750 hours and new engine

[cisco]

I was perusing the local paper's ad section, looking to increase my collection of implements, and noted an L3300 (2000 vintage) with 750 hours for sale. The sale price was $2500 because the unit needed a new engine. How does one burn out a Kubota diesel in 750 hours - no servicing? high revs when engine still cold? stalling under load with regularity? I'm sure going to be disappointed if my regularly serviced and reasonably handled L3400 crumps at 750, or even 2500 hours.

 

[SkyPup]

Not changing the air filter, not changing the oil, not changing the oil filter, using contaminated or adulterated diesel fuels, running the engine without coolant or antifreeze, etc.

I would imagine that a brand new Kubota diesel engine would probably run maybe up to 750 hours if all you ever did to it was keep adding diesel fuel to the fuel tank when it got low and did nothing else to the engine......if you were lucky, you may even get a 1,000 hours out of it before you need a completely new engine.

 

[dfkrug]

Just a few hours with a poor fitting or missing air filter and the
engine will be "dusted" and compression will go to h*ll. The same
would happen to your car if you took out the air filter and drove
around in clouds of dust.

I have rebuilt engines in dusted tractors and you can expect a
crate motor to be in the $5000+ range, and installation could be
easily another $1000 or 2. Hence that tractor is worth only
a couple of K$ as-is. If you want to rebuild that tractor, think
carefully before you take on "cracking" it in half by yourself.

 

[bx23barry]

We used to turn new cat D7s to junk in 4-8 weeks in the viet nam jungles. 12-14 hours a day wide open, full power, heavy loads, clearing the jungle. Equipment that gets used hard and often, doesn't last. Five or six months of being run hard and put away wet would kill about any horse.

 

[mikeschwister]

My money is on gasoline. My VW TDi bit the dust when a body shop put in one gallon of gas on a low tank.

 

[proudestmonkey]

The original post raises another interesting question, though: what can we expect in terms of life expectancy? In other words, assuming we take care of your Kubotas as stated in the manual (and then some), how many hours will a typical smallish Kubota (I have a BX) last before it needs a new engine or tranny? Are we talking 3000 hours, 5000 hours, anyone know?

 

[WayneW]

another question you have to ask yourself is, if the engine was mistreated or not properly maintained, so is the case for the rest of the tractor.

Point is, the poor thing may have already seen it's best days, new engine or not.

-best of luck

 

[cisco]

Think what I was pondering, and probably expressed poorly, was raised by another poster. What is the expectation of a manufacturing defect in a Kubota if one treats it well, including service intervals, engine warm-ups, decent fuel, and such? 2%, 0.1% or what? Then, if your tractor is going well at 250 hours, which likely means everything was put together correctly, what is the expected lifespan before the diesel or transmission need a rebuild?
I'm a tad sensitized, having researched outboard engines for a 19' boat, and per JD Power ratings and such choosing a new (2006) 150 4 stroke Yamaha. At 12 hours the starter failed, and I was a long way from help. Sure, it was repaired under warranty, but ----- kind of made me wonder just how reliable the whole set-up was.

 

[jlangton]

We've got a KX series mini excavator at work that's got just over 2400 hours on it. All we've done to it has been basic maintenance-filters,fluids,etc. Not a single problem with it,and it's been worked hard every day we've owned it-most days being 8-10 hrs straight. That durability convinced me of the value a well-built compact diesel engine was,and helped me justify the $7K my G2160 cost. Hopefully after the new year,I'll add a B-series to the collection around here.
JL

 

[mcconoughey]

I expect that a small modern diesel will last 3000 hours, on average, given recommended care and a mix of full throttle and part throttle. Few applications run at full throttle and full RPM. Those that do, such as some irrigation equipment, also benefit from operating at a stable continuous temperature with very little cold start-up wear. Individual engines vary greatly. The EPA now requires engine emission controls to last a specified number of hours which varies by engine type and usage, such as on or off road.

Question: Does anyone on this forum know what effect the new low-sulfer diesel fuel will have on engine fuel injection system life?