Oil & Fuel WATER IN OIL SUMP???

[xlr82v2]

Ok, I changed the oil tonight in my 3525 with 29.8 hours on the clock.

First thing out of the sump was a few ounces of WATER ... Clear WATER. Then, the oil started coming out, and it did look darker than it did on the dipstick, but it wasn't BLACK like I'm accustomed to seeing... more of a really dark amber.

I cleaned off the magnet on the drain plug, and it was fairly clean, just some very fine magnetic "sludge" as you would expect to see in a brand new engine, but there was 1 metal chip that measured about 3/16x1/16"... not too concerned about it, it was probably a leftover from one of the milling operations during manufacturing.

I opened up the oil filter and examined the media, and found several more small pieces of metal and what looked to be pieces of sand particles trapped in the folds. Again, about what you would expect with a brand new engine... although I would have liked to see a little less of what I saw, especially the sand. Cleanup after casting could be a little better IMHO .

I've got a pic of the chip that was on the drain plug, but I left the camera out in the shed on the workbench, so I'll have to post the pic tomorrow.

What I want to know is, WHERE DID THAT WATER COME FROM?? I'm guesstimating that there was between 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of water that came out of the oil sump. As soon as I saw that, I cleaned off my hands and checked the radiator... it was full to the neck with green antifreeze, so I don't think it came from the cooling system.

That's a LOT of water to come from condensation, but I guess that's one possiblity, but I don't think that's the case either.

Do they possibly flush the blocks with water or water soluable oil after the machining operations are complete or after the short block assembly is complete? Could it be remnants from WSO, where the oil dispersed into the engine oil leaving behind the water? At this point, I'm thinking that's where it came from...

Mahindra, do you have any answers???

 

[DieselPower]

Well, there shouldn't be any water in there that's for sure. Especially that much. Do you know how long the tractor sat on the lot before you purchased it? I'm wondering if the fill cap or dipstick was missing and was then later replaced all before you purchased it of course. In that time it rained and water got in. If it's water clear water then I highly doubt it's coolant. Water in the engine oil is never a good thing. It can wipe main, rod and cam bearings in no time. I think I would be on the phone to the dealer and report what you found. At least you should get it documented what you found in case there are ever problems later.

 

[xlr82v2]

Well, the tractor sat on the lot about 5 hours... I wanted to look at a 3525 before I bought one, so he ordered 2 of them... and then when they came in, he called me, I went that afternoon, and checked it out, and signed the papers. It was at my house 1 1/2 hours later. So, it shouldn't have ever been out in the weather, at least since it has been in Illinois.

I'm not too worried about the water, as I had been using the tractor for about 1 1/2 hours doing some dirt work with the FEL, and when I was done, I shut down and drained the oil. It was all at the bottom of the sump, and not mixed with the engine oil, so I know it wasn't circulating (no "chocolate milk" in there), so I dont' think it did any damage. Since water is heavier than oil, it has always been on the bottom of the sump, covered by the oil.

But, my dealer is going to get a phone call in the morning. We'll see what happens... Actually, I think I'll go see him in person... he owes me a Mahindra hat...

 

[xlr82v2]

Another Possiblity:

I wonder if there was a "FNG" at MahindraUSA, who was assigned to top off fluids, and dumped a slug of water down into the oil filler...

That's another possibility... we had one at the airport, I sent him to refuel equipment... he came back and said it only took about 1 1/2 gallons of gasoline and it was full, but the guage didn't move. He filled the radiator...

 

[Skyco]

Just curious- was the engine warmed up and just ran when you drained the oil?

 

[xlr82v2]

Just curious- was the engine warmed up and just ran when you drained the oil?

Yes, I had been using the tractor for about 1 1/2 hours prior to draining the oil. I shut it down and then drained the oil hot.

 

[xlr82v2]

Well, I talked to my dealer today, and he made a call to the big guys at Mahindra. They couldn't come up with any logical reason (neither could we) why there would be clear water in there, but a couple of guesses.

One theory though would be from pressure washing... I guess it got pressure washed at Tomball, and then my Dealer pressure washed it again when they took it off the truck. I have only hit it once with the garden hose to knock the dust off. The Mahindra guy thought it may have come in through the dipstick... but that is threaded and sealed with an O-ring... so I highly doubt that is the point of entry. Possibly could be a leak around the pan gasket... I'll have to keep an eye on that, to see if there's an oily dusty area that develops. That's the only feasable way I can see water from a pressure washer getting inside the engine.

Anyway, it is now documented with MahindraUSA should I have any problems with the engine...

Any ideas out there from the Mahindra Think Tank?

 

[Tim_in_IA]

Well, I talked to my dealer today, and he made a call to the big guys at Mahindra. They couldn't come up with any logical reason (neither could we) why there would be clear water in there, but a couple of guesses.

One theory though would be from pressure washing... I guess it got pressure washed at Tomball, and then my Dealer pressure washed it again when they took it off the truck. I have only hit it once with the garden hose to knock the dust off. The Mahindra guy thought it may have come in through the dipstick... but that is threaded and sealed with an O-ring... so I highly doubt that is the point of entry. Possibly could be a leak around the pan gasket... I'll have to keep an eye on that, to see if there's an oily dusty area that develops. That's the only feasable way I can see water from a pressure washer getting inside the engine.

Anyway, it is now documented with MahindraUSA should I have any problems with the engine...

Any ideas out there from the Mahindra Think Tank?

I would run it for about the same number of hours and then change the oil again. If you see the same thing you have a problem. Otherwise it was some fluke where it was some fluid from manufacturing or something random. If your antifreeze is green then they aren't mixing.

I guess I couldn't tell if there was water or something else in mine since the stuff ran all over the skid plate. Who knows what came out? I caught most of it with the bucket .

 

[xlr82v2]

That's pretty much the plan for now. Keep an eye on the radiator, (although it's got green antifreeze in it...) and go from there.

There was enough water in mine, that when I pulled the drain plug, I didn't get any oil on my hand... it was wet, but not from oil! I'm guessing probably 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water was in there...

I still think what happened is that some water got inadvertently got put into the oil filler instead of the radiator... just as the person squeezed the handle or started to pour, the mistake was realized. That's the only rational thing I can think of that would get that amount of water into the engine. One of those "Last one on Friday/First one on Monday" kind of things. I'm just thankful that it wasn't enough to get picked up by the oil pump intake... and it stayed laying on the bottom of the oil pan. I'm confident that the water didn't do any damage, since it wasn't mixed with the oil.

I just put about 4 hours on the tractor today getting the grass mowed around here, and with the Rotella in there, it does sound just a bit quieter... not as much "clatter". I don't know what oil they use for the initial fill... I should have asked while we were on the phone with the Mahindra folks The "quieter" thing might just all be in my head too... you guys know how that goes.

The main thing is, I know what is in there now, and Mahindra is aware of what's going on. Now we wait and see...

Now, I'm going to put the box blade on and go play in the dirt...