Thread: grounding the aluminum heater core and rad

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Hey gang,
We just spent 8hours removing & reinstalling a heater core on my son's '99 Ford truck.
what a job-
My question
The heater core and radiator are aluminum and are mounted in plastic.
I think that the core gave up due to electrolysis
what could we use to ground the two to the neg side of the battery .
Copper wire is out due to electrolysis
aluminum wire feed welding wire is all I can think of
but how to fasten it to the core.
any ideas
thanks
hank

I'm not sure but I'd think its grounded thru the coolant??? I suppose you could attach a wire to it with a hose clamp, wrap the aluminum wire around the tube on the core then wrap a pc. of rubber (hose) around that then a hose clamp.

I think that the core and rad are not grounded enough thru the coolant
a SS hose clamp on the aluminum heater tube to hold the wire is what I'm thinking too

Most of the aluminum coolant pieces I see that are gone bad is because the owner didn't keep an eye on the coolant condition. Most parts stores selll test strips and additives to prevent this. Never have heard of electrolysis causing it.

I'm not familure with the heater core mounting but I have a 91 Chevy Suburban with rear air. The tubing to the rear is aluminun ant its held on to the body with steel clamps they both rotted away. New tubes were several hundred buck. My suburban now has no rear air.

It's been a while since I've done any cathodic protection work, but I don't think grounding the radiator will help - and it might hurt. Aluminum is sacrificial to iron - which means that the radiator would try to protect the block, not vice-versa.

Change your coolant often, and use coolants that are friendly to aluminum radiators.

good points guys
I figured that since it wasn't a mechanical failure of the core that it had to be electrolysis
I don't want to re engineer the truck just see if grounding the parts will help

I don't see that grounding them will hurt since they are connected by a weak connection ( the coolant ) already. It seems to me that bonding them will help.
I'm a marine engineer and we bond everything to ground or else

Thanks for your views

hank

ya need a sacrificial anode. Something the electrons wil like snacking on better than the aluminum. You can get them all day long in JC Whittney, Summit, etc. Works for water heaters too.