B7500 coolant gushing out of oil pan?

[Tim636]

Started my trusty B7500 only to find the thermostat reaching red zone. coolant was empty! When I first added coolant, it came out of one of the holes on the side the engine block which typically has a sealing cap on it. I found the sealing cap and re-installed. I suspect I didn't have enough anti-freeze over the winter which pushed it out.

But when I was filling it up the second time, the coolant flooded the oil pan and value cover overflow. Not just seeping, but flooding out as fast as I was adding.

How does coolant get into the oil in such mass quantities? Again, The engine starts fine, so I don't suspect a cracked head. If it were a head gasket, I would have expected lots of white smoke -- and yet, nothing.

Ideas?

 

[Stradbash]

Cracked block?
That what’s commonly called a “freeze plug” coming out of the block could be a good indication.

 

[ultrarunner]

Head gasket or beach in head/block but with gasket and head I did get white smoke.

 

[herringchoker]

Was it exposed to extended freezing temperatures? Did it have a good anti-freeze mix? Hate to say it, but sounds to me like a cracked block, especially since the frost plug had popped out. Been there, it's not pleasant. Sorry.

 

[Cycledude]

I suspect I didn't have enough anti-freeze over the winter which pushed it out.

Ideas?

do you mean improperly mixed antifreeze ? Unfortunately If that’s the case I suspect your old reliable B7500 will be needing a replacement engine . The only antifreeze I will buy is premixed .

 

[BeezFun]

I wouldn't crank the engine, if you have coolant in a cylinder you could do a lot more damage. I'd turn it over by hand to see if it turns easily. If not you'll have to take the glow plugs out to get rid of the coolant in there. That will tell you which cylinder has the leak.

If you don't own one, borrow a cooling system pressure tester from your local auto parts store. Fill the cooling system with plain water (it's cheap) and pressurize the system. Normally you leave it sit for a few hours but my guess is yours won't hold pressure at all. You can keep pressurizing it for awhile, then turn over the engine by hand to see if it turns easy. If not, take the glow plugs out and see if water comes out the glow plug opening. That will tell you which cylinder has the leak if that's where it is. If none of them have water, the leak is probably in some passage that's down lower and emptying right back into the pan.

Sending positive mechanical thoughts your way...

 

[rademamj1]

Agreed. Don't try to start the engine. Most cracked blocks, typically you will see the higher pressure oil lines going into the lower pressure coolant lines and finally into the radiator. This maybe just a blown head gasket. Don't try to start it, or you will make every thing worse. Drain the coolant fully. Drain the oil fully. Check the head gasket integrity. If you can't do that, it maybe time to wench the tractor onto a trailer and haul it into a good Kubota dealer for evaluation and probable head gasket replacement. If they catch this problem early, your repair costs maybe acceptable.

 

[4570Man]

It’s probable that the problem is visible through the bottom end so I’d drop the oil pan and see what it looks like. If the source isn’t obvious try adding more water while the pan is off. Considering the engine ran at all and without obvious problems I doubt it’s leaking coolant into the cylinder or the head gasket is severely blown.

 

[Tinhack]

I'd say, at a minimum, the head gasket is toast and there's a break between coolant and oil return sections of the gasket (where the push rods run). Or the head itself is cracked or broken. It's the only way you can get coolant "gushing" from the valve cover AND have coolant in the oil.

If there was coolant in one of the cylinders and you tried to start it, it's possible to break lots of things at once. Hydraulic force is very powerful.

If you noticed missing coolant, you should have started looking then. Leaking radiator or hoses, leaking water pump, freeze plug or leaking head gasket. All are serious. The last is most destructive.

 

[Egon]

It’s time to pull the head.