B7610 Radiator overheat

[andyrc130]

Last weekend I used my tractor for the first time to brush hog my 5 acres. I started on Saturday morning and was taking it very slowly as I wanted to break the tractor in correctly and also the brush was very tall and thick. A few hours into it I noticed that the tractor was starting to bog down. I ran it like that for about 15 minutes before I saw that the tractor was overheating!!! I turned the tractor off and noticed that radiator fluid was being vented out of the little radiator overflow tube! Of course the radiator screen was clogged with debris, so I cleaned that off. When the tractor finally cooled off it had lost enough radiator fluid to bring it down to the low mark on the tank, so I trailered it and took it back home. On Sunday I reserviced the radiator fluid, filling the tank back up again to the full line. I then finished brush hogging the land, and the tractor never overheated again (trust me I watched the needle like a hawk!). However, when I checked the fluid later that night, it was low again. I once again filled up the tank to the full line. Then on Thursday, my father in law used the tractor for a few hours to do some mild clearing and smoothing with the FEL. He said it never overheated at all as he was familiar with what happened to me. However, when I checked the fluid again on Friday it was low once again! Did my radiator overheat enough to cause a leak, or is the system just recovering from that initial overheat? Unfortunately the tractor is being kept at the in-laws so I can't go out and check where the fluid level is at right now. Anybody else had a similar problem? Should I call the dealer? Sorry for the drawn out post, but this is my first tractor and am paranoid.

 

[TonyV]

Hi Andy....I had a similar experience over the weekend while brush hogging 5 acres that was thick and overgrown with my L3400. I'd noticed the temp guage had gone up about half way or so, and it usually never moves past just under a quarter or so. I'd suspected the screen was becoming clogged and sure enough...thats what it was. I also checked for signs that the overflow on the radiator may have spewed some coolant, but didn't see any evidence...tractor was to hot to remove the cap at that time. In any event, after clearing the screen I didn't have any more problems...although I did clear the screen a few more times as a precaution without the temp guage coming up. As far as your having to add more coolant, could be that you'd lost enough to void areas of the block. Having added coolant twice since the initial problem wouldn't be cause for alarm in my book...but certainly keep an eye on it. If you find that your adding more coolant in the coming days, then I would start looking seriously at where its leaking. Its possible that just the radiator cap has become weak....even though its a new tractor its one of the first things I would pay close attention too, but your going to have to give that engine a good looking at in order to find out where the coolant is going if the problem persists.

....Tony

 

[wushaw]

If you only filled the overflow tank and not the radiator itself then the radiator is drawing fluid back in to recover itself.

 

[andyrc130]

Thanks for the input fellas. I was able to check the fluid level today and it is still topped off. Hopefully it will stay that way. I'm probably just being paranoid after not catching it overheating. I will make sure to check everything over thoroughly the next time I run the tractor again.

 

[bandit67]

Although I have a different machine from a different manufacturer, I encountered the same with regards to the coolant level a while back. The reservoir has a full mark, but after filling it to the full mark and then any sort of use, the reservoir would be at the low mark. The radiator would be full, but the reservoir was reading low.

I contacted the service dept, and they told me that the system would balance itself out, blowing out any extra coolant that did not belong. Since I kept adding coolant to the full mark on the overflow reservoir, and then it ended up at the low mark after running the engine for a bit, then they told me that the low mark is the correct level for that particular engine. It's been that way for about 8 months now, and never overheats, and the level has not changed, and I've not had to add any more coolant.

Keep an eye on it, but your system has probably settled into its proper operational coolant level.

 

[theboman]

I know the B7500 sucks air thru the radiator, so it sucks leaves, dust etc....

Clean the front of the grill. Pop the hood clear the screen.
Do this over and over. Keep a close eye on the TEMP guage.

I carry a 2" paint brush in my tool box to sweep off the grill. I see the temp a rising it's time to clean it off.