Electrolysis disolving your motor?

[91_S2]

I just read this article on electrolysis. In short, poor grounding/earthing of an electrical component in your car may result in electrolysing your radiator or worse yet your motor.

http://members.shaw.ca/autocheck/electrolosis.htm

Like I don't have enough worries as is. I guess I dust off the DVM and go check.

Rich

[Graham]

To solve this cant we do what most ship builders do to cure the problem of electrolysis of the hull and put a sacrificial block of Zinc (i think) in the cooling system suspended in the expansion bottle or something like it. Ships are made of mild or hardenen steel which as we all know rusts. So instead of having the expensive job of raising your 300,000 tonne oil tanker out of the water for a lick of paint, they attach a few large zinc blocks to the hull (as these have a much stronger attraction to electrolysis than the hull). These blocks fizzle away over time and when they are about Sh*gged they just go under and replace them with divers.
Graham

[S2 Ant]

interesting stuff.....

[Dr H]

Originally posted by Graham
These blocks fizzle away over time and when they are about Sh*gged they just go under and replace them with divers.
Graham

Are divers even better than zinc then?

[91_S2]

To solve this cant we do what most ship builders do to cure the problem of electrolysis of the hull and put a sacrificial block of Zinc (i think) in the cooling system suspended in the expansion bottle or something like it.

Graham

This is called using a sacrificial anode. I read somewhere that it's not recommended but I can't remember why.

But it is exactly the same priciple that Audi uses when they galvanize our cars using zinc. The Zinc in the plate goes first, saving the iron plate underneath. The iron starts to rust first after the zinc is depleted.

Rich

[Graham]

LOL Yes the only problem is getting them air but if they are for sacrifice who cares, bet insurance for them is a bit of a ****** though
Graham