Oil level

mw9166 · Jun 5, 2014

Recently I have changed my oil in my JD 5055E. I checked it the other day and noticed it had too much oil. Last night I drained some out out of the oil pan, checked it and it was just below the full mark. I parked the tractor. I checked it this morning and it showed about 1/4" past the full mark. Is this normal? I checked the overflow (concerned I may have a blow head gasket) it was past full at the cold mark. I checked the radiator and it didn't have any visible antifreeze. The oil does not have a milky look to it that I can tell but I have never seen milky oil. It is a light brown color. The oil cap does not have any milky residue either. When I first accelerate i have been noticing a white colored smoke it only does this when I give the tractor a lot of throttle or it is under a load. I am very concerned about this. I am new to all this and the tractor is only 2 years old. Any and all comments will be greatly appreciated. Hopefully it is not too big of a deal considering I have 100 more acres of first cuts of hay to do. Thank you in advance for your help!!!

Jim Nelson · Jun 5, 2014

A cheap,easy way to check head gasket is to find a clear plastic bottle that fits snugly into the neck of the radiator and fill it part way with water then start the engine and watch for bubbles. Your oil should darken with use and with diesel engines with many hours on them will be black in a short time.Brown is not a good color in oil.

mw9166 · Jun 5, 2014

Thank you! When I drained the oil last night it was black as coal but on the dip stick it seems a little brown.
maybe worrying too much?

mw9166 · Jun 5, 2014

Also the tractor has never overheated.

Jim Nelson · Jun 5, 2014

We all worry too much when it comes to our tractors I think.Also I failed to mention with that bottle in the rad. neck trick you obviously need to cut the bottom off the bottle.
Fluid levels aren't always as cut and dried as it would seem,I once had a 3208 Cat engine that would always show real low on the dip stick when you pulled it cold but when you replaced it then pulled again it showed full.I will never understand that one but it's true.

mw9166 · Jun 5, 2014

Ok sounds good. If it was a head gasket I would be loosing water correct? Like I said earlier the overflow is well past the cold fill level. The oil over filled after i drained and the little bit of white smoke is what I am concerned about.

mw9166 · Jun 5, 2014

What color should the oil be? it is a little darker than it was in the gallon container when i put it in. The tractor only has 350 hours on it.

Jim Nelson · Jun 5, 2014

The oil color sounds fine for a low hour machine,if the smoke has kind of a bluish tint to it it's probably fuel.Is your air filter clean?A dirty air filter will cause smoke.

mw9166 · Jun 5, 2014

Thank you for all your help! I will check air filter tonight. I would say I am worrying too much. Iv been know for that.

MHarryE · Jun 6, 2014

You said you checked the radiator and it doesn't have visible coolant. For the system to work properly the radiator needs to be completely full. That way when fluid expands it goes into the reservoir and after sitting the engine off and it cools, it will draw the fluid back in. Our John Deere manuals (not your specific model) are very clear about this. They state that if it isn't this way you have a leak, but likely a hose leak.

Are you checking the oil level with the tractor sitting on the same place every day? Just s small change in tilt - fore-aft or side-side - can have a major effect on the engine oil level.

If you are really concerned about a head gasket leak NAPA sells (or at least they used to) a kit that checks for hydrocarbons in the coolant. Since the coolant pressure is so much lower than combustion pressure, head gasket leaks usually send exhaust into the coolant and this kit can test for the residuals of those fumes. They were very accurate for my crew and me when we had problems with blown gaskets on prototype engines. It was embarrassing the first time we ripped an engine out and sent it back to the engine plant only to have them find no problem. Thereafter we verified before jumping to the wrong conclusion.