First Plow of Season and No Heat!

[4Papa]

As (bad) luck would have it, I take out my TYM T1003 today to knock down the crusty snow/sleet/freezing rain mess we got here in the northeast this weekend and found out my cab has no heat. Machine's a little over two years old with 405 hours on the engine. Heater worked fine last winter but not used since. Checked with the owners manual and it doesn't tell you much about the heating system or anything about troubleshooting. Another anomaly while plowing was that the engine was running very hot, close but not at redline (and it's 20-degrees out). It cooled off immediately to normal when not working. This led me to think the thermostat had failed (stuck closed) which might explain the heater issue. But a check with the manual says "The heating system consists of two units: Electric heater and blower unit..." Is it typical for this size tractor to have electric heat? If so, I need to check the fuse. Is it possible I have two unrelated things going on? Bad thermostat and electric heater? After seeing if I get any help here, I'll next check on the (much less viewed) TYM and Mahindra forums as there may be a machine specific quirk. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jstpssng]

Did you check your coolant level? Preferably after the engine has cooled down somewhat.
The "electric heater" may or may not be a result of the translation difference which happens sometimes when the original manual was written in another language.

PS; don't feel bad, as the heat in my open station Kubota is also pretty marginal this time of year. :laughing:

 

[fruitcakesa]

As (bad) luck would have it, I take out my TYM T1003 today to knock down the crusty snow/sleet/freezing rain mess we got here in the northeast this weekend and found out my cab has no heat. Machine's a little over two years old with 405 hours on the engine. Heater worked fine last winter but not used since. Checked with the owners manual and it doesn't tell you much about the heating system or anything about troubleshooting. Another anomaly while plowing was that the engine was running very hot, close but not at redline (and it's 20-degrees out). It cooled off immediately to normal when not working. This led me to think the thermostat had failed (stuck closed) which might explain the heater issue. But a check with the manual says "The heating system consists of two units: Electric heater and blower unit..." Is it typical for this size tractor to have electric heat? If so, I need to check the fuse. Is it possible I have two unrelated things going on? Bad thermostat and electric heater? After seeing if I get any help here, I'll next check on the (much less viewed) TYM and Mahindra forums as there may be a machine specific quirk. Thanks in advance.

I feel for you, since I lost the heat [and AC] in my old L4630 after only one season of ownership.
The L's heater is mounted under the cab roof and hemmed in by the AC coolant lines. It appears to be an electric heater.
I never figured out the problem [and am too cheap to take it to someone] and ran the machine like that for 4 years scraping frost off the inside windows and dressing for the cold.
The M is toasty and warm.

 

[Billrog]

Rad freezing up will cause it to heat up as well. Another thing is there a valve to shut off during summer to avoid running hot coolant through the heater core during summer.

 

[LouNY]

I would check the level of coolant in the radiator first, no the overflow/recovery jug but the actual radiator.
With the tractor running quite warm and producing no heat, that is the usual cause.
I have not seen a liquid cooled tractor with an electric heater, possibly an electrically activated valve or mix
door, but not an electric heater.
At 12 volts a 1200 watt heater would require 100 amps.

 

[4Papa]

I would check the level of coolant in the radiator first...

Thanks guys. As the outside air temperature was in the teens when my no heat issue arose yesterday (single digit w windchill), I also had a brain freeze and didn't think to link the two... high engine temp and no cabin heat. So, while waiting for your gracious replies to come through, it did dawn on me to check the coolant level in the radiator. Naturally, there's no secondary translucent tank to easily check the level, so I popped the radiator cap and sure enough, bone dry, at least to the top of the radiator fins or coils or whatever it is that is a few inches below the opening. I will add coolant and hope that solves both problems. I also hope there's no permanent damage as I noticed some kind of moisture at the bottom of the engine compartment. There's no evidence of any leaks so I'm hoping it's just overflow from the coolant. As for the source of how the cabin is heated, I think, as "Jstpssng" mentioned, that the owners manual suffers from bad translation and that it is not electric, but heated coolant-based. I did notice a smaller black radiator that could be the heater core. As for the manual, it never ceases to stun me how, given the amount of sales to the English-speaking market, foreign (particularly Asian) manufacturers cheap out on competent English language technical writers. Besides annoying the **** out of owners, it often cheapens the image of what, in many cases, is an excellent product.

Billrog: There's no valve that I can immediately see to isolate the heater core, and of course the manual is no help.

Again all, thanks for the replies.

 

[oosik]

Yeah - the temps in my open station M6040 tend to follow the outside temps. That's what Eddie Bauer or Alpine Design down outer wear is made for.

 

[Tomtint]

I think it would be pretty easy to see if there are hoses run to the heater core from the radiator, if there are, it's not a complete electric heat system. If they are there.. I think your thermostat theory is where I would start.

 

[Turbys_1700]

As long as you didn't overheat your engine you should be fine. I would check for a hose leak at a connection point. My New Holland Workmaster 50, purchased brand new, developed a very small leak at 60 hours of use that I had a dickens of a time finding. A hose clamp had to be tighten one half turn. The hose clamp was resting on the engine frame. Check the thermostat if the coolant issue is not the problem. Keep us updated on your progress.

 

[Ken Kegris]

I have a Kioti and the heater is in the roof. It heats best at a higher RPM due to moving the coolant and the heater takes place of the thermostat bypass, so I get cab heat many times before the Radiator is warm and thermostat opens. When in the single and neg numbers the radiator never gets hot but I stay tee shirt warm in the cab. It is important that the rad is kept full to the top, The heater has more square inches of surface than the radiator.