Time to service my new 7520

[brisimon]

I will call my dealer on this later today, but am up early and thought I'd run these questions through this great forum:

1) Do I need to get maintenance parts like oil filters through my dealer, or can I cross-ref the part number and get an equivalent one at my local NAPA store? The dealer is 200-plus miles away, so shipping would be a pain.

2) The tractor temp gauge is running on the very high side of normal when working it a bit (not real hard, a two-bottom plow at about 2000 rpm). Could this be because that the oil has been sitting in the tractor for some time at the dealer and maybe should have been changed right away upon delivery? I bought a "new" 2005 with 16 hours on it; I have worked it up to 40 hours now and am thinking I should change the oil sooner than later.

3) Now for a dumber question - I saw on another thread that some diesel owners will run nothing but Rotella 15w40 in all their diesels. This is my first diesel and didn't realize there was a difference in engine oil, diesel versus gas engines, but it sounds like there might be?

Thanks everyone!

 

[skipmarcy]

Personally I use the NAPA or Wix filters that are available to save a little money, but some have to come from the dealer. My engine oil filter and my spin-on hydraulic filters sre the only ones available for mine in the aftermarket. As far as the temp. running a little high, I would first check & clean the radiator good - start with a blowgun and shop air, then if you have one, pressure wash the radiator with all the screening out of the way, from both directions. There's a chance the tractor did some bushogging during that 16 hours and got the airflow down a little. Next step would be to check thermostat operation if the temp. is still high. Not likely at all that the lack of oil change is causing a heating problem. Of course it can be an electrical problem with the sending unit, wiring or gauge itself. Yes, be sure and use a diesel rated engine oil. Rotella is what I use in my tractor & F250, but have used Chevron Delo before with OK performance. There are other brands out there too.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Chevron Delo 400 for me, that reminds me that I have another oil change coming up. My local auto parts guy doesn't have any cross over numbers, so I get all my filters from Mahindra. By the way, I get my filters shipped about 500 miles and if I remember right it was $16 UPS for a complete set of all the filters.

As far as running warm, the only time that my gauge gets past the 1/2 way point is when I have been in the weeds and the screens on the tractor & or the radiator screen need cleaning.

Good luck

 

[DieselPower]

1) Nope, you are not required to use the factory filters. My only suggestion is to use a high quality name brand filter like NAPA (Wix), Donaldson, FleetGuard or Luberfiner. There are cheaper filters but it's not worth the risk to use a substandard filter.

2) The first thing I would check is your radiator to make sure the exterior isn't covered with dust/dirt and plant material. It's amazing how quickly it can get covered in crud in dry weather.

3) The only dumb question is the question not asked. Yes there is a difference between gas engine oil and diesel engine oil. Look on the back of a oil bottle and you will find a API oil rating. The API website gives a good overview of their rating system. http://new.api.org/certifications/engineoil/categories/upload/EngineOilGuide2006.pdf Just like with oil filters there are different quality engine oils. You will find many people here use Shell Rotella and Chevron Delo. Both are good high quality engine oils. Personally I use what I sell which is Texas Refinery Corp.'s Pro Spec line of engine oil.

 

[bindian]

What does a non OEM filter do for your warranty if you have problems?
hugs, Brandi

 

[BobG_in_VA]

What does a non OEM filter do for your warranty if you have problems?
hugs, Brandi

Based on "hanging around here" for a couple of years, I've not noted any oil related engine failures. I do remember someone who "blew off" a filter, but I don't think the engine was hurt as it was remedied immediately....In other words, chances are, if you use good grade of oil, you will have no problems, and other than OEM filters will be OK if they cross reference....In order to cause warranty issues with other than OEM filters, Mahindra would probably have to supply the filters to you free of charge/within the price of the unit. I you want to research it, I believe there is quite a bit of law in the US based on this issue. BobG in VA

 

[SPYDERLK]

Quote: 2) The tractor temp gauge is running on the very high side of normal when working it a bit (not real hard, a two-bottom plow at about 2000 rpm). Could this be because that the oil has been sitting in the tractor for some time at the dealer and maybe should have been changed right away upon delivery? I bought a "new" 2005 with 16 hours on it; I have worked it up to 40 hours now and am thinking I should change the oil sooner than later.


How does the screen in front of your radiator look? Any significant debris? It splits for removal in two pieces for cleaning. My impression is that the radiator is borderline marginal for this engine and must by clean in hot weather. My temp gauge seems to stabilize around 1/2 scale when things are right, but nevertheless, I detect an upward creep during heavier work. Trouble is I havent had the opportunity to test it on sustained heavy work to determine a true stabilizing point, or if there is a thermal runaway. Your engine is very new and I would expect slight improvement as it breaks in. Changing the oil wont hurt. A little early tho. At those low Hrs you could skip the filter if youre having trouble getting one.
larry

 

[brisimon]

Not likely at all that the lack of oil change is causing a heating problem.

Yeah, the last thing I would have considerered was a problem with the oil, but in the troubleshooting section of the manual under "Engine Overheating" one of the possible causes was insufficient oil, so although it is not low on the dipstick, I thought maybe it had thinned out too much from sitting around at the dealership all that time.

But the first thing I will check is the radiator for free airflow. That is one of the first potential causes in the manual and it's pretty much a unanimous suggestion here on TBN, too.

Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! I may have said this before, but I'd have no business trying to maintain a nice tractor without a forum like this.

Brian

 

[MLinOleMiss]

Spray the radiator with air conditioning coil cleaner (the foaming kind) and then blow it out, I dropped the operating temp on mine way down.

 

[brisimon]

Just an update for everyone kind enough to respond...

The high temp was indeed caused by a bunch of debris on the screen in front of the radiator. I took it out and cleaned it and have had great operating temps since then.

Thanks again.