2550 Melting hood!

[JSharp]

Have you considered the possibility that the engine may be running lean? A lean running engine will run hotter... Just an idea....

I haven't pulled a plug to see but given the way the engine runs and the fuel it uses I doubt it's a lean situation.

There wouldn't be much that could be done about that either since the engine is fixed jetting...

 

[jay25rs]

Also you may want to check with your dealer on service bulletins. 2500 series built before August 2006 have an exhaust shield extension that can be installed to cure any hood and latch melting problems.

Any pictures, part numbers, or service bulletin numbers that you can share? Or just describe really well how the exhaust is shielded and I will fab something. My DOM is 3/2006.

 

[JSharp]

Any pictures, part numbers, or service bulletin numbers that you can share? Or just describe really well how the exhaust is shielded and I will fab something. My DOM is 3/2006.

I'd like to see the latest fix for this myself. Mine already has the box shaped stainless steel heatshield over the top and front of the exhaust system. It didn't help for long. It would be nice to see what they've come up with this time. And I'd have more information in case I have issues with the dealer.

Mine is at the dealer now. I'm hoping it shows back up with this unknown to me until now recall/repair because just replacing the hood isn't going to help for long. I'll take some photos of it and post them when it comes back to see how it matches what others have.

And more all the time I think the header wrap idea has merit...

 

[jay25rs]

I'd like to see the latest fix for this myself. Mine already has the box shaped stainless steel heatshield over the top and front of the exhaust system. It didn't help for long. It would be nice to see what they've come up with this time. And I'd have more information in case I have issues with the dealer.

Mine is at the dealer now. I'm hoping it shows back up with this unknown to me until now recall/repair because just replacing the hood isn't going to help for long. I'll take some photos of it and post them when it comes back to see how it matches what others have.

And more all the time I think the header wrap idea has merit...

Mine has that box heatshield also. Also, has a small bent piece over the PTO pulley to deflect heat.

 

[Northstar]

I have been following this thread all along and today after 2 hrs of mowing I decided to have a look at and under the hood for any heat damage. None so far but the hood latch was very hot, so I checked out the cover on the center louver on the hood. The fasteners were to hot to touch , I removed them with a pair of needle nosed and removed the cover. When I closed the hood I held my hand over the louver and could feel the heat escaping. Apperently the louver was put there for a purpose, my question is why CC decided to cover it. Cosmetic or other reasons ?

 

[jay25rs]

Apperently the louver was put there for a purpose, my question is why CC decided to cover it. Cosmetic or other reasons ?

Perhaps on the vertically shafted machines, the plug is left off to allow air into the intake and for horizontally shafted machines CC thinks that it will pull air from the sides of the hood.

 

[CCinCT]

my question is why CC decided to cover it. Cosmetic or other reasons ?

Maybe they put it in there so that owners (or dealers) in hotter climates could remove it if needed? If that's the case, then it sounds like they forgot to tell anyone...

BTW JSharp, I don't have access to a temp gauge. My friend who has everything... apparently doesn't. I might pick one up next week if it's not too expensive. I can't imagine what else I'd use it for, other than to show my friend that I have something he doesn't. That's kind of a hard sell to the wife, but we'll see.

 

[jay25rs]

BTW JSharp, I don't have access to a temp gauge. My friend who has everything... apparently doesn't. I might pick one up next week if it's not too expensive. I can't imagine what else I'd use it for, other than to show my friend that I have something he doesn't. That's kind of a hard sell to the wife, but we'll see.

You should get a digital multimeter with temperature probe. This way it is a multi purpose tool and worth the purchase. Craftsman 82327 Infrared Thermometer with Laser Pointer at Sears.com

 

[JSharp]

Those IR thermometers aren't exactly something that most people have around. I only have one and some other types too because I use them in my work.

If anyone is looking for a good non-contact IR type this guy on ebay has them for very low prices -

eBay Store - CBM Tools: S-K Tools, Astro, Ingersoll-Rand Air Tools

The Raytek brand units are much better than the cheapie Actrons or the Sears model jay posted which is really a re-labeled Extech.

I still don't have my tractor back. The dealer will have had it for a week on Monday so I'm going to call then. I'm hoping there's not some delay because of parts or whatever...

 

[micman32]

After reading all about melting hoods I can honestly say I am glad i have the metal 3 piece hood on my 2518. I can feel cool air being drawn in from below the steering column and on both sides. I keep the screens clear and have very little debris on the fan which i blow out from time to time.
I know some don't care for the 3 piece design but i think it works better than the cheap plastic they use now.

Michael

 

[BoobyTrap]

just $.02 worth. After driving air cooled VW's for a number of years, I'm just curious how many of you with heating problems, have checked your rpm's to see if you're operating at peak efficiency. Do you excessively idle? If you look at these little engines of today, squeezing out 23-27 horses, to engines of 20 years to 30 years ago, only getting 10-15 horses, you're going to generate more heat. I have a '07 2554, no problems as yet, but you're all scaring me. The only thing I've noticed, is the screen over the flywheel collects a lot of chaff. I clean it every time I use it, and run it wide butt open. I have one heck of a dealer, was there when he prepped it, and the rpm check was one of his major sticking points. That little booger's gotta rev to keep that air moving. Just a thought. JP Church Point, La.

 

[JSharp]

These engines are making more hp per cc than the old VW's and doing it at lower rpm. They're still not in all that high a state of tune though, just more modern.

I'm not sure about anyone else but I run mine WFO if it's moving. I keep the engine fan and oil cooler clean.

I've decided to take the customer service person at Kohler at his word when he told me the OPE manufacturers don't pay enough attention to cooling, but they should...

 

[redlinefever]

You are not crazy. I definitely noticed the heat situation the first time I cleaned my air filter and the screen. It was so hot, I had to let it sit for about 15 minutes before I could touch the air filter! And yes, I let the engine run for a couple of minutes at a lower idle speed before shutting it down.

The heat from my old mower was not this high. Wish I had used the thermometer to check it. Good idea I'll have to give it a try. I surely feels as if it doesn't draw sufficient air to keep the engine cool vs the output of heat from the enclosed muffler. And it drinks gas - averaged 2 gals per acre! I should have held out and paid someone to mow and bought a diesel next year. This is crazy.

My hood was beginning to melt at the exhaust pipe and I noticed a lot of heat. IMO I believe the stainless box should be covered with a thin layer of insulation material and the exhaust pipe should be bent downward and exit at the lower front of the frame. Poor engineering on CC's part.

My hood also broke at the mounting pivot plate and my dealer refuses to warranty it. Along with the other issues I have listed in another thread.

 

[DurhamNC]

Guys,

After replacing my hood I did a short test run. After 10 minutes the hood was hat as *ell again. I decided to remove the top vent cover and headlight assemby to let the cool air in. The GT2554 is running much cooler and the hood does not get too hot. I've also noticed less backfiring at shoutdown.

I'm not waiting for cub to fix the problem while my engine runs hot and the hood melts every 11 hours. I may cover the ugly hole with some sort of sceening and paint it black. I should not have to do this for 4K.

Dave

 

[BoobyTrap]

Nope, as long as there's a warranty, it will be left stock, and they can fix it. But at 25 hours, I haven't had the melting problem. It did however fall off at 1 hour. Lovely. But, and that's a big huge butt my dealer is outstanding, and overall I'm very happy with the performance. Lucked out on 3 yr. int. free financing, along with the warranty, I think I'll be just fine. Time will tell. Yup even after reading all the horror stories, I'd go get another one just like the one I have, again, time will tell.

 

[redlinefever]

now you have me pondering an aftemarket fan set up to keep cooler air flowing across the engine. Esp. after reading the other threads about oil temps.

Excessive heat breaks down the viscosity of oil very fast. Even when using a pure synthetic oil, it isn't designed for extended runs at excessively high temps. If the water cooled engine overheats, the oil gets baked at temps of 260+. And it's a real challenge to clean when rebuilding the engine. I'm gonna have to check out the oil temps on the race car after a night of stock car racing. Curious .....

 

[DurhamNC]

Redlinefever,

I'm thinking along the same lines as you. I'm trying to figure how and where to add a 12 volt fan or fans. I think the air is getting trapped in the muffler headlight assembly area. It's amazing how much cooler the hood is with the headlight assembly removed.

Dave

 

[JSharp]

On my 2554 right now I have the center vent cover pulled and have a 10", 1300 CFM fan hanging under the top of the hood. It makes some difference in the underhood temps, 10°-20° maybe. I'm sure it would be better if I could make a proper shroud that sealed the fan inlet so it only pulled air through the hood vents. But I've been busy with the tractor I bought and haven't gotten that done yet.

My fan came from one of the eBay sellers for around $30. Actually it came from my son's derby car parts stash but I figure he owes me It seems to be decent quality but one problem with all these fans is the current draw. Mine draws right at 10 amps. A larger one that moves more air will draw far too much.

I still think wrapping the muffler with header wrap is a viable solution to getting these underhood temps down, even if it might sacrifice muffler life somewhat. I have some of it around here but haven't gotten the time to try it.

For people who think the header wrap is a terrible idea, here's something to ponder. I just bought a '62 IH 404 tractor. On that tractor the exhaust pipe runs down behind the generator with all of 1/2" of clearance between the two. From the factory it has an asbestos wrap, long since replaced with fiberglass, that keeps the exhaust pipe from cooking the generator...

 

[DurhamNC]

Do you think it would be possible to add some type of mechanical fan setup that runs off the belt to the deck?

 

[JSharp]

I'm not sure how you could drive a fan from the PTO drive. It seems like a lot of fabrication.

I seriously wonder how much we should worry about this. Provided the hood is protected by the latest full length heatshield it shouldn't have further problems. We hope any way.

In one of these threads Fordlords posted the temps of his old Cub with the Honda engine and they aren't out of line with ours other than our oil temperatures. And we really don't know what the "normal" Kohler oil temps should be. I couldn't get that information from Kohler since it was "dependent on the application."

Like everyone though, I still want to try to get all the temps down if I can do it easily...