Z145 cooling problems

[Lava Rancher]

Interesting. Lower hose is very soft w/o any spring inside. It does appear that I'll be able to pull the thermostat w/o taking off the gas tank. I have a parts book but no manual. MasseyWV: what source did you find for a service manual that covered our engines? Time to start ordering parts. No local Massey dealer so it's the internet for me!

[Lava Rancher]

These old tractors don't have coolant over flow tanks so when you fill the cooling system, you should only fill to the about 1/4" above the top of radiator core. The rest of the volume is for fluid expansion, when it heats up.

I can't see the core from the opening. How can I tell if It is 1/4" above the core? I'm mechanically a zero so keep that in mind.

[JerryG]

It doesn't sound like you are losing much from the cap. If that much isn't coming out of the cap or a leak, then it has to be going in the engine. If it is going in the engine it goes in the oil or in the combustion area and out the exhaust. No water in oil? If there is a lot water going in the combustion chamber, you will have white coming out of the exhaust like white smoke. If the leak isn't very bad and you don't see white exhaust, then pull your spark plugs. If one or more plugs are clean like they are new you will know there is water going into that or those cylinders.

[MasseyWV]

MasseyWV: what source did you find for a service manual that covered our engines?

I ordered my Massey Ferguson owners manual, service manual, and parts manual from AGCO Publications. Parts manuals may also be viewed for free online at AGCO Parts Books. For more information about the manuals I ordered, see my TBN forum posts below.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/m...ml#post2874447
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/m...ml#post2883334
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/m...ml#post2881097

Here's a screenshot of my order from AGCO Publications, showing the publication numbers and prices for each manual.

[Jerry/MT]

Don't start ordering parts until you have diagnosed the problem or at least narrowed it down some. That's an expensive road to go down. Having a factory service manual will help you understand the systems and how they are supposed to work and will give you some help on doing the mechanical work. Your MF135 ain't the space shuttle or an F-22. It's realtively easy to work on and the more you read, the more confidence you'll have in doing the actual wrenching. Also, there are a bazillion years of combined experience on these forums just waiting to help you.
Realistically, you don't know that it's overheating; you just know you had to add coolant. Spend some time doing the diagnostics. You'll learn something in the process. Validate the temperatures of the coolant. Have you checked the air side of the rad core for clogging? That's one of the most common causes of tractor overheating. Blow compressed air from the back of the radiator to see if there's a bunch of dust and chaff in there. If you don't have compressed air, carefully use a water hose with the engine cold and see if you can dislodge some crud from the air side of the radiator.

[Lava Rancher]

I'm partially with you but, visually I can tell the hoses are very old, the cap is too and a new thermostat won't hurt. The radiator looks clear, I'll have to hit it with a hose, no compressed air yet.

[Jerry/MT]

Look, the appearance of the hoses won't cause it to overheat! Search for the root cause of the problem. Did you rev the engine and see if the lower hose collapsed? If it doesn't, it ain't your problem. Are you in fact sure that's it is overheating? You can certainly get new hoses if they look bad and a new rad cap because you don't have the wherewithal to test that but try to find out if it is, in fact, overheating. If it is, then look for a cause. Avoid the temptation to start changing parts. You'll change so many variables at once that you'll never know what the cause was , if in fact it is overheating.

[Mike476]

Because from what you've described it's possible whoever replaced components of your cooling system didn't run it long enough to get all the air out of the system and that's why you needed three liters of fluid. Do as you've described, clean the rad with water, check all the hoses for routing and clamps for security, tightness of the fan belt, cap for security and start it up. Watch for signs of leaks or slippage of the belt and if it gets hot and starts to vent at the cap or overflow shut it down. Grab your hoses but be careful, they'll get hot. Don't remove the cap until it's cooled some, as has been said it's almost impossible to check temp externally without a thermometer but if you see evidence of it boiling off change the thermostat, for $20-$25 it's worth the piece of mind.

[Lava Rancher]

Radiator is clean and clear of obstruction. Hoses and thermostat are just preventative in nature. You're right, I don't know if it is overheating. I'd rather not find out by cracking the block. Am I paranoid... Maybe. Everything is routed correctly. I just don't want be get elbow deep into a project and end up with a parts tractor.

[Mike476]

Not paranoid, the tractor is new to you so you're feeling it out, you're not going to feel confident you haven't got a problem until you satisfy your concerns and confirm there is or isn't an issue, most would feel the same way.