Mowing Temperature toooo high

[Ranchofla]

So summer is here in North Florida and I have been mowing for about two months. While doing this the other day it was in the 90's and the water temperature got a little higher than I like it to be so I did the following.

1. Verified that the mesh screen was clean in front of the radiator
2. changed the coolant (probably had never been changed)
3. Sprayed the front of the radiator with a focused spray noozle
4. verified the belt is tight
5. verified the overflow was at the right level after the coolant change.

Still runs too hot in my opinion. I am using a 4' Kioti FINISH MOWER and it takes about 30 minutes to get that hot.




Suggestions?

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[JimRB]

Did it do the same thing after you changed your water thermostat?

 

[ruffdog]

You must verify that the radiator fins are clear. Use a light behind and look through the fins and it should be 100% clear and open.

 

[Ranchofla]

Did it do the same thing after you changed your water thermostat?

I have not replaced the thermostat, took it out when flushing the block, but put it back.

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[Ranchofla]

You must verify that the radiator fins are clear. Use a light behind and look through the fins and it should be 100% clear and open.

I will do that, also considered using high pressure water (not a power washer just a small noozle on a stick to fit between fan and radiator) from the back to push any stuff out the way it came in.

Thanks

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[EddieWalker]

I use a flexible hose on the end of my air nozzle so I can get it into every corner of my radiator. The amount of dirt that comes out is amazing!!!!

Just to add to my previous statement, I found that the flexible lines for a grease gun works perfect on the end of my air nozzle. Of course it's a brand new line that I have never used, so it's perfectly clean.

 

[Mike Gibson]

Using water is not a good idea unless you can verify the water has completely dried before using the tractor again. Also if you don't happen to get all the dirt out you will now have a concrete like mixture. If it's not dry and
you add dust to water in your radiator you end up with a plugged radiator and water wont wash it out and a pressure washer will destroy it. A pressure washer will blow the fins shut as you sweep across it in most cases. I would use compressed air which is what we use on tractors, wheat trucks, combines and other pieces of farm equipment.

 

[oosik]

If you should ever use a piece of equipment to clean out the radiator( high pressure water or air ) and the process DOES close off the fins. Any company selling air conditioners or the like will have "fin combs" that will open things back up.

I worked for a company making LARGE, GIGANTIC air handling units. We installed radiators ( 12' tall by up to 20' long ) in the cooling part of the air handlers. One of the final tasks was finding the appropriate "fin comb" and going over each radiator( front & back ) and straightening out any bent fins.

Shipping, handling & installation would usually bend some of the radiator fins and they always had to be inspected and straightened out.

 

[Scook222]

If the radiator is clean, I would either take the thermostat out completely or replace it. Do you have an infrared thermometer? If so I would take temps of the radiator and block when it shows it that hot and see what the temperature is. It could be the sensor for the temp gauge has gone bad and giving you incorrect readings.

 

[xcgreene]

You can test that thermostat on your stove top. Put some water in a pot, get a thermometer in there, put the thermostat in there and turn the heat on. Watch for what temperature it starts to open. 195deg F is a pretty common rating, but look for a temp stamping on it. If it does not start to open when it says it should, its bad.

Or just replace it. They are pretty cheap.

 

[countrybumpkin]

Also could be the gauge and or sending unit.

 

[countrybumpkin]

If the radiator is clean, I would either take the thermostat out completely or replace it. Do you have an infrared thermometer? If so I would take temps of the radiator and block when it shows it that hot and see what the temperature is. It could be the sensor for the temp gauge has gone bad and giving you incorrect readings.

Ah I missed this, you beat me to it.

 

[Billrog]

Clean your air filter as well.

 

[RickB]

Using water is not a good idea unless you can verify the water has completely dried before using the tractor again. Also if you don't happen to get all the dirt out you will now have a concrete like mixture. If it's not dry and
you add dust to water in your radiator you end up with a plugged radiator and water wont wash it out and a pressure washer will destroy it. A pressure washer will blow the fins shut as you sweep across it in most cases. I would use compressed air which is what we use on tractors, wheat trucks, combines and other pieces of farm equipment.

Using water to clean a radiator, oil cooler or A/C condenser is perfectly fine so long as a thorough job is done and the dirty core is cleaned. That is the objective, just make sure it is reached.
Saying water is bad to use on a radiator is like saying washing your face with soap is bad because it might get in your eyes.
The OP should verify the temp at or near the thermostat housing with an infrared thermometer.

 

[Ranchofla]

Clean your air filter as well.

Interesting, I would not have thought a dirty air filter would cause an over heating issue, but I happen to have a new filter and will put it in. I have other things to check and or try over the next couple days and will post back my findings. Thanks to all who have replied.

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[RSKY]

I had an issue with a fan belt causing my CK20 to overheat. Finally figured it out when the belt broke.

RSKY

 

[SPYDERLK]

I had an issue with a fan belt causing my CK20 to overheat. Finally figured it out when the belt broke.

RSKY

Yes! Very important that the fan and water pump run at design speed. "Wrap" around the fan/pump pulley is only ~ 90 degrees, making slip a likely issue. I have found that the std composition wrapped section heavy duty belts are best. The Kevlar ones from TSC are slippery, have to be run quite tight and wear the pulleys.

 

[Ranchofla]

So I was able to do some mowing last night but before I did I put in a new air filter and tried to blow out the radiator from the fan side (not much room) did not get the whole area done. anyway here are some temperatures to go with the pictures below.



Radiator 186
Thermostat housing 203



Radiator 194
Thermostat housing 209



Radiator 209
Thermostat housing 216


edit... Ignore the thumbnail attachment, it would not let me remove it

 

[Bavarian]

Where did you take the temp from the rad? If you took it close to the bottom, it'd too high for my liking.
If you have a way lower temp reading at the bottom of the rad, but the engine's temp is still up, you have a flow problem. Either thermostat or water pump. Thermostats "usually" fail in the open position and makes it difficult to warm up the engine.

 

[EddieWalker]

When you blew out the radiator, did you see any dust coming out? I try to blow as much out from the engine side as I can, but it's impossible to get to all of it, so I then I blow it towards the engine to get what I missed, or at least as much as I can.


Back in the 80's, when I was in High School, it seemed like thermostats went bad all the time. I did the boiling water test on them and almost always, they didn't open. This was for a Jeep and a small block 350 Chevy, along with friends vehicles. It was the first thing to check when overheating, and the easiest to replace. But I haven't heard of or experienced a bad thermostat in 30 years. I'm sure it happens, but it's not something that I even think about anymore.