JD 3520 Eninge coolant change & flush

[cuemark8]

OK, In preparation of the spring mowing season, I was going to tackle the job of changing the engine coolant in my JD 3520. It is a 2009 and not a lot of hours on it but long overdue to be changed. I read the owners manual on the procedure. Are there any tips or tricks I should know about to do this?
My biggest concern is getting all of the air out the block and hoses when refilling. Also, it recommends a drain and then a flush with a radiator cleaner. I got Prestone antifreeze and Prestone radiator flush.
I was told drain the block and radiator, which is pretty straight forward. I was told to then add the cleaner/flush and fill radiator with water. I was told not to put the cap back on the radiator. Run the engine, bring it temperature, allow the product to circulate 10 min to clean. Letting the radiator cap off will not allow the system to build pressure and allows for quick draining without the need of waiting for the system to cool enough to depressurize. My only concern with was that diesels run fairly hot and the water would boil off anyways before the thermostat opened to circulate.

Any input? Or advice?

Probably not going do it today, probably going to wait till weekend.

 

[beenthere]

Lot's of "I was told" in your post. Are you not believing whoever told you, or just looking for confirmation?

I don't think you can do much wrong.. and my diesel 4300 doesn't "run hot" but don't know about your 3520. But wouldn't expect much different, both being the Yanmar 3 cyl.

 

[Ken]

Have a 4520 engine only holds 2 gal of antifreeze. unless the thermostat is faulty Your heating problem could be dirty fins in radiator. I would use air to blow from engine side toward front to remove dust and chaff then use water to see a good flow to make sure it is clean.

The drain plug in radiator is designed to flow anti freeze every where except the large pan under the front end.

ken

 

[TCSavage]

You may want to use a diesel compatible anti-freeze. Either JD Cool Guard or some other brand. There are supplements to add to anti-freeze to provide the diesel protection, from Detroit Diesel and Cummins.

 

[Spindifferent]

Please let us know how it goes.

I have a 2005 3520 and do lots of shredding. The engine does run hot when the hood vents, radiator fins, and radiator mesh cover are full of dust and chaff. Blow them clean with an air compressor; esp. in between the radiator fins. I've found that dust tends to clog the radiator fins, and am always amazed by how much stuff blows out. Also, check the two air filter canisters regularly.

 

[greg_g]

My 3720 cab has four heat exchangers, nested very close together; intercooler, a/c cooler, oil cooler, and radiator. I clean regularly with compressed air. But they're so close together, I can't get to the stuff that's gathered in the center of the 2nd/3rd/4th exchanger. So as part of my spring maintenance, I'm going to physically remove the intercooler and trans cooler in order to clean them off the tractor. The ideas is that I should then have sufficient clearance to blast the centers of the two remaining exchangers.

//greg//