Loose fan pulley. No leaks.

[tonycampobasso]

I have a Ford 1710 2 wheel drive that had been running hot when brush hogging. It has fluid. Does not leak. I cleaned the radiator screen and air filter to no avail.

1st thought was to replace the thermostat, which I am in the midst of doing. I did notice the pulley that the fan blade is mounted on is a little loose. It does not wobble during operation, only if you manually try to move it.

As I removed the thermostat, I reached around to the front of the fan and noticed the at least one or two of the bolts/screws that holds the fan blade to the pulley are loose.

Any reason to believe that they are not just loose and need to be tightened?

While I am in the middle of this project, does it just make sense to swap out the water pump and call it a day? That was my original intention. But the bolts that hold the thermostat in place snapped and I have spent a lot of time removing them. I am now a little ‘gun shy’ of digging too much further.


Thoughts?

 

[Roadworthy]

With the radiator cap off and the engine running you should be able to view turbulence in the radiator as the water pump moves water. That may help you decide whether to replace the water pump. The water pump may have internal problems preventing it from circulating the water.

 

[tonycampobasso]

Makes sense. I will try that. The last times I had it running, it was too hot to open the radiator cap. Safety first!

 

[nyone]

Get a $20 temp gun and stop guessing by throwing parts at it.

 

[tonycampobasso]

Get a $20 temp gun and stop guessing by throwing parts at it.

Thermostat is in. Coolant is circulating thru the radiator, so that’s a good thing.

Where can I get a temperature gun? Any idea what temp should I be expecting? I think the thermostat had 77 degrees on it. Could that be correct?

I was thinking of running without one. Not like it is making heat for me.

 

[flyerdan]

Harbor Freight has inexpensive IR temp guns, often on coupon sales.
You should keep the thermostat in, it helps get the engine up to operating temp quicker and keeps it in range where it likes to run best.

 

[nyone]

P

Thermostat is in. Coolant is circulating thru the radiator, so that’s a good thing.

Where can I get a temperature gun? Any idea what temp should I be expecting? I think the thermostat had 77 degrees on it. Could that be correct?

I was thinking of running without one. Not like it is making heat for me.

prob should be closer to 175-200* output on the thermostat. Measure each hose. You want to see a temp drop and a good one.

Dont take out the thermostat. By doing this you dont allow the coolant time to be in the radiator and cool down.

Generaly on equipment overheating is caused by a plugged up radiator. You may not see it from the side but junk/dirt gets into the middle of the core and dosnt allownproper cooling. Thinks like blades missing on the fan or a fan shroud missing can also cause this and sre free to check.

Another free check is when the unit is got spray water in the rad. If it cools down your problem can be your radiator. The same works for AC condensers.

 

[tonycampobasso]

Harbor Freight has inexpensive IR temp guns, often on coupon sales.
You should keep the thermostat in, it helps get the engine up to operating temp quicker and keeps it in range where it likes to run best.

Thanks. From previous discussions, I think a good engine temp is around 160-165 degrees. I’ll get one and see what it tells me.

Also, I see this when I am brush hogging tall grass/weeds, which is also what I have read and that this might be normal.

My old tea20 would just run through this stuff. I miss that old tractor.

 

[the old grind]

If a fan pulley wobbles from loose bolts the belt will likely slip and cause overheating till things are snugged up. btw, Shibauras (I have two 843s) are very solid and overheating a few times is not likely to cause breakdowns, warp heads, etc. (DAMHIK lol)

A '77' stamped on the t-stat is Celsius for 170 F, as might be on a Canadian spec'd/sourced part. A lower temp t-stat will not fix the issue, could at most only delay the time it takes to overheat anyway. Once it's fully open the setting means nothing but it'll run colder when not working as hard. I'd want a 170-180.

Running hot while hogging ... but in what gear is rarely mentioned or asked. 'Tall grass/weeds'? Hmm.. I use a flail vs rotary & mow in my lowest gear when stuff is dried up after a hot spell. Still few passes esp when tall. More dust but far less clippings or clogging.

Good luck, we're pullin' for ya.

 

[tonycampobasso]

Thanks to all for the advice. You all have given me good things to think about.

When cutting heavy weeds (and pricker bushes/thorny branches). I try to go slow. Maybe 2nd gear (range) 1st or 2nd (gear) which translates to 4th or 5th gear.

I will also try to slow down more. In heavy brush, I do keep the revs up (2000 rpm), which can cause the engine to run hot. I’m trying to catch up for neglecting to mow as often as I should have in the past.

I am looking for some help from an excavator to get things cleared, so I can go back to a regular mowing of not so tall stuff. Getting help when you’re in over your head is a good investment in my book.