do have a pressure cap that is bolted on with I believe it's 5 5/16 bolts and uses two gaskets and a separate valve with a plate between the two gaskets. Which ever style you have it's worth it to replace them.

 

[Delmer]

I won't argue with removing the radiator and/or taking it apart if necessary, but it doesn't sound like you're sure where your problem is yet. Is the radiator blocked on the inside or outside, or both? Use a temp gun to see what the temperature drop is when it's running at it's hottest.

Can you see the tops of the tubes inside the radiator? That usually shows the deposits if there are any. Dish detergent is for removing oil, did you have oil contamination? Have you added a lot of hard water to cause mineral deposits? You can use compressed air and a garden hose stuffed in the bottom with the top hose removed to backflush a radiator. You probably don't want to run straight water in the engine, but you could rig up a tank of rainwater and circulate that through the radiator to dissolve the build up.

I wouldn't worry about straightening the fins. Get a plastic fin comb, or use an "o-ring pick". If you can see it and reach it, it doesn't take that much time (at least if it saves removing the radiator).