BX2200 overheats

[joe_tiac]

My BX2200 overheats after only about 30 minutes of mowing with 60" mid deck.

Coolant level is good - screens are clean - oil is good.

Could it be a bad thermostat? If so, how big a job to change it.

Tnx, Joe

 

[joe_tiac]

I should have mentioned that I'm 30 mi. West of Houston, TX.

It's currently 95 deg. F. at 5:40 in the evening. So I suspect the weather here is a factor. Maybe the machine should be configured differently for hot humid weather.

Joe

 

[frank_f15]

i don't know much about the BX2200, but i'll bet it should not be overheating after only 30 min, and should not be overheating at all. if this is new tractor, i would have the dealer look at it.

 

[sandyc]

Sounds like either the thermostat or maybe the hose is kinked ...having said that, however, make sure that the drive belts are not binding and that the bearings are free and lubed on the deck. There has been a thread discussing the lack of grease on the spindles on mower decks....just food for thought.

Good luck

 

[joe_tiac]

Thanks,
The drive belts are due for a greasing.
I suspect the thermostat is open - since when I stop to let it cool it boils as one would suspect with coolant in the block.

The little tractor is approaching 3 years old. It's always run hot, but seems to be getting worse - maybe the grease. It's also due for an oil and filter change which may help, as well as an air filter.

Before I go to the dealer, I'll make sure all the maintenence is up to date and see what happens then.

Thanks, Joe

 

[Tom_H]

Joe, I used to have the same problem with my BX2200. I was cleaning the outer screen in place and pulling out the inner screen to clean it. Still overheated all the time. I then took the outer screen off completely and with the inner screen pulled out I looked in at the radiator fins. The fan, which is in front of the radiator, but sucks air forward, had still drawn in dirty air and had imposed a circle of dust on the square face of the rear side of the radiator. I got the vaccuum, stuck that narrow extension up in there and got the dust off the face of the radiator itself. Temp. dropped right back to normal. So, insofar as airflow, two screen faces must be clean, but also the face of the radiator itself must be dust free as well. I realize yours may be clean and something else could be causing your BX to overheat, but anyway, this is what turned out to be the cause of my overheating.

Good Luck,
Tom

 

[joe_tiac]

Thanks, Tom,

You may have hit the nail on the head - I'll try cleaning the fins tomorrow and post results.

Still plenty of grass to practice on - 'been away on vacation for 2 weeks.

Rgds, Joe

 

[upgw]

Tom H probably has your answer. Mine does exactly the same thing, dirt manages to get past the two layers of air intake screen and plog up big chunks of the radiator. When the temp guage regularly gets past 1/2 when mowing, I know it's time to take it apart and blow out the radiator. I use compressed air from the engine side and also the battery side. Then she cools right down again.

- Patrick

 

[theboman]

A very important tool in tractor ownership is an air compressor with a blower attachment to keep the engine department blown out...amoung all the other things.

 

[sandyc]

Joe:

Just cleaned my radiator....the battery on my 2200 must create an air dam or some kind of vortex as there appears to be bridging of dust, dirt and stuff just behind the battery.....

The eastiest way to clean this is to lossen the battery hold-down and move the battery out of the way. Once that is done then you can either vac or blow the radiator clean......

 

[joe_tiac]

Thanks guys,

I blew out the radiator with a leaf blower - got all visible debris out of it. 'followed up with a quick bath with water hose.

I mowed for about an hour without it getting into red zone, but close. Then I let it idle for a few minutes and it cooled down immdiately. BTW, I did grease the center fitting on the deck.

I'm probably pushing the mower hard in hot weather - full pto speed, but sorta slow forward speed. Grass here is bahaia, which is pretty tough.

The post on removing the battery is probably appropriate too.

I agree, an air compressor should be standard equip, with tractors.

We also have a bigger tractor with a bush hog, which I'll use for the rest the pastures.

Thanks, Joe /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Tom_H]

Joe,

I think there's still something wrong. I can take my BX2200 with 42" GearMore rough cutter on the 3ph and cut brush that's extremely thick and 6' tall, running the engine at 90% throttle all day in 113 degree heat. If everything is clean with unimpeded airflow, the temp. guage never goes past center vertical. You should not have to worry about being at less than 90% rpm or being in grass that's too dense (assuming blades are sharp), or operating in weather that's too hot.

Sometimes a problem can have one single cause. Other times, several little things can add up to make a problem. Cleaning your radiator seems to have helped, but I'd recommend looking for another factor that is still preventing optimum performance of the cooling system.

Tom

 

[joe_tiac]

'don't know what happened to the post I made last nite.

I blew out radiator fins with leaf blower - seemed to work. Then finished it off with water hose.

After about an hour it didn't get into red zone, but close.

I must be pushing it too hard because it cooled off quickly on idle with mower disengaged.

I think an air compressor is good advice too.

Thanks, Joe

 

[joe_tiac]

'ha,
'found my post on the second page - I'm a newbe.

You may be right. I had new blades. 'probably should have touched up the sharpening.

It is a 60'' deck, and I was running at 100% throttle.

I'll keep looking for something else. The fact that it cooled so quickly tells me that there's some drag that probably shouldn't be there.

Tnx, Joe

 

[Junkman]

If the engine over heats when using the tractor, but cools down quickly when it is at an idle, indicates a slipping fan belt. When the engine is at full throttle, the belt slips and doesn't circulate the coolant through the radiator, nor does it keep the fan spinning fast enough. Check the fan belt for a glaze or looseness. If this machine is new, have the dealer deal with it. If it is older and the belt is original, replace it with a new Kubota factory replacement. I know that you can purchase belts almost any where, but for the best performance, get the belt that is designed for the engine. Also clean the dirt off the blade of the fan while cleaning the radiator. If the radiator has a lot of dirt embedded in it, spray the radiator first with a solution of dish washing liquid and water. Flush with lots of clean water. This will emulsify the dirt and allow the passages to be cleaned properly with no harmful effects. A properly maintained cooling system should keep that tractor in the green even in 100 degree weather....

 

[upgw]

I mow a 4 foot tall field in mid-summer at 100% throttle with the 60 inch deck in 'top' position, she runs a needle's width above the center of the temp guage, any hotter and I know she needs to be cleaned out. See if you can turn your fan in either direction with the engine off, that belt is really tight on mine, make sure it's full of coolant. Shine a light through the radiator, make SURE it's clean. I guess it's possible the thermostat is stuck, but your symptoms really don't match that, unless is partially stuck.

- Patrick

 

[Junkman]

Patrick..... thermostats never get partially stuck... this is an old wives tale. They are either good or bad. Open or closed.... Rarely, you will have a thermostat that is intermittently "stuck" open or closed, but the incidents of this are so rare, that it isn't even considered any longer as a viable situation in diagnostics. If the thermostat was closed, it would over heat rapidly and not cool down quickly at all. In fact, you could hear the coolant boiling in the block if this were the case. Many people remove the thermostat thinking that it will allow the engine to run cooler. If the thermostat is removed, the engine might never come up to operating temperature and as a result there is sludge formation in the engine from cold oil. This was common in old automotive engines because many didn't have thermostats or if they did, they were removed in the spring along with the alcohol based coolant that was used in that era. Anti-freeze coolant as we know it today is only about 50 years old. Before that, cracked blocks from freezing were a common problem for auto owners that didn't maintain their vehicles properly. That meant checking every thing weekly!!!!

 

[upgw]

Junkman, Well, agreed, I've never seen that myself, only stuck all the way open, however, my old-timer 'source' begs to differ! ;-)

- Patrick

 

[Junkman]

Tell the old timer that I said a partially stuck open or closed thermostat is like being a little bit pregnant. It either is or it isn't... In 50+ years, I have never taken one out that was partially bad. Bad is bad, good is good, and there is no inbetween.... Just like pregnancy.. she either is or she isn't.... !!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BIGUN]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If the engine over heats when using the tractor, but cools down quickly when it is at an idle, indicates a slipping fan belt. When the engine is at full throttle, the belt slips and doesn't circulate the coolant through the radiator, nor does it keep the fan spinning fast enough. Check the fan belt for a glaze or looseness. )</font>

I agree with Junkman. I had a ’69 Dodge Charger with a flex fan which required a lot of power to turn. When out on the highway the temp gauge would indicate just below HOT. As soon as I pulled into town and slowed down or came to an idle it would cool down to normal temp before I could get out and get the hood up.

A V-belt gets it’s “traction” on the sides, not the bottom. In this case the belt had worn so thin that even though it was tightened properly, it was bottoming out in the pulley instead of “getting traction” on the sides. When under heavy load at higher RPM it just slipped and the water pump turned too slow. The radiator was full of cool water, thanks to the highway speed air blowing through it, but the pump wasn’t pushing it through the engine. The new belt was visibly wider and cured the problem immediately.