Blown Head Gasket

Jinma284 · Feb 28, 2008

Did not check for water pump free wheeling. How do I do that. Water hose didn't suck flat although I am replacing it. Have already replaced it once.
I'll check around and see if I can find a shop that can grind the old one just to have on hand. Pat

Eagleview · Feb 29, 2008

If you can't get to the impeller via the hose spout/s to hold it with a piece of wooden dowell/paint brush handle whilst turning the fan a little to see if it loose , i would take the time to remove the pump to be certain . To me you have not found the cause , if the machine shop was not concerned with the marks on the head i would be investigating further . It would be a shame to have it happen again not to mention inconvenient whilst the harvest is on . As i said in an earlier post here , a loose impeller will cause intermittent water flow and cause the water in the block to boil without being imediately apparent at the cap as the water in the radiator would be cooler as it is not flowing through the block .

gmurrill · Feb 29, 2008

If you are still having problems email me at action-equip@charter.net and I will be glad to do what I can to help you.

Jinma284 · Mar 3, 2008

So we broke off an injector trying to remove them. Ordering a new one today. Just another delay that was not expected. Guess I should start expecting delays so I won't be disappointed. Pat

Jinma284 · Mar 3, 2008

Sorry about that, it wasn't an injector it was a glow plug!!!!!!

Jinma284 · Mar 12, 2008

I haven't been able to post for over a week. Will catch you up on what's happened. We got the glow plug and installed in the new head. We started to install the injectors and realized that we needed crush washers for them. Another delay to wait for them. Ordered the crush washers. Put everything together last night. Tractor started without a problem. My son-in-law was going all over the motor checking for oil leaks and told me to shut it down. There was oil coming from a hole in the back of the head. The old head had a hole but it is plugged. Don't know why the hole. Will call the dealor in a while after they open. Another delay and I sure need to spray my peach trees.

RobJ · Mar 12, 2008

Bummer.

Does the oil hole have pressure? Or just a drain plug. If no pressure then put a temp plug in there and test it out. If it's threaded then remove the old plug and reuse.

In the future you can get away with reusing the injector washers if they are not torn up. At least get you running and replace later. Been there done that.

Rob

Jinma284 · Mar 12, 2008

There was no pressure on it. The hole wasn't threaded. It is smaller than a pencil. We loaded a small threaded bolt with JB weld and tapped it in, after putting some JB weld in the hole first. I'll let it sit over night and fire it up tomorrow.
I think we found the problem that caused it all. The fan belt had not been replaced. The tractor is 5 and 1/2 years and it had been adjusted all the way out, couldn't get any tighter. You could turn the fan with your finger with little resistance. The belt showed signs of slipping on its sides. Needless to say there is a new belt on it tonight. I hope to take better care of the tractor now that I am retired and not working 10 to 12 hours per day. Thanks to everyone for helping me out, I'm sure I will need you again. Now I can go mow the field and spray some peaches.

quicksandfarmer · Mar 12, 2008

Congratulations on sticking it out and getting it working. Enjoy your spraying.

Dave_Lilly · Mar 13, 2008

Jinma284 said:
There was no pressure on it. The hole wasn't threaded. It is smaller than a pencil. We loaded a small threaded bolt with JB weld and tapped it in, after putting some JB weld in the hole first. I'll let it sit over night and fire it up tomorrow.
I think we found the problem that caused it all. The fan belt had not been replaced. The tractor is 5 and 1/2 years and it had been adjusted all the way out, couldn't get any tighter. You could turn the fan with your finger with little resistance. The belt showed signs of slipping on its sides. Needless to say there is a new belt on it tonight. I hope to take better care of the tractor now that I am retired and not working 10 to 12 hours per day. Thanks to everyone for helping me out, I'm sure I will need you again. Now I can go mow the field and spray some peaches.

I have been following this post for quite a while because I was very curious about what was causing the problems with your tractor, because I have a KAMA 354 diesel. Do you mean that all of these problems were caused by a loose fan belt?
In the past I have almost pulled my hair out trying to figure out what was wrong with my Ferguson TO-30, my Dad's Farmall, my brother-in-laws' Cub Low-Boy and another brother-in-laws' Ford 9N. All of these problems wound up being an easy fix for a very elusive problem. If your problem was a loose fan belt, I would have to say that this really has topped them all.
I hope that you have solved your problem and that you have many years to enjoy your tractor without any further problems.

Jinma284 · Mar 14, 2008

I've now used the tractor about 4 hours and it runs great. No overheating problems and it is charging a lot better, another sign that the belt was slipping. I'm 99 percent sure that was the problem. I'm not putting the old one back on just to confirm it though. I had 450 peach trees on this farm from 1985 to 1997. We now have 600 trees in the ground and will plant another 220 this year and another 180 in 2009. That will make 1000 trees. We tended the 10 acres with a roto tiller, riding lawn mower, 4-wheeler and a pick up truck to pull the spray rig. This tractor was a blessing after that. We bought the tractor in 2002. I will take better care of all my equipment now. I have always just ran whatever I had until it wouldn't start and then get it fixed or get a new one. My wife bought me some tools and a tool box and I plan to tinker a little. I actually tore apart my chain saw, found the problem with it and fixed it myself. Made me feel pretty good. I have had to go to the wizard to get me some patience. When the peaches get ripe I'll post some pic's.

zogman · Mar 14, 2008

I'm glad things are finally looking up for you. Where are you growing all the peaches?

Jinma284 · Mar 15, 2008

Central Florida, Lady Lake to be exact. I live about 3 miles from The Villages.

RobJ · Mar 16, 2008

Jinma284 said:
I've now used the tractor about 4 hours and it runs great. No overheating problems and it is charging a lot better, another sign that the belt was slipping. I'm 99 percent sure that was the problem.

Is the idler pulley for the belt an alternator? A working alternator? When an alternator is under load, right at startup, it takes a load. Watch the autoparts guy test one. I would think if the belt was that loose and the alternator is working, you'd have a dead battery.

If the alternator is not working, then I guess the belt coule slip some. I would think it would be more noticable. I've never heard of a water pump taking a huge load. But stranger things have happened! Also you replaced the head so there still could have been something bad there.

Rob

Jinma284 · Mar 18, 2008

I did have battery problems. Replaced it with a nice Interstate. Ran it down as well. I had pulled my spray rig for about 3 hours. It has a 200 gallon tank and I was spraying an oil mix that has to be continually agitated. The spray rig has no agitator other than the return hose. I built a wooden platforn on top and put a trolling motor on it, ran the trolling motor off the tractor battery. That baby will agitate. The new battery also ran down. I thought, at the time, because of the trolling motor. Bought a trickle charger and hooked it up every time I stopped the tractor, no more starting problems. I think the slipping belt was causing the battery to run down then as well.

Eagleview · Mar 18, 2008

I always said it was the pump impellar intermitently stopping , just did'nt consider you had'nt kept the belt tight enough to keep it turning .

RobJ · Mar 18, 2008

Jinma284 said:
I did have battery problems. Replaced it with a nice Interstate. Ran it down as well. I had pulled my spray rig for about 3 hours. It has a 200 gallon tank and I was spraying an oil mix that has to be continually agitated. The spray rig has no agitator other than the return hose. I built a wooden platforn on top and put a trolling motor on it, ran the trolling motor off the tractor battery. That baby will agitate. The new battery also ran down. I thought, at the time, because of the trolling motor. Bought a trickle charger and hooked it up every time I stopped the tractor, no more starting problems. I think the slipping belt was causing the battery to run down then as well.

Hmmm, as Mythbusters might say...Confirmed!

greg_g · Mar 18, 2008

Jinma284 said:
I built a wooden platforn on top and put a trolling motor on it, ran the trolling motor off the tractor battery.

I'm' not going to say that the belt wasn't your problem. But the standard 200 series alternator only carries a 150 watt rating. So even if you had a good belt - and assuming your trolling motor consumes more that 150w - that means your battery will drain faster than the alternator can replenish it.

//greg//

Ranch_Hand_Supp · Mar 18, 2008

Jinma284 said:
I did have battery problems. Replaced it with a nice Interstate. Ran it down as well. I had pulled my spray rig for about 3 hours. It has a 200 gallon tank and I was spraying an oil mix that has to be continually agitated. The spray rig has no agitator other than the return hose. I built a wooden platforn on top and put a trolling motor on it, ran the trolling motor off the tractor battery. That baby will agitate. The new battery also ran down. I thought, at the time, because of the trolling motor. Bought a trickle charger and hooked it up every time I stopped the tractor, no more starting problems. I think the slipping belt was causing the battery to run down then as well.

I agree also ........ sounds like you got it.

Good job !

Ronald
Ranch Hand Supply

Dave_Lilly · Mar 19, 2008

greg_g said:
I'm' not going to say that the belt wasn't your problem. But the standard 200 series alternator only carries a 150 watt rating. So even if you had a good belt - and assuming your trolling motor consumes more that 150w - that means your battery will drain faster than the alternator can replenish it.

//greg//

Alternators are rated in amperes, not watts.