Kubota 3910 ran out of water and will not run

[TwiceStroked]

Of course the neighbor left. And upon their return it will turn out to be a fuel valve in the off position causing the problem. Or they put gasoline in the tank. Or a clogged fuel filter. Or some other reason not related to overheating. And when your neighbor returns they will show surprise that you didn't know the reason.

STUPID IS AS
STUPID DOES

 

[pcman]

I am posting this for my next door neighbor. He has a fairly new Kubota 3910 and was bush hogging when his tractor suddenly stopped. Checking it, he saw that the lower radiator hose had been pulled off and there was no water in it. He said he had been watching the temperature gauge and it hadn't moved but maybe with no water in it, there was no hot water to measure the temperature of.

After it cooled and he put a new hose on he attempted to start it. The starter turned over at the normal speed, not real fast like it would do if there was no compression but it would not start. He tried using ether but it still did not even putt. He has never owned one of these newer models with all the pollution junk on them and doesn't know if they have any type of electronics on it that might prevent it from starting under these circumstances or if his engine is just toast. Any ideas?

I bet the hose clamp was loose or hose was not pushed up on motor enough!

 

[Todd727]

Post #19 says it is insurance. Be it insurance or a guarantee I don't think either one would (or should) cover an owner knocking the radiator hose off and running the thing until it quits.

I'll guess that you don't think your auto insurance should cover you in an at-fault accident then?

This is exactly what KTAC is for and why you pay for it. Had a buddy sink an excavator in a pond because of an old beaver lodge. KTAC replaced the machine.

 

[dusty3030]

I don't see the point of running the owner of the tractor into the ground. Pulling off the lower hose mowing in what I assume was tall stuff up at pto rpm there it might be easier than you are thinking to not see the lost coolant. Should he have smelled it? Maybe, maybe not. Was he wearing a dust mask? This is an open station tractor. Would it have been spraying out? Shouldn't have been that is the suction side so it was just gravity flowing out of the lower radiator port. Wouldn't be under pressure because the pump would have been sucking air as soon as the hose pulled off.

I will say the operator should have noticed the gauge at first and it should have shown hot long enough to be noticed. There should have been some coolant still in the block and behind the thermostat for awhile longer until it finally boiled off. Watch your gauges!!!

Regardless if it was running up at temp at pto rpm until it quit the engine is smoked. I guarantee the head is at least warped.

 

[Alan46]

My neighbor left for a 2 week vacation so there are no updates.

I hope he has a stress free vacation. I know I would have a hard time not thinking about the tractor!

I just went through a two week period of waiting for parts for my injector pump, that was stressful! Thankfully everything went smoothly from getting parts to assembly!

 

[marhar]

Probably smoked it but need to diagnose it. Compression test of each cylinder is needed.

dusy3030 is right. Temperature gauges can get stuck and not show the real temp.

 

[Ray Persaud]

I am posting this for my next door neighbor. He has a fairly new Kubota 3910 and was bush hogging when his tractor suddenly stopped. Checking it, he saw that the lower radiator hose had been pulled off and there was no water in it. He said he had been watching the temperature gauge and it hadn't moved but maybe with no water in it, there was no hot water to measure the temperature of.

After it cooled and he put a new hose on he attempted to start it. The starter turned over at the normal speed, not real fast like it would do if there was no compression but it would not start. He tried using ether but it still did not even putt. He has never owned one of these newer models with all the pollution junk on them and doesn't know if they have any type of electronics on it that might prevent it from starting under these circumstances or if his engine is just toast. Any ideas?

Think blew the head gasket

 

[Scottybdiving]

KTAC covers accidents but excludes mechanical breakdowns. Looks like a gray area.

 

[tallyho8]

I talked to him on the phone yesterday and he told me that before he left he did a compression test on one cylinder and that it only had 150# of pressure. Also, he gave me more details on the hose. While he was bushogging a stick jammed in the tractor and pushed his lower hose up slightly. The fan belt rubbed against it until it had a hole in it as wide as the fan belt. When he went to the dealer to buy a new hose, he checked out some of the newer models similar to his. All the new ones had a metal guard plate protecting the lower hose so evidently these incidents occurred frequently enough in the past for the manufacturer to do something to prevent them.

 

[dbritt]

I can't believe it sprayed coolant out of that hole until it got the engine so hot it died, and he didn't see or smell anything? Must be a cab tractor, and even at that I find it hard to believe he didn't see or smell anything. Or, maybe he did, but just kept watching that non-functioning gauge? I had a new Kubota X1100C cab diesel side-by-side that popped the radiator hose off just a week after delivery. Fortunately, I caught the smell of coolant and the steam coming from the front (rear engine, front radiator) and stopped immediately. Dealer said the hose clamp was never tightened, no sign of compression on the hose, and of course fixed it under warranty.