2000 Challenger MT265 death sentence?

[lens12]

I don't think a sealing product will work on a hole in the block. i had a 6 cylinder ford engine that got a pin hole & sleeved it to fix it. I do have a used block or short block available or possibly could supply a complete engine.

 

[Half-a-Day Farm]

I don't think a sealing product will work on a hole in the block. i had a 6 cylinder ford engine that got a pin hole & sleeved it to fix it. I do have a used block or short block available or possibly could supply a complete engine.

Well I'm going to try it first. I just got the tractor back and I'm not too happy about the way things went. It spent from the 4th of July to after Labor Day out in the weather at the CAT dealer. 1000 bucks later I've got a new head gasket on there I didn't need. Then after that was done the camera went in and found the leak.

I'm very unsure exactly which product to use because the descriptions of them are basically marketing. There are various proprietary formulas and then there is this Humco Sodium Silicate. It's kind of a crap shoot thing that I bet most people don't want to use or admit using. I don't even like thinking about it.

(^^ this is a plea for testimonials)

What I'm going out to do now is go and look and see if I can get this material in there without clogging the radiator and water pump. The CAT service manager mentioned a Duraglass that I've been unable to locate. He said he'd flush with water, leave the t-stat in and just pour it in the radiator and run it around. There is nothing too clever sounding about that.

 

[TractorTech]

Don't know about Duraglass either, but a liquid glass product for this following what the service manager said is fine.

 

[lens12]

I've used Sodium Silicate for years. I used it on a Ford truck gas engine & a Kubota excavator with leaking head gaskets. It worked on both of them. I had a Pontiac quad four engine with block crack i used it on. Every time I stepped on it a little it would start leaking. I don't have much faith in it on a block leak. But its cheap. Go for it.

 

[Jake L]

Well were you able to get your tractor repaired? I live near Chattanooga and also have a mt 265. I wouldn't recommend taking it to any of the dealers around here. They will not put any real effort into fixing it, just try to sell you a new one. I have had the engine in mine completely apart and back together once before, and it's a pretty big job. There was a guy in TN that was getting used 1500 hour engines from Japan and bringing them back to the US. In Japan they mandate you have to change your engine every 1500hours weather it runs perfect or not. Anyways our wonderful federal government put the epa boot in his ass and shut him down last year. So options are limited. If you ever decide to sell the machine I would be interested in it though, im trying to find a loader for mine.

 

[nihmble]

The Iseki powertrain tractors appear stout enough, but like any, overheating, dirt entering the engine or not enough oil will shorten their life. I was asked all the time what the expected life of a tractor was and my answer was that is dependent on the service and care that it receives. Of course there can be manufacturing defects or just bad designs, but lack of maintenance is the number one life determining factor in most cases.

This is not a simple tractor when it comes to getting to the head. The fuel tank mounted over the engine, half under the instrument cowling, makes it more of a difficult job than the average. Also, the superstructure for the hood and tank takes time to disassemble and assemble. I found that removing the platform mount nuts and prying up on the front of the platform about 1 to 1.5" gave enough room to slide the fuel tank out from under the cowling. Also, remove the muffler before you try to disassemble the rest of the supports and tank.

Hopefully your service manual gives you some tips on this procedure, but I didn't really see anything that would expedite getting to the head. The head itself is straight forward once you get there.

I've have been trying for hours to figure out how to get the gas tank removed from my MT265B. I have the muffler off and the cowling unfastened and most of the hood bracketry removed. Any advise on what I am missing? You mentioned the "platform mounts". Could you please explain what you meant by this?
Thanks,

 

[TractorTech]

I've have been trying for hours to figure out how to get the gas tank removed from my MT265B. I have the muffler off and the cowling unfastened and most of the hood bracketry removed. Any advise on what I am missing? You mentioned the "platform mounts". Could you please explain what you meant by this?
Thanks,

Welcome to TBN!

Remove the mounting nuts, #14, on the platform/floor in the front and back. This will give you flexibility to lift up the cowling around the fuel tank enough to get the tank out. I think I put 2x4 or 4x4 pieces on the front mount to keep the it propped up. There is enough flexibility with the wiring to do this.