Need Help - F24 Overheating

[clemsonfor]

I dont agree with Djames. Not saying his racing experience is wrong but dont think it would matter to the degree your seeing here. Your overheating right away from your description and its just now geting really hot in the south so i dont think your seeing an issue like he is talking about. this is not circle track racing where an engine is wide open for an hour or more on end putting a huge load on that motor. this is a deisel engine that is probably not very taxed when you were over heating.


Sure put a thermostat back in there but once that water is 160F(or whatever temp the thermostat is set to open at) it stays open just flowing water. Sure it restricts it like DJ says but i dont think thats your issue here. Just my opinion and we all have one.

Again DJ i am not disagreeing with your racing experience or what your saying about it related to the circle track as i dont know and dont race and have no knowledge there but have been wrenching on my own equitpment, boats and cars/trucks for years now.

 

[Djames55]

The thing should not redline that fast even if it had no cap on it i dont think! something is a miss here. We need to confirm that sensor and gauge are reading the correct temp. And that the radiator is not clogged up next. and any water passages in the head/block (pain in the but)

Wow... Man let the guy get the missing parts back in the tractor... Then go from there...As you said YOU have no experience with running a engine with OUT the thermostat...

 

[adt2]

I'm going to have some time to work on this tomorrow, I think. Anybody got a link to a good radiator flush procedure? Never done it before, but I wouldn't think it could be too hard.

 

[clemsonfor]

Wow... Man let the guy get the missing parts back in the tractor... Then go from there...As you said YOU have no experience with running a engine with OUT the thermostat...

I have run an engine with out a thermostat and know those who have also and ridden with them. we never over heated. I just have never run a race engine without one.

Usually t stats get pulled due to some other problem and someone thinging that will fix the problem but it never does since the problem is usally a clogged radaiator or a bad cap..sometimes you can have a stuck closed t stat and it will fix that over heat situaltion but so too would a new one.

Sorry to ruffle feather.

ADt put all your parts back and lets see where we are at then.


Most people stuff a garden hose in the top of the radiator to flush it and pull the drain cock and run the water till clear and then crank up the engine and run it just the same never letting the water get low and run till clear. There are all kinds of commercial products you can buy at like advance auto parts or walmart or Orileys that you can add to the water and run till hot then drain out. There suppose to help bust crud and corrosion loose i guess.

If it is really bad a shop will have to clean it or "rod" it out for you. THis can turn a toatlly worthless overheating radiator into one that performs correctly again. I have had this done to an old s10 radiator that was over heating and it allowed me to not buy a replacement but use the old one.

 

[adt2]

Good news. Went out there this morning and drained the cooling system. Filled it back up with clean water and fired the engine up. Let it run for probably 20 minutes, and the temp gauge needle barely moved. Looks like the problem might be solved. It started raining (again, yay) so I couldn't finish up, but I did drain the warm water before I left. I'll fill it back up with coolant/water mix next time, install the thermostat, and see what that gets me. Hopefully that'll wrap up RepairFest 2015 (TM) and I can get back to work.

As usual - thanks to everybody who help out.

 

[clemsonfor]

I think you may have a short or a bad clog somewhere causing this crazyness. if a short happened in the gauge it may never have been overheating. If a clog maybe it was dislodged and it was actually over heating??

I dont buy that just draining the fluid that was in there and adding water causes the tractor needle to "barely move" yet what ever was in there caused it to be pegged in overheat mode just minutes after startup?? That just does not enen make sense. At idle any liquid in there should keep it about the same temp. you could put coca cola in there or ATF and i bet results would not be that much different than water just ideling. Running wide open on a HOT summer day is where the difference will be between water, and pure antifreeze mix. And that mix ratio is mostly for the thermosiphon models that dont use a water pump. The water move better the less antifreeze thats in it. And pure water takes the heat the best in all models but it boils at a lower temp, freezes and corrodes which is why we use antifreeze/coolant.

 

[normde2001]

Ran a car for years without a tstat. Only prob was heater would not get hot enough, but in S. Fla. was not an issue.

 

[Djames55]

adt2 I hope you get it fixed...

 

[adt2]

I thought I had this problem licked, but yesterday we overheated again. We weren't doing anything, really - mostly idling while we loaded some stuff into the bucket to put up on some high shelves in the barn - but it was over 90 degrees outside at the time it happened, if that matters. Looks like the tube connecting the radiator to the overflow came off a the radiator.

Is that connection supposed to be a press-fit, or is there supposed to be a hose clamp on it? Mine doesn't have a clamp; wondering if the solution is as simple as installing one.

 

[kenmac]

I doubt your problem is that simple.. You can put a clamp on that hose if you want... I think mine has a clamp on it.. You need to have a radiator professional radiator shop clean /look at your radiator.. If it's not the radiator,, water pump, if not the pump,, possibly blown Head gasket.. Other than mud through out the cooling system clogging it up.. I can't think of any other possibilities

 

[normde2001]

Overheating is basically a common sense repair. The overflow system bottle has no bearing on it and only began appearing on watercooled engines in the mid '60's. before that they just dumped a few ounces of coolant on the ground to create room for expansion I don't see where you ever back-flushed the cooling system or blew out the fins of the radiator. If no sign of a HG leak, you have either a clog in the system or lack of airflow through the radiator.

 

[adt2]

I flushed the radiator, but not sure that's the same as "backflushing." The front of the radiator appears to be clean and dirt-free, but I can hit it with compressed air to make sure.

 

[clemsonfor]

I thought I had this problem licked, but yesterday we overheated again. We weren't doing anything, really - mostly idling while we loaded some stuff into the bucket to put up on some high shelves in the barn - but it was over 90 degrees outside at the time it happened, if that matters. Looks like the tube connecting the radiator to the overflow came off a the radiator.

Is that connection supposed to be a press-fit, or is there supposed to be a hose clamp on it? Mine doesn't have a clamp; wondering if the solution is as simple as installing one.

A clamp wont stop anything. It just catches your coolant and alows it to return to the radiator once cooled through the siphon effect. If it blows off that means there is too much pressure it should easily flow as the radiator cap pops open a bit it sounds as if yours is blowing off and sending pressure. If you dont have the hose it will just flow onto the ground as cars and trucks did 30-40 years ago and no big deal, you will just be a little low on coolant once it cools. But this willnot cause you to over heat.

The temp does not help but your tractor should be able to work hard all day long at 90F not just idle around.

I would replace radiator cap after you have a shop test your radiator and they say its good. (just so you dont spend money on something that is not the problem). A bad radiator cap will pop to early not allowing the tank to pressurise and boiling to early. But i really dont think thats your problem. I think you have a bad head gasket or bad radiator!!!! quit driving it and trouble shoot it.

I think several of us may have said it IS NOT BECAUSE you were missing a thermostat, i am not discounting what the other guy said about that and its good to return it back to the way it was designed. But your tractor and a race car have very little in common, nothing about the way there operated is the same.

 

[clemsonfor]

I flushed the radiator, but not sure that's the same as "backflushing." The front of the radiator appears to be clean and dirt-free, but I can hit it with compressed air to make sure.

If it looks clear and you can see through it, its clean. Were talking seeds and grass and build up. When bushogging the radiators clog very easy on these tractors and can cause you to overheat very easily. I have done it once myself. Since then i stop every 45mins to an hour to check and clean my radiator to make sure there is no buildup on it. I once had a piece of window screen zip tied to the front grill. That hellped a lot but the briars and sticks ripped it off and i have not replaced it yet.

 

[kenmac]

But your tractor and a race car have very little in common, nothing about the way there operated is the same.

Wait 1 min.. His tractor and my drag car (as well as others I know) Have something in common... His tractor doesn't have a T.stat.. I don't know of anyone that runs a T. stat in their race car...

 

[Djames55]

LOL... You Pro's Still don't have this tractor fixed? You guys are slipping...:thumbsup::laughing::laughing:

 

[normde2001]

LOL... You Pro's Still don't have this tractor fixed? You guys are slipping...:thumbsup::laughing::laughing:

"Get the missing parts and the overheating should be fixed..":thumbsup:
Not much you can do if the man won't follow competent suggestions:confused3:
.

 

[adt2]

There are no missing parts. Go back and read the thread. All parts have been installed.

 

[clemsonfor]

There are no missing parts. Go back and read the thread. All parts have been installed.

But you still havent pulled the radiator and taken it to a professional shop? Have you even pressure tested the Radiator with one of those pressure testers Carey was talking about? They loan them at places like Orielys or Advance auto parts. This will tell you if the radiator holds pressure and show you leaks. If it holds it could point you to a suspect cap. But i really think you have a blown head gasket and or a plugged radiator.

I dont remember and dont feel like wadeing through 45 posts or so on two different threads but did you confirm there is no bubbles in the radiator at initial startup to signify blown head?

 

[adt2]

I have done the pressure testing. Have not removed radiator. Radiator and cap both hold pressure (unless I was using the tester wrong). Not clear on checking for bubbles at startup... Bubbles where? In the overflow? Or do I remove the radiator cap and watch there?