Discovery

[les king]

A couple of years ago I bought a 57 with a cracked head. I had a palmer 60 setting around and I borrowed the head from it. Well I sold the palmer and I took the head off the tractor and put it on the palmer to keep the same water jacket. I noticed that the tractor water jacket was really clean. I have decided that electrolysis was taking place in the tractor. I dropped a couple of zinc ingots into the water jacket of the engine before putting on a new head. Won't hurt maybe help with rust. Who knows. for those who are not familiar with a palmer, it has zinc rods installed in the head. Cub motor on a boat.

[inairam]

Les

I think the proper term is "cathodic protection". Great discovery we can get another 100 years out of the block and bolster!

I found this on amazon. It could be used for the drain plug http://a.co/4RWGXKO

[les king]

Yes would be less work installing in the plug, every cub I buy needs engine work it seems , I will just drop the zinc in then. I was just surprised that the water jacket was that clean. Enough micro current to displace the zinc.

[Jim Becker]

Does the zinc need to be electrically anchored to a casting? I'm wondering if it will work if just dropped in.

[les king]

The zinc rods that was in the palmer head was loose and rattled around, seemed to work somehow

[tldec50]

The same principal is used in U.S. Navy ship building where zinc plates are bolted to ships hull for corrosion protection of the hulls.They are unpainted and can be changed when in overhaul

[Jim Becker]

The zinc rods that was in the palmer head was loose and rattled around, seemed to work somehow

Interesting. Maybe rattling around loose is all it takes. I assume the rods in the Palmer head have been in there since day 1 and had contact with clean cast iron. In any case, the zinc slugs can't hurt and may help.