Tractor heating

Grecco

I noticed my tractor running very hot lately, its not leaking coolant so I suspect the water pump. Is there an easy way to check if this is the problem and if so is it hard to replace ( Tractor is a Case 885 )

jomoloney

check the thermostat first,

is it actually hot to touch or just the gauge reading high, the sensor in those often went faulty giving an artificial reading

f140

also is the rad actually clean if unsure powerwash inbetween the finns. check that the fan belt is tight also. what does it be reading in the gauge and what would it be doing?
could be waterpump or faulty guage or faulty thermostat aswell.

Grecco

The gauge is reading 2 bars out of 5 but I don't trust it, the engine smelt hot and when I pulled the radiator cap the water was very hot not quite boiling but very hot.
It seems to be an intermittent problem as it was heating before then stopped for a long time but now it was at it again today

reilig

Grecco wrote: »

The gauge is reading 2 bars out of 5 but I don't trust it, the engine smelt hot and when I pulled the radiator cap the water was very hot not quite boiling but very hot.
It seems to be an intermittent problem as it was heating before then stopped for a long time but now it was at it again today

I'm no expert, but I always understood that water in a tractor radiator should be at 90 degrees for the tractor to be at optimum efficiency. That would be not quite boiling, but it would be too hot to touch. I know that all of my tractors get pretty hot, not quite boiling.

bbam

f140 wrote: »

also is the rad actually clean if unsure powerwash inbetween the finns. check that the fan belt is tight also. what does it be reading in the gauge and what would it be doing?
could be waterpump or faulty guage or faulty thermostat aswell.

Very important to wash in the opposite direct direction to the standard air flow which brought the dirt into the radiator, usually if not always wash away from the engine towards the front.. Also you need to wash straight through, I've seen radiators destroyed by trying to wash through at an angle which bends the fins over..

reilig wrote: »

I'm no expert, but I always understood that water in a tractor radiator should be at 90 degrees for the tractor to be at optimum efficiency. That would be not quite boiling, but it would be too hot to touch. I know that all of my tractors get pretty hot, not quite boiling.

With the increased pressure in the coolant system, and hopefully coolant too, the water could be 110 degrees and not boil. Opening the cap and instantly releasing the pressure often causes an instant boil which makes it look like a problem..

bogman_bass

f140 wrote: »

also is the rad actually clean if unsure powerwash inbetween the finns. check that the fan belt is tight also. what does it be reading in the gauge and what would it be doing?

if available an air compressor to blow dirt through is a better option

f140

bogman_bass wrote: »

if available an air compressor to blow dirt through is a better option

i dont agree. its better to give them a power wash out every two years or so. once done right it will be fine.

case885

watch the belts, was at slurry one day and noticed temp gauge had gone up a lot after a load so i checked the belt and it was after coming off

pakalasa

The important thing is that water is flowing through the engine block (ideally only when the engine gets hot). Drain out some coolant, a litre or two and you should be able to see water flowing back into the top of the radiator, when the engine gets hot and the thermostat valve opens. If the pump, or thermostat is goosed then you will see no flow.

There should be no flow either, when the engine is cold. Keep an eye on the flow after you start it. And put back in the coolant again.
Believe it or not, but cooling the engine when it is cold, is actually bad for it.