BX24 problem

[Johndeere3720]

Okay, yesterday I went down to take a look at the tractor and first off it wouldn't start. I tried every single control lever to see if something was making it not start as a safety switch. turns out there is a bad connection under the seat on the left side that you have to hold together to get it to start. I crawled under the tractor and sure enough the old filter is all black and has never been changed although Kubota serviced it just last year, they apparently missed the filter under the tractor. But the next part is what wasnt good. Since the underside filter is near the famous white tranny fan I looked up in there and sure enough all the fins on the fan have been sheared off. It looks like it has been like this for a while but i know that it needs to have a fan. I let my neighbor know what all was wrong with his tractor and gave a rough estimate on what it would cost for Kubota to fix it. He doesn't like how it is running poorly so he is having me order a fuel filter for it. For the tranny fan, he wasnt as concerned. :confused2: I would like to know what the purpose of the fan is and how it helps. Yeah it is for cooling the transmission but what would happen say if we left it? If it were mine i would fix it and i did convince him a skid plate would be a good thing to add to his tractor but the fan has me really concerned. I am planning on getting the fan anyways although he doesn't exactly want to tear apart the back of his tractor, any advice on how to handle this situation?

 

[Johndeere3720]

Well today i am going to pick up some parts at Kubota for the BX24.

 

[Volfandt]

Sorry to be alittle late to the party but there are a few things you may want to check before you start swapping parts.
Just a bit bit downstream from the underside fuel filter is the electric fuel pump. Check and make sure that the two wires and connector is plugged into the fuel pump and that theres no breaks, cuts etc., in the wires. A BX will run without the elec fuel pump but have no power. You can tell if the pump is working by just turning the key to "on" and listen for a fast clicking sound. This is the pump working. It is also fused by a 15 amp fuse. If you don't hear that fast clicking, check for a blown fuse and.or open wire. If all looks good then take a multi meter and check for 12vdc at the connector.

Generally the fuel fiters aren't scheduled for replacement until the 500hr service. I changed mine at the 500hr mark but they could have gone longer. Course bacteria, water and other debris can shorten their service life.
The symtoms sound like a fuel starvation issue so changing out both filters is a cheap and easy step. Bad fuel can also cause the problem you explained. Unfortunately BX's don't have a water separater and like any diesel, none will run if theres too much water in the fuel which also clogs up the filters. Changing the filters and still having water contaminated fuel will just repeat the problem.

The 2nd fuel filter is in the engine compartment on the left side of the engine beside the fuel injection pump. The side 'bonnet" has to be removed and as many have said, remove the FEL. It takes all of 5 minutes or less, requires no tools and can be remounted in the same or less time. Very easy to do. The front grill guard may have to be removed inorder for the bonnet to slide forward, up and out. On my BX23 the muffler has a short extention which makes it necessary to remove the guard. Some have posted that they didn't have to remove it. It's held on by 4 bolts and is an easy 1 man R&R.

The HST cooling fan is definitely needed to help keep the HST cool on hot days. The HST fluid on a hard working BX can avg up to 100 degrees hotter than the ambient air temp and when it's that hot it's not doing one of it's primary functions in cooling the HST so he needs to have it replaced.
Unfortunately it's somewhat of a major ordeal to replace it. In short form, the engine needs to be unbolted from the frame (4 bolts) lifted slightly then slid froward an inch or two inorder to gain clearance to remove the driveshaft to relace the fan. It can be done without removing the floorpan but it's not easy. Removing the floorpan which requires more parts to be removed makes R&R'ing the fan much easier but adds addtional time to the task. Tell your friend that he needs to install a skidplate to protect the new fan. Many have made their own. Bro-Tek makes a very nice aftermarket skidplate that many here have purchased. The plate will also protect the hst filter which is also in harms way and vulnerable.
Both fuel filters are the same part # and don't cost much.
In any case, good luck
Dave

 

[rockymt98]

You might also want to check for an obstruction of the fuel line outlet in the tank. I had a similar problem caused by a chunk of plastic from manufacturing the tank obstructing the fuel line outlet. Needless to say that took a while to figure out

The piece was a curly plastic piece left over from when they trimmed the mold flash off the tank somewhere. Just big enough to starve the fuel flow like a plugged filter would do. The tractor had been in service for a year prior the symptoms appearing.

Good luck, let us know what the final fix is.

Paul

 

[Johndeere3720]

Today i finally got around and changed the fuel filter on the BX24. That old one was shot, fuel dripped out when I unhooked the first end. Once I got the new filter on it was a nice steady stream of Diesel. :thumbsup: Now Here are some pictures of the Hydrostatic fan, not it the best conditions. My neighbor is certain that it can be removed and a new fan can be installed by doing it under the tractor. I got the go ahead to order the fan for him, so i will be on that this week. In the mean time, now that his BX runs good I have a feeling it will be used more. Will not having the fan there for about 1-2 weeks make a difference. He assures me he will be very light on it, using it minimally but what would be the first thing that would happen if it was left alone? Would the seals in the tranny start to blow out? Thats my guess. Thanks for all the help guys! :thumbsup:

 

[radioman]

hmm -- no fins on fan .. and owner wants to keep running? uncharted territory. Not the kind of waters I want to travel into. As for replacing it.. there been several threads on this- and they all say its major surgery unless you take the shortcut and cut the new fan in half and glue it in place.

congrats on the simple filter swap... looks like it is all it takes. :thumbsup: