Water in the oil of my kubota L4400

[Chad B]

My tractor overheated when i added water to the radiator noticed the water was coming out of the dipstick tube as fast as it was being added. I have had the head checked at a machine shop & replaced head gasket. The problem still exist. Does anyone have any advice on where the water would entering the oil from?

[RoyJackson]

Although it's normally a blown head gasket or warped head getting water in the sump, it sounds like you have a cracked block...and a bad one too, if the water is coming out of the dipstick tube as bad as you wrote it was...
How many hours on your Kubota? The L4400 is a pretty new model, isn't it?

[Chad B]

I bought it brand new in 2008 with about 700 hours . I have done all the maintenance at my transmission shop so it has been well cared for The tractor has only got hot that 1 time I am the only one to have ever operated it. Also it was running good when i tore it down just a slight miss I thought the head would have cracked between a oil and water jacket.

[RoyJackson]

I bought it brand new in 2008 with about 700 hours . I have done all the maintenance at my transmission shop so it has been well cared for The tractor has only got hot that 1 time I am the only one to have ever operated it. Also it was running good when i tore it down just a slight miss I thought the head would have cracked between a oil and water jacket.

When you wrote a machine shop checked it out....what did they do? I'm sure they checked it for flatness, but did they check it for cracks? If so, how? A visual inspection may not be adequate (although in my experience, cast iron cracks are usually quite wide and visible).
Was the head completely disassembled?
It's also possible there is an internal flaw (void or shrinkage) that failed completely. You can't always see this kind of flaw unless the casting is x-rayed ($$$$).
It would be advantageous to determine if the head is bad...replacement won't be cheap, but cheaper then an engine.

BTW, did you add the water while the engine was still hot?

[Chad B]

No I didn't add water while it was still hot the machine shop magnaflux the head & checked for warpage. The valves were left in the head. My first thought was as you said blocked was cracked but I couldn't see how it never got that hot I know air doesn't register on a temp gauge. The gauge didn't bury into the hot it was in the almost in the red when i noticed it and shut it down. I guess I'll remove the head and strip it down so It can be checked out more thoroughly for starters.

[RoyJackson]

Think it would be worthwhile checking the water pump mounting too? Not sure this could actually apply, but water coming out of a dipstick tube means you're getting a lot of water moving into the sump.

[cowski]

if the engine has cylinder liners,sometimes they get pits which can leak water into the oil.take the pan off and see where the water is coming from.be sure and fill the system up with water.i have worked on cat's where the water pump can leak water into the oil but i do not know about Kubota.head ,block and cylinder liners are first places to check.could you have messed up the head gasket while installing it?

[cowski]

i had been bailing hay all day yesterday,i forgot. years ago we put a head on and had the same problem.it turned out to be the o rings on bottom of the liner.

[RoyJackson]

i had been bailing hay all day yesterday,i forgot. years ago we put a head on and had the same problem.it turned out to be the o rings on bottom of the liner.

You have a point and it can't hurt to at least see if the L4400's cylinder have liners (since the head is coming back off).

[om21braz]

You have a point and it can't hurt to at least see if the L4400's cylinder have liners (since the head is coming back off).

I believe most all Kubota diesels are dry sleeved. Coolant could enter from the ends, but most likely not thru the bore as is typical with a wet sleeved engine.