oliver28472
Veteran Member
Looks a lot better than my Buck! You're going to enjoy that tractor. Glad things worked out on the repairs. I'm envious of the turfs.
New S470d owner here
- Thread starter eightksi
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Everything ran fine. Nice cut. Seems to run pretty hot, maybe that's just normal. Lots of pressure on those radiator hoses. No real leaks found. I noticed a 'ring' of moisture around the bottom of the gooseneck (right on the flat part of the block). No drips, though. Must be a tiny hairline leak there.
Ran it for about 2 hours + yest. w/ no problems.
Is operating temp pretty hot for these?
Ran it for about 2 hours + yest. w/ no problems.
Is operating temp pretty hot for these?
Does anyone else have a 3-cylinder model (Beaver III, Buck, etc.)?
Does it run pretty hot, under normal conditions? I went from a John Deere Lawn Tractor (LT 150) one-cylinder air cooled gas engine to this Buck, and it's much hotter.
Is it normal for it to run pretty hot? By this, I mean that the motor is pretty hot to the touch after running for an hour +, the rad hoses are very pressurized (brand new, , the hot air coming off the motor from the fan/rad is pretty darn hot. Maybe it's because I'm sitting just about right on top of the motor.
I guess it's running normally, but I don't really have a point of reference, and these do not have a temp gauge, just an idiot light.
Does it run pretty hot, under normal conditions? I went from a John Deere Lawn Tractor (LT 150) one-cylinder air cooled gas engine to this Buck, and it's much hotter.
Is it normal for it to run pretty hot? By this, I mean that the motor is pretty hot to the touch after running for an hour +, the rad hoses are very pressurized (brand new, , the hot air coming off the motor from the fan/rad is pretty darn hot. Maybe it's because I'm sitting just about right on top of the motor.
I guess it's running normally, but I don't really have a point of reference, and these do not have a temp gauge, just an idiot light.
oliver28472
Veteran Member
Been gone a few days. Both mine run a little on the warm side. One day I'm going to get temp gauges. Make sure you have an overflow line on there and run it out where you can see if it starts spitting. The last couple years I have been changing coolant every other year and don't seem to be losing any. I don't have a bush hog and used the Woods RM 48 to trim inside the pasture so we can use the 15' batwing. It's been dry here so not much of this was thick stuff but I ran it for about 3 hours last Saturday. Checked coolant yesterday before mowing yard and it was OK. I did blow the fins out though before starting. Now I gotta get a new belt for the Woods. I use 50% distilled water/antifreeze. Is your radiator good and clean inside and out?
Thanks!
Might not be out of the woods yet. Haven't had much time to look into it, but I noticed that the motor was a little slow to crank last time I started it cold, and I accidentally stalled it while I was mowing (Don't ask), and the battery was pretty dead. Oh no. It's only two months old.
So, I either have a drain on the battery, or .... the alternator.
Started right up with a hand-held charger. Those little battery packs are great.
I guess I have to figure out how to find where the drain is, or if it's the alternator.
Par for the course on a 25-year old tractor, I guess.
Might not be out of the woods yet. Haven't had much time to look into it, but I noticed that the motor was a little slow to crank last time I started it cold, and I accidentally stalled it while I was mowing (Don't ask)
, and the battery was pretty dead. Oh no. It's only two months old.So, I either have a drain on the battery, or .... the alternator.
Started right up with a hand-held charger. Those little battery packs are great.
I guess I have to figure out how to find where the drain is, or if it's the alternator.
Par for the course on a 25-year old tractor, I guess.
put a volt meter on the battery terminals while the engine is running.it should read between 13 and 15 volts dc.if it isnt remove the alternator and send it out to be rebuilt.i am using a 47 dollar alt on my d1850.i just got back the original one that cost 125 dollars to rebuilt plus shipping.u can also test the alt with a ohmeter when u take it off.
I will have to get my hands on a voltmeter to know for sure, but this is very, very strange:
It's been so dry, I hadn't mowed in more than two weeks, so the tractor has sat in the garage. I put a trickle charger on it for an hour before I tried to start it. No go. Starter just clicked a little. Headlights were also dead. Put the battery pack jumper on it. Started right up.
Mowed for two hours. Worked great. I shut it down in the driveway, and finished the trim work for about 30 mins. Came back. Started right up WITHOUT a charge. Shut it down again after a minute. Started right up again without a charge. Headlights now work with the tractor running, and not running.
I keep the ignition key in the 'ON' position when I mow. The red CHRG (charge light) on the dash stays red when I mow. Is that normal for the red light to be on during operation? I notice if I turn the key position to off (and not cut the fuel to turn off the motor), the light goes off.
I'll have to see if that's in my owner's manual tonight. Might be.
It's been so dry, I hadn't mowed in more than two weeks, so the tractor has sat in the garage. I put a trickle charger on it for an hour before I tried to start it. No go. Starter just clicked a little. Headlights were also dead. Put the battery pack jumper on it. Started right up.
Mowed for two hours. Worked great. I shut it down in the driveway, and finished the trim work for about 30 mins. Came back. Started right up WITHOUT a charge. Shut it down again after a minute. Started right up again without a charge. Headlights now work with the tractor running, and not running.
I keep the ignition key in the 'ON' position when I mow. The red CHRG (charge light) on the dash stays red when I mow. Is that normal for the red light to be on during operation? I notice if I turn the key position to off (and not cut the fuel to turn off the motor), the light goes off.
I'll have to see if that's in my owner's manual tonight. Might be.
u can use any multi meter to test it once it have a dc volts scale. the charge light should go off when the engine is running and the switch is on. the switch should be on when the engine is running unless u want to stop the battery from charging and the lights to work. what u could also do is put the lights on and check the brightness then start the tractor and see if it got brighter. if it got brighter it is charging.if your battery is not old it should hold the charge.if it keep discharging u could disconnect the gnd lead when u park it.until u find what is wrong.
Haven't gotten a volt meter yet. Everything works fine if I pull off the negative battery cable when I park it.
Now I have a brand new problem:
An oil leak.
I will do my best to describe it: There's a vertical 'plug' sensor with a wire lead coming from it. This plug is located between the oil filter casing and the fuel pump. What is this plug/sensor? It is obviously not a spark plug, but it's a similar shape. The oil is not coming from where the plug screws in to this casing on the engine. It's actually coming from the middle of this plug itself, and dripped off, and ran down the engine block. I'm guessing this sensor thing is bad/leaky, but I just don't know what it's for, and what it means if it's leaking. I didn't see anything about it in my owner's manual. It's not spraying out, but it did flow out at a decent rate, enough for me to have to add a little oil. Must've been flowing for awhile before I noticed it.
Anybody know what it is/what it means if it leaks?
As always, much appreciated.
Now I have a brand new problem:
An oil leak.
I will do my best to describe it: There's a vertical 'plug' sensor with a wire lead coming from it. This plug is located between the oil filter casing and the fuel pump. What is this plug/sensor? It is obviously not a spark plug, but it's a similar shape. The oil is not coming from where the plug screws in to this casing on the engine. It's actually coming from the middle of this plug itself, and dripped off, and ran down the engine block. I'm guessing this sensor thing is bad/leaky, but I just don't know what it's for, and what it means if it's leaking. I didn't see anything about it in my owner's manual. It's not spraying out, but it did flow out at a decent rate, enough for me to have to add a little oil. Must've been flowing for awhile before I noticed it.
Anybody know what it is/what it means if it leaks?
As always, much appreciated.
wushaw
Elite Member
It sounds like the oil pressure sending unit, pull the wire off of it and see if your guage still works or idiot light stays on when you start the tractor.
Got myself a new sending unit for $19. Will try it out soon.
The old one was only threaded in about halfway, and looks like they used some kind of pipe threading sealant or something on the threads; looked like a really brittle washer, but I bet it was some type of sealant. The shop said to use Teflon tape on the threading when I replace it.
I do have another issue. It just runs too hot, and now it's causing me new problems. It leaked around the thermostat housing, so I started to take it apart. When it's running for awhile, the hoses are hard as rocks, nearly too hot to touch. It's really, really belching heat. Run great; no smoke, etc. So, I let it cool, and pulled the upper hose off to get some room to torque down the housing bolts. The fluid was orangish, and smelled fuelly/alcoholly. The fluid in the rad is bright green. So, it looks like it's not moving fluid, and I may have fuel in the block (I use red diesel).
The thermostat is brand new. Maybe it's bad. I'm also starting to think the water pump might be bad? But, it's not leaking there. My uncle, who is a mechanic, said it's rare to a water pump impeller blade to fail, but it's possible. He said to yank the thermostat, test it in hot water, and only replace the pump as a last resort. He said it's more common for the actual pump to blow out its' bearings, or seal, not a total impeller failure... He also said the symptoms just really don't add up, and it's probably something simple, but not obvious yet. It's also very strange that the radiator is NOT blowing off any antifreeze from the bypass tube at the rad neck, either.
The only other thing I can think of that may be contributing, is that I'm using a non-Mitsubishi Rad cap from Pep Boys. It's only a couple pounds higher than the old one (its gaskets were pretty rotten), and seems to fit real good. Wouldn't explain why the fluid is two different color, though.
So far, I don't think I have engine damage, but if I can't get it to cool correctly, I'm sure I will.
The old one was only threaded in about halfway, and looks like they used some kind of pipe threading sealant or something on the threads; looked like a really brittle washer, but I bet it was some type of sealant. The shop said to use Teflon tape on the threading when I replace it.
I do have another issue. It just runs too hot, and now it's causing me new problems. It leaked around the thermostat housing, so I started to take it apart. When it's running for awhile, the hoses are hard as rocks, nearly too hot to touch. It's really, really belching heat. Run great; no smoke, etc. So, I let it cool, and pulled the upper hose off to get some room to torque down the housing bolts. The fluid was orangish, and smelled fuelly/alcoholly. The fluid in the rad is bright green. So, it looks like it's not moving fluid, and I may have fuel in the block (I use red diesel).
The thermostat is brand new. Maybe it's bad. I'm also starting to think the water pump might be bad? But, it's not leaking there. My uncle, who is a mechanic, said it's rare to a water pump impeller blade to fail, but it's possible. He said to yank the thermostat, test it in hot water, and only replace the pump as a last resort. He said it's more common for the actual pump to blow out its' bearings, or seal, not a total impeller failure... He also said the symptoms just really don't add up, and it's probably something simple, but not obvious yet. It's also very strange that the radiator is NOT blowing off any antifreeze from the bypass tube at the rad neck, either.
The only other thing I can think of that may be contributing, is that I'm using a non-Mitsubishi Rad cap from Pep Boys. It's only a couple pounds higher than the old one (its gaskets were pretty rotten), and seems to fit real good. Wouldn't explain why the fluid is two different color, though.
So far, I don't think I have engine damage, but if I can't get it to cool correctly, I'm sure I will.
while you have the thermostat out why dont you flush it out with a water hose. the two different color in fluid sure suggest blockage.you can try to run it without a thermostat to see if it is circulating the antifreeze.i hope that you did not install the thermostat backwards.the spring side goes into the block.good luck with it.
It's covered somewhere in this post, but I totally tore down the whole coolant system: pulled radiator, flushed and cleaned it and the fins. Flushed block, etc. Put new antifreeze in there after that, was about two months ago? The rad and block both are clear, and flowed distilled water fine while they were apart.
I broke off one of the thermostat housing bolts while I was attempting to replace the stat. Had a shop remove the broken stud, and put the thermostat and new gasket in for me, so I didn't see them put the thermostat in for me. It's possible it's in backward. Or bad.
I am going to remove it and put it backtogether without the stat in there. Might be tough to see if it's moving water while it's idling, though. I might be able to see it flowing, but I'll bet the vibration from the motor might make it tough to tell if it's moving, or shaking the rad. We'll see.
I broke off one of the thermostat housing bolts while I was attempting to replace the stat. Had a shop remove the broken stud, and put the thermostat and new gasket in for me, so I didn't see them put the thermostat in for me. It's possible it's in backward. Or bad.
I am going to remove it and put it backtogether without the stat in there. Might be tough to see if it's moving water while it's idling, though. I might be able to see it flowing, but I'll bet the vibration from the motor might make it tough to tell if it's moving, or shaking the rad. We'll see.
if you look in the radiator cap you should see movement of the fluid.while at it check the belt tension.if the belt is too loose you could have bad circulation plus the battery would have problem charging. the belt should be tight. if you press on it there should not be too much movement.if you turn the alternator pully with your hand it should not turn if it does tighten a little more.
I think the new thermostat was bad.
I pulled it, started it, and it immediately started moving fluid: I noticed the fluid change color in the rad neck right away; I think it had just been sitting in the block and housing for awhile, then it all mixed together from the pump moving it, and now it all looks nice and bright green again when I look at the neck. It immediately started working better. The fan still is blowing hot air on me, but nowhere like it was before I pulled the stat.
I can squeeze the hoses now while it's at operating temperature; they're not rock hard, and when I shut off the tractor, it starts cooling immediately.
I guess I should test the thermostat in hot water, but I'm about 99% sure it never opened, based on that orangish fluid I got when I opened up the housing. I'll bet it was just from the water jackets being open while I had the radiator flushed. Probably minor surface rust from being empty for a few days.
Much better. And, the new oil sending unit works great; no leaks.
I pulled it, started it, and it immediately started moving fluid: I noticed the fluid change color in the rad neck right away; I think it had just been sitting in the block and housing for awhile, then it all mixed together from the pump moving it, and now it all looks nice and bright green again when I look at the neck. It immediately started working better. The fan still is blowing hot air on me, but nowhere like it was before I pulled the stat.
I can squeeze the hoses now while it's at operating temperature; they're not rock hard, and when I shut off the tractor, it starts cooling immediately.
I guess I should test the thermostat in hot water, but I'm about 99% sure it never opened, based on that orangish fluid I got when I opened up the housing. I'll bet it was just from the water jackets being open while I had the radiator flushed. Probably minor surface rust from being empty for a few days.
Much better. And, the new oil sending unit works great; no leaks.
oliver28472
Veteran Member
Next time you drain your radiator/block, you might want to install a petcock on the block. There is a plug near the oil filter you can remove and replace with the petcock. (Easier with the filter off) Just takes a few minutes) That way you can get all the fluid out.
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