CT 235 rough rouning and blue smoke at max RPM

[powerscol]

New twist today for my CT 235
After solving the water in fuel issue now this.

Weather has been warm this week here in CO, about 50 today, so decided to clean out horse paddock running mid RPM no issue - tractor worked like a charm great power and loader response. This took about and hour. The went to do a bit of pasture work and to run around I raised the RPM to near max - noticed a puff of smoke once in a while, but it got worse over time. When putting it back in the barn I sat level and ran it to full PTO rpm and got more blue smoke and rough running like a misfiring spark plug.

Called dealer - he had me check oil level - which was about 3/4 inch above full mark. HYD oil is at full mark. Wants me to drain oil to full mark (he estimates it to be 1 QT high) and run a while and see if it clears up, also wants me to watch oil level . (will do that tomorrow). Oil smells and looks normal.

He thinks I may be getting fuel into oil (over fueling). Does not seem right only being 1 hour from having the 50 hour service done. Also over fueling should produce black smoke not blue - correct? My bad for not checking level after the service or before starting today, but he says they triple check fluid levels before it leaves them.

Question - could high oil level cause this - I know it will in my gas riding lawn mower. Is there a simple way to check for fuel in the oil I drain?

I also looked at the fuel filter again for water (did not pull it though). No water present that I could see. Could I still have a water issue that could cause this? Ran fine for over and hour. Just wondering

Thanks everyone.

 

[SSdoxie]

High oil can cause the blue smoke (oil burn). If oil level reaches the crankshaft it cause oil to splash up into the hot cylinder walls under the psiton and burn this burnt oil will vent through the PVC back into cumbustion chamber & out the exhaust.
Do you have rear remotes? If so check the A/B handle to make sure it is neutral, some of these rear remotes have a detent to lock them into full power on and without anything connected will put the hydraulic into full relief, overheating the hydrualic fluid and push oil past the gear pump seal into the engine.
By closely checking it as dealer has asked will determine if it was over filled at the service, if it pushing hydraulic oil into the engine, or if it is taking on fuel. You should be able to smell fuel if it is the oil but may not be an injector. A small pin hole in the diaphragm of lift pump will pump fuel into the carnkcase.

 

[rasimmo]

I don't think you will be able to tell if it is fuel or not yourself. The only way I know of is to send it in for analysis. Check with your dealer or a construction equipment dealer to see if they can recomend one. It is not very expensive to have this done. I believe it is less than $20 per sample. We test the oil in all our engines at work monthly. It is a real good way to see what is going on with the engines. Your dealer may pay for the analysis since it under warranty.

 

[powergod1]

Fuel can get into the oil if you have a cracked injector basically the fuel will wash the cylinder and get past the rings because it's thinner. Had this happen on a cummins. Put nearly half gallon in the crankcase before I noticed it. You can smell and feel the fuel in the ol if it's bad enough.

 

[lilranch2001]

New twist today for my CT 235
After solving the water in fuel issue now this.

Weather has been warm this week here in CO, about 50 today, so decided to clean out horse paddock running mid RPM no issue - tractor worked like a charm great power and loader response. This took about and hour. The went to do a bit of pasture work and to run around I raised the RPM to near max - noticed a puff of smoke once in a while, but it got worse over time. When putting it back in the barn I sat level and ran it to full PTO rpm and got more blue smoke and rough running like a misfiring spark plug.

Called dealer - he had me check oil level - which was about 3/4 inch above full mark. HYD oil is at full mark. Wants me to drain oil to full mark (he estimates it to be 1 QT high) and run a while and see if it clears up, also wants me to watch oil level . (will do that tomorrow). Oil smells and looks normal.

He thinks I may be getting fuel into oil (over fueling). Does not seem right only being 1 hour from having the 50 hour service done. Also over fueling should produce black smoke not blue - correct? My bad for not checking level after the service or before starting today, but he says they triple check fluid levels before it leaves them.

Question - could high oil level cause this - I know it will in my gas riding lawn mower. Is there a simple way to check for fuel in the oil I drain?

I also looked at the fuel filter again for water (did not pull it though). No water present that I could see. Could I still have a water issue that could cause this? Ran fine for over and hour. Just wondering

Thanks everyone.

Sorry about your recent bad luck dude.

 

[powerscol]

Well were back in business. Remembering my Ice in fuel situation and the many rough starts, I got to thinking fuel could have gotten in the oil. I drained the oil today - first few seconds were black changing to clear. Oil was fairly stiff in viscosity (engine cold overnight sit) I replaced with Rotella synthetic blend 10-30 for the winter here.

Started up - smoke color on cold start is the same as what I was seeing. Within a few seconds everything cleared up and running smooth (normal start). Even cold (after a few minutes running) she would hit 2600 RPM without issue.

So either it was fuel in the oil or it was overfilled by dealer. I also checked the air filter - Was dusty but no oil - seem strange is was so dusty with only a couple of hours on it - could it not have been changed at the 50 hour service?

Ill check tomorrow to see if everything else was done - I know it was fully lubed as I have been cleaning up the zirks.

Thanks for all the help

 

[SSdoxie]

Glad your up and going again. Just keep a close eye on everyting as I'm suere you will. As far as the air filter goes, it is not listed as part of the normal 50 hr. service. It is a change as needed item.
Just thinking here quick, if the dealer did the 50 hr. service when it was in for the hydraulic pressure problem, I wonder if they drained both plugs on the engine oil pan. If they did not and put in the listed 7 qts, it would have overfilled about 1 to 1/2 qts. over full.

 

[powerscol]

Thanks Dennis - Problems come in 3's so hopefully I am done.
I put in just under 6 qt - more like 5.5 to get just to the full notch on the dip stick. Manual says capacity is 6.1 qt. I did not change the filter. Makes me think if they put in the 7 you mention and did not fully drain?...... who knows. I will be more diligent of checking the oil before each use.

One thing I did find is one of the oil pan bolts was surprising loose - very easy to break loose. The other was good and snug. I probably need to invest in a tork wrench too - always could use another tool :laughing:

Bobcat - raise the oil filler location - getting a funnel in place and having it stay was a PIA - especially with 1 gallon oil jugs :confused2:

Good thing about this between re-reading the manual and crawling underneath I am learning a lot. On thing Bobcat could improve is to just put a water drain on the fuel filter like the IH, JD, and Case have. Kubota I believe has this too, but could be wrong. or even a water drain on the tank. Take a look at old farm-all and you find one in the bottom of the tank at the low point near the fuel pick up. Most modern diesel trucks have then somewhere

Unfortunately the filter bowl is plastic and I don't think it will stand up to drilling and tapping. Is there an aftermarket fuel bowl with a water drain in the bottom out there?

Again - Thanks for all the help here - it has been invaluable.

Lesson learned today - even 1 qt overfill is too much on a CT 235 - especially at PTO RPM's. :thumbsup: