LK 3054xs overheating

[osumason]

I have a 3054xs that I can only run about 20mins before it overheats. I have replaced the thermostat, flushed the system and cleared all debris that was on front of the radiator.

Does anybody have any other suggestions to try before a new water pump? Is there a way to check to actually see if its the water pump or not?

TIA

 

[MinnesotaEric]

How do you know that it is overheating?

Do you have a thermocouple you can use as a test tool?

If so, use a hose clamp and put it on the upper radiator hose. You'll see when the T-stat opens watching the read out.

 

[ritcheyvs]

Erik has a point. Is it overheating or do you have a faulty indication? That's the first thing to check.

Non-contact IR thermometers are quite inexpensive now and fairly accurate (as long as the surface isn't reflective) like this one from HF or similar ones from Amazon or eBay. With such a thermometer you can measure the head temperature as well as the top (hot) and bottom (cold) radiator hoses.

If your radiator has a conventional cap, you should be able to observe the flow of coolant into the top tank. If the top radiator hose is well above the thermostat temp and the bottom hose is cold (near ambient) it's a good indication you have no flow.

Bad thermostats (even brand new) are much more common than bad water pumps. Water pumps generally fail by leaking or bearing failures; even then they usually move coolant if the belt is intact. As a diagnostic you might try running with the thermostat removed; if it still overheats the thermostat isn't the cause. This is just for diagnostic purposes because it is not good to run a Diesel cold for long periods.

 

[osumason]

Well the temp gauge climbs to the H after about 20 minutes and if I let it get all the way to the H and shut it off I can hear and see it and steaming from the reservoir and can hear a bubbling sound coming from the reservoir and the from the radiator.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Well the temp gauge climbs to the H after about 20 minutes and if I let it get all the way to the H and shut it off I can hear and see it and steaming from the reservoir and can hear a bubbling sound coming from the reservoir and the from the radiator.

Okay. Did you overheat the engine before this overheating problem came up? How fast does it take to build up coolant pressure and is there any white smoke coming from the exhaust? I'm wondering if you've got a cracked head of failing head gasket.

Also do you have a volt meter and a thermocouple?

ritcheyvs's suggestion to run without the T-stat can help you eliminate a faulty T-stat.

 

[osumason]

Okay. Did you overheat the engine before this overheating problem came up? How fast does it take to build up coolant pressure and is there any white smoke coming from the exhaust? I'm wondering if you've got a cracked head of failing head gasket.

Also do you have a volt meter and a thermocouple?

ritcheyvs's suggestion to run without the T-stat can help you eliminate a faulty T-stat.

Not that I remember. I see a little white smoke at start up but no other times. I have a volt meter, but not a thermocouple.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Not that I remember. I see a little white smoke at start up but no other times. I have a volt meter, but not a thermocouple.

Have you pressure tested the radiator cap? If not, take your cap off and run down to your local auto-tech or auto-parts store and get somebody to pressure test it.

What we want to know is at what temperature does the T-stat open.

Consider purchasing an inexpensive thermocouple. It will allow you to measure temperatures. Amazon.com: Signstek 3 1/2 682 II Dual Channel Digital Thermometer 13degC 2372degF with 2 K-Type Thermocouple Sensor Probe: Industrial & Scientific

I want to know if the coolant system begins building pressure immediately before the engine warmed up. With the coolant topped off and the radiator cap on, start the engine. After one minute, squeeze the upper radiator hose. Be careful toot get caught in a belt, or nailed by the fan. Keep squeezing the hose from time to time. The hose shouldn't get any pressure on it until the engine coolant begins to warm up. If coolant begins to pressurize before the engine is warm, you have compression from a cylinder somehow getting into the coolant system.

I also want to know when, or if the T-stat opens up.

 

[BTI]

Take a flashlight and put it behind the radiator (with engine off obviously), then look thru the radiator, especially around the edges.
I've had quite a few radiators that looked clean but were not.
My own personal LK3054 (used) would get hot just like yours. A good cleaning with a jet stream of water fixed it.

BTI

 

[osumason]

I haven't had a lot of time to mess with it this week, but I did drain the oil and it doesn't look like there is any water in it (it was black and not the milky brown that I have associated with a cracked head in the past).

I also bought a remote IR thermometer and started the engine and let it warm for a bit and checked the upper and lower hose. The upper was around 40 degrees warmer than the lower.

Eric I also squeezed the upper after it had warmed for a minute and it didn't seem like there was very much pressure inside the hose.

BTI, I will def check that because the field that I brush hog has a lot of the small floating type weeds that I know cover the outside of the radiator that I have to clean off after each time. When you spray it does it work better spraying from inside the engine bay outward or toward the engine bay?

Thanks.

 

[BTI]

When you spray it does it work better spraying from inside the engine bay outward or toward the engine bay?

Thanks.

Yes it does, I use a jet spray tip I made out of a gear lube bottle nipple on the end of a garden watering wand so it sprays hard but has a soft plastic end.
The wand allows you to reach the corners and get around the fan blade/belt better.
I try to spray from the inside out as much as possible.
If you hose it down, then let it sit a couple of mins, it will soften the dirt and such up.
Then you can hose it out with the jet spray.