Kubota overheated!

[Gord Baker]

All of the above!

 

[Rod in Forfar]

I was pulling a 5 foot rotary mower through thick weeds yesterday when my MX5100 diesel died and started smoking a lot, all over the engine. It would barely turn over at that point. I waited 45 minutes and got it started. It seemed normal after a minute of smoking.

I think the temperature gauge is broken. I saw some new smoke coming out in advance but never thought about overheating.

I started it again just now and it smoked a lot for a minute and then was fine.

Should I be worried about antifreeze in in the oil? Any other concerns?

 

[Rod in Forfar]

I was pulling a 5 foot rotary mower through thick weeds yesterday when my MX5100 diesel died and started smoking a lot, all over the engine. It would barely turn over at that point. I waited 45 minutes and got it started. It seemed normal after a minute of smoking.

I think the temperature gauge is broken. I saw some new smoke coming out in advance but never thought about overheating.

I started it again just now and it smoked a lot for a minute and then was fine.

Should I be worried about antifreeze in in the oil? Any other concerns?

When you get it going again, clean the radiator and its screen, but also drop down a gear in the heavy stuff.

 

[LD1]

When you get it going again, clean the radiator and its screen, but also drop down a gear in the heavy stuff.

WHy even make such an irrelevant comment? We have no idea how fast he was mowing, AND its a 5' little mower behing 51HP. And might not even have gears for that matter

 

[Hay Dude]

Thanks. It looks like my post last night did not work right. So I was pouring water in the radiator and watching run right out on the ground. The coolant hose going in front of the oil filter had broken off the block. I am going to call the dealer today and see if they have that part that goes in the block. If it is a standard thread, I might try to make a temporary fix. I need to find an extractor to get that out of the block.

I searched the Messick site last night and could not find the part.

So apparently that hose piece broke off at some point and drained the radiator. Because I did not see steam or boiling water, the radiator was apparenlty drained at that point. The tractor seems fine now, but parked until I can get some coolant in it.

Keep an eye on the color of the exhaust and the oil level.
Not a guarantee of anything, but an indicator of what may have happened.

Sorry this happened to you. There’s a lot to keep an eye on, especially when you have a lot of things on your mind.

I was delivering a large round bale to a feed hay customer late in the day yesterday. My radiator screens were partially blocked from mowing. The bale further blocked wind flow into the front of the engine. Before I knew it, I was very close to the red zone.

 

[5030]

May need to carry portable air tank blow out filter and rad.

I use a Radiator Genie, one nozzle for air, the other for water. Too bad you cannot get a reversible cooling fan for Kubota's. You can for other makes. The fan's have a switch that changes the blade pitch from 'suck' to blow'...

 

[5030]

OP stated early on the coolant temp sender was inoperative. I know if mine was, it would be replaced immediately. Not knowing what is transpiring far as engine temperature is like playing Russian Roulette. That one loaded chamber can kill a motor.

 

[alpha&omega]

Full agree, but mainly just responding to note that it's interesting you use the term "euchered" to say the engine is blown/shot/junk LOL. I wonder if people outside of the upper midwest even have any idea what card game you are talking about.

That’s because most people outside of the tri-state area play spades. When you can count cards and learn how to stack a deck it’s nearly the same card game. We often played both on our down time while on deployments.

The fuel gauge and temperature gauge were smashed by a tree limb. Anyone have an idea how difficult it would be to replace the instrument panel?

The instrument panel is not bad at all to replace. As someone mentioned earlier, it’s just a few screws holding it in place and then a couple connectors in the back. If it’s your first time you might consider disconnecting the battery so you don’t short anything or shock yourself while your back there.

With regards to your rad screens. Does your tractor have the “pre-screen” in front of the coolers/radiator? If so, keep an eye on this and carry a small hand sized whisk broom in your tractor. I had an older model BX that was notorious for collecting chaff. So long as the front grille and that pre-screen were kept clean, the coolers/radiator wouldn’t get too bad. On my JD, it’s a different story and they require cleaning more often.
Best of luck with your instrument panel replacement and finding a fitting for your water return mount. If you can’t find the fitting through Kubota or anywhere online, you might have luck taking it off the machine and into somewhere like Napa. They might have a similar replacement or multiple pieces that you could thread together to make work temporarily. Keep us all posted on what happens.

 

[alpha&omega]

I use a Radiator Genie, one nozzle for air, the other for water. Too bad you cannot get a reversible cooling fan for Kubota's. You can for other makes. The fan's have a switch that changes the blade pitch from 'suck' to blow'...

I wasn’t impressed with their build quality. They cheaped out on their materials after the first year, similar to flexzilla. Awesome products during their first 1-2 year release, and then after that things went downhill.

I switched over to IPA for my air cleaning nozzles. They make all different sizes and I’ve had MUCH better luck with them than I ever did with any other brands. Great customer service as well - almost non-existent with the others.

24″ Air Comb® Filter & Radiator Cleaner | Multi-Port Air Gun

Shop Air Comb® 90° multi-port air guns for filter & radiator cleaning. 5X more airflow without damage, 4 lengths available. Order cleaning tools now!

ipatools.com

The 24” might be too much for a compact tractor, you might be better off with the 12” or the elbow wand. Be mindful that you need to turn down your pressure and don’t try to use it in “full auto” (a.k.a. constant squeeze of the trigger) if you buy the elbow wand. Short bursts work much better. Careful though, they all have some kickback.

 

[5030]

Mine are around 10 years old so the newer ones may be cheaply built. I'll take your word on that.

 

[Dale in MI]

That’s because most people outside of the tri-state area play spades. When you can count cards and learn how to stack a deck it’s nearly the same card game. We often played both on our down time while on deployments.

The instrument panel is not bad at all to replace. As someone mentioned earlier, it’s just a few screws holding it in place and then a couple connectors in the back. If it’s your first time you might consider disconnecting the battery so you don’t short anything or shock yourself while your back there.

With regards to your rad screens. Does your tractor have the “pre-screen” in front of the coolers/radiator? If so, keep an eye on this and carry a small hand sized whisk broom in your tractor. I had an older model BX that was notorious for collecting chaff. So long as the front grille and that pre-screen were kept clean, the coolers/radiator wouldn’t get too bad. On my JD, it’s a different story and they require cleaning more often.
Best of luck with your instrument panel replacement and finding a fitting for your water return mount. If you can’t find the fitting through Kubota or anywhere online, you might have luck taking it off the machine and into somewhere like Napa. They might have a similar replacement or multiple pieces that you could thread together to make work temporarily. Keep us all posted on what happens.

Thanks for the response about the instrument panel. I just put in a 1/4 close nipple to replace that broken water return nipple. I am checking for leaks now before I put in an antifreeze mix. It does have that pre-screen so I am going to hose that off. It was not bad though and the problem was all that broken nipple and not debris from mowing.

We used to farm a 1000 acres with a pair of Oliver 770s, and I never recall having cooling problems. Now I know the Kubota is at greater risk of overheating and will keep an eye on it as many have suggested.

 

[alpha&omega]

Mine are around 10 years old so the newer ones may be cheaply built. I'll take your word on that.

The old ones worked great. Same goes for my original flexzilla air hose. The ends have been replaced, but the hose still works great. The new ones have recalls for the sidewalls blowing out and the garden hoses get all sticky when left out in the sun too long. Seriously…a garden hose?

 

[alpha&omega]

Thanks for the response about the instrument panel. I just put in a 1/4 close nipple to replace that broken water return nipple. I am checking for leaks now before I put in an antifreeze mix. It does have that pre-screen so I am going to hose that off. It was not bad though and the problem was all that broken nipple and not debris from mowing.

We used to farm a 1000 acres with a pair of Oliver 770s, and I never recall having cooling problems. Now I know the Kubota is at greater risk of overheating and will keep an eye on it as many have suggested.

You’re very welcome. Glad things are going together for you.
Even though that screen wasn’t clogged now, doesn’t mean it won’t be after your next mowing adventure. Those Oliver’s didn’t have the same issues these newer tractors have, but also didn’t have all of the bells whistles and creature comforts either. I guess that’s the trade off. Best of luck…and remember to post some pictures once you check for leaks or your repair never happened.

 

[crazyal]

Seems like a remote pressure gauge might be worthwhile to monitor the cooling system. It would be useful to know if it's too high (pointing to a broken radiator cap) or too low (a fluid leak). It even could point to a bad head gasket if the pressure is bouncing.

As for the OP I would replace the oil and have the used oil checked. No point assuming the worst just yet. It might be worthwhile adding an oil pressure gauge as well. If any of the rod bearings are worn excessively it'll show up with low oil pressure. It may run ok with low pressure but the risk of damaging the block is high which would add a lot to the cost to repair it.

 

[DSM123]

The MX5100 radiator is not suitable for agriculture use. The fin count is such that it clogs up too easily.
Poor design for a tractor.

 

[LD1]

The MX5100 radiator is not suitable for agriculture use. The fin count is such that it clogs up too easily.
Poor design for a tractor.

I agree that the radiator is largely inadequate. I do brush mowing for a living and constantly have to clean the screen and radiator. Which is also a single core radiator.

I actually had a custom all aluminum radiator made for the tractor, two cores, and what they call "feed-lot" cores. Which have straight though fins and much fewer per inch.

Radiator doesnt plug, still gotta keep an eye on the screen in front of the radiator though.

The few times I have whished for more power....like a MX5800 or the newer MX6000...I cant help but wonder just how much quicker it will over heat. Because to get 60hp instead of 51hp on the same machine with the same cooling system, its gonna get hotter.

I dont imagine most people puttering around the woods, cutting wood, grading their drive, moving snow and dirt, etc ever have any issues. But if Im bushhogging and its over 80°F outside....Im probably stopping to clean once an hour. If its 90°F out, its almost unbearable....once every 20 min or so. Thats why I try to mow early mornings. Right when the sun comes up. Cooler and the dew holds down on the chaff that plug the radiator. In the heat of the summer, I like to be done by 10am