Overheating

   / Overheating #11  
Argosy said:
Does it have a water pump or convective flow? That will make a lot of difference in how to operate it.
Click to expand...

She has a YM 2000. It should have a water pump on it. I say should cause im assuming it is still the way the factory designed it, which was with a waterpump. I doubt this is a frenkienstein tractor but if it was it may have an older motor or smaller motor in it.
 
   / Overheating
  • Thread Starter
#12  
YM2000D (Just bought about a month ago.)

Has a water pump.

Hubby checked fan belt (in addition to another things done above.)

Previous owner did not mow hardly at all (used it to grade his road ). Bush hog was used twice ... maybe three times. We have air hose so have blown radiator out, cleaned screen.

Biggy is coolant needs to be changed and radiator flushed. (For a meticulous guy [previous owner] we were surprised at status of coolant.)

No signs of head gasket problem seen so far.

Check back with you later.

Thanks. :)
 
   / Overheating
  • Thread Starter
#13  
Not a frankenstein -- :p

Still has the Japanese labels on it as previous owner elecected not to have it repainted after he picked it out of a line up of newly imported gray tractors back when Corriher guys in Newton, NC were selling them (10+ years back).

Apparently he was first US owner.
 
   / Overheating #14  
I found my post describing readings from the Harbor Freight infrared thermometer.

This was right after mowing:

140 degrees on the bottom of the oil pan, 165 at the lower block, and 195 near the injectors, at the upper radiator hose fitting, and at the radiator upper tank. The radiator lower tank was below 100.
Click to expand...

Others have commented that a radiator shop's pro infrared gauge is more accurate, so let's say this cheap one is just a rough diagnostic tool.
 
   / Overheating #15  
does your coolant bottle have fluid in it ,sometimes that will cause the light to go on,also check oil level.this can be an indication of bad HG. russ
 
   / Overheating #16  
These radiators are pretty muddy and gunky. Its mostly from the previous life in japan that most of us conclude that straight rice field ditch water was used then drained in winter to keep the block and radiator from cracking. This is evident in the sediment that looks like reddish musd that has come out of many tractors including mine in a fine dillution that will settle out when coolant is left in a jug. The 2 radiators with cracks in them that i got when i first got mine are also signs of weak or no antifreeze. the block has this mud in it so unless you flush it real good it will have it still in the system. Its possible that the guy changed it when he got it and never did it again and the running it over the years loosened some crud each time. Just guessing though i have no idea what my farmer did with my tractor or yours 25 yrs ago!
 
   / Overheating #17  
The radiator in my US-model Yanmar had been professionally rodded out (cleaned internally) just before I bought it. I was told the tractor was in occasional light use for many years just for the loader. Then the second owner started to fix it up for heavy use discing an orchard. But after spending money on the radiator and hoses, and a starter, he said it was too light to pull his disc. I bought it at that point.

So the history of US good-ol-boy maintenance on mine wasn't any better than the rice paddy Yanmars.

Flushing it now (after the second then the sixth year) the coolant comes out clean. I'm convinced that professional cleaning was worth it.
 
   / Overheating #18  
I agree on the ir temp gun mainly because you have no way to check the calibration of your sender and I would add also that the fan belt needs to be tight enough.

Yes I know it sounds redundant but that fan puts a lot of load on the little belt and if its at the end of adjustment it may just need that little extra.

Fan belts are no fun on these tractors to change since the lower hose has to come off just saying that may why its slipping if it is. hth :thumbsup:
 
   / Overheating
  • Thread Starter
#19  
:)Well I have been out and mowed/bush hogged a couple times since the last posting. I have 4 acres of hayfield that I am cutting dead weeds (mostly broom sage) down on in preparation for spring, and another 2 acres of pasture taken over by broom sage.

Bought the little IR thermometer. Great idea.

Observations:

First of all most of what I am cutting is thick broom sage, 3' tall. For those of you who don't know, its seed are like furry feathers. So cleaning the screen every two passes is necessary. I tied a little brush on my fender. :)

I blow out the radiator when I get back.

We have drained the brown radiator fluid, refilled and drained again. Flushed w commercial stuff, refilled and drained again. It's still brown, of course, but maybe not quite as brown.

When I stop to clean the screen I have checked the temps. I think I have located the hottest part of my radiator, which seems to be the outside angle side by the upper hose. One time I did get a 200 degree reading (after I kept mowing) but usually it is 180s-90 over there. The other "high" readings tend to be 160s-180s. So I haven't overheated, actually.

My temp light goes on before the readings got to the highest, so we are thinking there is a problem with the sending unit. I notice Hoye only sells them for use with the gauge. (We were thinking it might be dirty, or something.) We might spring for a gauge sometime in the future, they are not expensive.

But then the other reality is the radiator probably could use a professional cleaning. The first US owner bought this about 12 years ago, and did not mention doing that, and I am pretty sure when it came from Japan they didn't bother.

The idea that they refilled them with paddy water is interesting since it seems most people have the excessively brown water which doesn't go away with radiator flush or multiple water flushes, mmm? :confused:

So I do not think the radiator is overheating, (but OTOH I don't think I am really pushing it) but I like gauges, not idiot lights, as I have a better sense of what my limits are.

I drove a 20+ year old Ford van across the country (Yosemite and desert and all) and back one summer (110 in Needles) with no air conditioning. Fords were notorious for having undersized radiators back then... and by watching my temp gauge we managed just fine, with only a couple times we actually had to stop and wait for a cool down. (The long incline going south into LA.)

So somewhere in my future is a professional flush and clean ("rodding?") and a gauge. In the meantime I'll get the feel of how long I can bush hog without "overheating."

So here's another question: What percentage of anti-freeze?

Right now the tractor is in my husband's slot in the garage (mine is full of moving and horse cr*p -- isn't he great?) and our temps have been unusually warm (thanks Al), but I have seen everything from 10% to 40% mix on antifreeze.

Input appreciated.

Thanks guys!:thumbsup:
 
   / Overheating
  • Thread Starter
#20  
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