Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short

   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #1  
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
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48
Tractor
Kubota L3400
I just changed the antifreeze in my L3400. Did it per the Kubota manual. The amount drained was only a gallon and it only took a gallon to fill it again. Kubota Spec says it should be 1.6 gallons. Seems obvious that there was a 1/2 gallon left in the engine block. So how do you drain the block and how come Kubota doesnt tell say how to drain the block?

Any thoughts?
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #2  
Change it again in the spring. Assuming it will get rebular use over the winter, it will be well mixed by spring.
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #3  
This is just an hypothetical idea.. You could either forget about the .6 gallons and go on. or you could do this:
Go buy undiluted antifreeze not the 50/50 mix stuff. Then drain the gallon out, and put 1 gallon of water in. Run engine a minute or two, stop and drain this water/diluted antifreeze mixture out and discard. fill with water, run for a bit, drain and discard, do until the drained looks like water. Then add .6 gallons of pure antifreeze,into the tractor take the remainder of the jug, and mix 50/50 with water, and fill up the tractor with this.. Now you have a 50/50 mix and no appreciable amount of old antifreeze in the block. OR.. you could get a flush and fill kit to flush out the block, and then fill as per my last instruction. Do as you see fit.

James K0UA
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #4  
I changed mine about a year ago, had the same problem. I did pretty much what James suggested and kept adding water and running it briefly until I had almost clear water coming out. Then added pure AF and some water to get the right mix. I did have to drain a little off and adjust the mixture a couple times to get it exactly where I wanted on the freeze tester.

Be careful not to get it too hot between refill and drain, the last thing you want is cold water going into a hot engine block.

Sean
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #5  
I have five different Kubota's, all different models with different engines. On everyone there is a rubber hose that connects to the right side of the engine (when sitting on tractor), I remove the hose clamp and pull the hose off, that drains the entire block, I also use it to back flush the block using a gargen hose.
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short
  • Thread Starter
#6  
Thanks all for the advice. I guess they'll all work. I like 2007's the best. My tap water has a lot of lime in it so I always mix distilled water with the antifreeze. That would make it a bit easier on the amount of water I need.

Thanks again!
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #7  
outoftractorluck said:
Kubota Spec says it should be 1.6 gallons. Seems obvious that there was a 1/2 gallon left in the engine block.
Maybe the .6 gallons is to fill the recovery tank up between L and H?
 
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   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #8  
I think there should be a drain on the block.
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #9  
Maybe the .6 gallons is to fill the recovery tank up between L and H?

Interesting that the L3400 DT (gear) has no recovery tank, while the HST version does... I have no idea why they are different though.

Sean
 
   / Changing Antifreeze L3400 - Capacity is short #10  
Chilly807 said:
Interesting that the L3400 DT (gear) has no recovery tank, while the HST version does...
Weird.
So the radiator cap just vents outside?
 
 
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