Disaster!

[ChrisAus]

Hi,

Having taken delivery of my YM135D during a very hectic week I finally had the opportunity to take it on its maiden mowing voyage today.

It ran perfectly for just under an hour before coughing and spluttering and then it stopped completely. The radiator cap was gone and I wish I knew how I could check the whole machine but overlook a missing radiator cap but in this case it seems as though I did just that.

It had very little coolant left so I drained the remainder and it was a very unhealthy brown colour which makes me suspect that I've blown a head gasket (it overheated no doubt due to the missing cap and subsequently low coolant.

Any advice on where to go from here? I've replaced the radiator cap and installed a temp gauge but I was hoping that an experienced Yanmar owner might be able to offer his/her thoughts on changing the head gasket. I am mechanically capable so I will be doing the work myself but if you've got any hints or tips, hit me!

Cheers,
Chris

 

[winston1]

Have you tried cranking up since the incident? Do you know the head gasket is blown? Sending you a pm.

 

[ChrisAus]

Hi Winston,

I filled the radiator with water after it overheated (I let it cool for about an hour first) so that I could move the tractor. I only ran it for about two minutes to put it under cover and it started and ran perfectly. I used water rather than coolant because it was drained as soon as I parked it as I wanted to check the radiator contents given the overheating.

In terms of how it runs, it seems fine but it didn't run for long enough to warm up let alone get hot once I'd topped up the radiator. I'm concerned about the head gasket due to the aforementioned coolant colour. If the previous owner had skimped on costs and used water instead of glycol then it could be dirty/rusty water rather than oil contamination.

Would it be safe to put coolant in it and try again now that I can properly monitor then temperature on the gauge?

 

[Dr Dave]

I would refill with a 50/50 mix of coolant and water, use as normal and watch the temp. The brown color of the coolant, may be due to lack of maintenance from previous owner.

Be sure to put on a new radiator cap, you may want to install a new thermostat at this time also.

Dave

 

[winston1]

I would just try water first, if a problem you won't be wasting your coolant. When you crank it up cool do it with the cap off and observe the radiator. Be looking for bubbles to appear. Be sure and check the oil for possible coolant in it. If it is milky colored I wouldn't run it. You could slowly loosen the drain plug after setting for a good period of time and allow a half a cup or so of oil to come out watching for water. The water will settle to the bottom given a little time.

Did you read my pm?

 

[rrrkkk]

If you don't know how to pressure test the radiator, or do a leak down test on the cylinders. I suggest you need someone capable of replaceing the head gasket.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

An evaporated radiator is going to have that evil brownish fluid at the end because that's the color the coolant changes to once you've reached maximum condensation and concentration. As long as there's no oil in the coolant, no water in the oil, and your tractor starts normally after refilling the radiator; count yourself very lucky. Run it for a couple of minutes and then recheck the coolant. Do the check again at 10, 20, and 30 minutes, watching the engine temp all the time. If everything is nominal, then you're probably good to go. Otherwise.... well, either you have a problem with the cooling system, or you've blown your seals and you're looking at good sized repair bill.

 

[California]

And as we reply every time there is an overheating thread -

Use the compression release on every start, until you have determined that you aren't losing coolant. Cranking with water in a cylinder will break something.

These little Yanmars are simple to work on. A torque wrench for the head bolts, and the I&T shop manual ($30 Ebay) are the only specialized items needed.

That model was sold by Yanmar dealers in the US. Do you have dealer support in Oz? Also a Deere mechanic should be able to work on it, or order parts. The small Deere models from that era were built by Yanmar.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

An evaporated radiator is going to have that evil brownish fluid at the end because that's the color the coolant changes to once you've reached maximum condensation and concentration. As long as there's no oil in the coolant, no water in the oil, and your tractor starts normally after refilling the radiator; count yourself very lucky. Run it for a couple of minutes and then recheck the coolant. Do the check again at 10, 20, and 30 minutes, watching the engine temp all the time. If everything is nominal, then you're probably good to go. Otherwise.... well, either you have a problem with the cooling system, or you've blown your seals and you're looking at good sized repair bill.

I agree. I would just use tap water at first. If it works fine (I expect that will be the case since it had not got hot enough to boil all the coolant out of the block) to need to drain and refill several times to help clean out the cooling system and fresh water is not as hard to deal with as coolant.

Cooling System Treatments | Car Care | Products | Prestone®

Not sure if you have access to Prestone products but I use the Prestone Cleaner for 6 hours (not 6 hours non stop but over time) with water with good results. Not a fan of the 10 minute chemical FLUSH product because I do it myself and have the time for the slower process to work. I keep draining and running engine for 10+ minutes and refilling with fresh water until it stays clear and with few solids coming out when I drain it. That can take 5+ times.

 

[knotweed]

I tried commercial products to flush with no good cleaning. I got info from this site to use Cascade dish powder and the results were great. It stopped overheating.
Like you, when I got the tractor, water was brown and found out (again on this site) that typical filling of the radiator in the rice fields was from the water available, the rice fields. It's been 2 years since using the Cascade and no overheating.