Mahindra dies after turning it on its side

[smallredltractor]

First time poster here.

I recently put my 2019 Mahindra 20 Emax on its side while clearing brush. Since I was alone, it took me about 3 hours to get it turned upright again. The tractor rolled onto its left side and, as the tractor laid there, the inside left tire rim filled with a light greenish/gray fluid. I could hear it as it poured out, kind of like pouring a small jug of milk out onto the ground.

Once upright, I let the tractor sit for 5 days and replaced the oil filter, air filter, and refilled with the recommended oil (can't remember if 5W40 or 15W40). The engine took an entire gallon of new oil.

After the filter replacements and new oil, I started the tractor. For about 3 seconds a lot of white smoke came out of the exhaust. A few seconds later, the smoke turned gray and the engine cut off. When I try to restart, the engine tries to start but only makes one short attempt to fire up but stops abruplty and doesn't turn over.

I understand the longer a tractor sits on its side, the worse the problem can get. I also had my bucket all the way up (pulling down vines) which increased my rollover chances.

I hope I didn't ruin my engine. I am debating whether to call a mechanic, take it to the dealer, or make an insurance claim if I am in big trouble.

Amazing how tipping on its side can cause so many problems. I guess it's a tractor/diesel weakness.

I have a short video I will try and upload showing the tractor die.

 

[TractorTYMe]

Keep in mind your fuel lines might need to be purged and bled for air.

 

[smallredltractor]

Thank you, I had another fella say the same in passing so I will see about getting that done.

 

[kevin37b]

I do not think it is a tractor issue it is operator issue .

 

[smallredltractor]

I do not think it is a tractor issue it is operator issue .

Thank you, I already addressed the operator issue. Do you have anything helpful to say? Asking for recommendations here

 

[Have tractor did travel]

I do not think it is a tractor issue it is operator issue .

Kevin - I was flabbergasted at your comment. Here's a new member, has problems, writes a well constructed, fully informative post, and you write what you wrote.
Apparently you mother never taught you "If you can't say something nice (contributory), then don't say anything at all."
Did you think smallredtractor was going to feel better by your comment ?
I'm sorry he had to come to his own defense, and call you out. I certainly would have, and did.

 

[BleedingOrange]

I don,t know much about your specific tractor, but before trying to turn it over again, remove the injectors, or spark plugs, cause it might be you have fuel or oil above the top of the pistons, and you cannot compress that, so your engine will not turn over. Hopefully you didn,t bend any rods already. Once you have removed all the injectors or plugs, try turning the engine over and see if it will spin.

 

[smallredltractor]

Thank you, BO- I am thinking, since there weren't any loud or smashing noises that I might be ok with not bending or throwing a rod. I haven't removed the glow plugs yet. I will try that and also see if I can bleed any air out of the fuel system.

 

[smallredltractor]

Kevin - I was flabbergasted at your comment. Here's a new member, has problems, writes a well constructed, fully informative post, and you write what you wrote.
Apparently you mother never taught you "If you can't say something nice (contributory), then don't say anything at all."
Did you think smallredtractor was going to feel better by your comment ?
I'm sorry he had to come to his own defense, and call you out. I certainly would have, and did.

thanks for the support HTWT

 

[MossRoad]

Welcome to TBN. Hopefully you weren't injured in the tip-over.

 

[BleedingOrange]

Just another thought, not knowing what type of battery you have, is there any chance all the acid drained out while the tractor was on its side, damaging the battery ?

 

[Woodstock Walt]

Just a thought- you mentioned that some green/gray liquid ran out of the engine while the tractor was on its side. Could you tell if it was diesel fuel or engine coolant? Have you checked the coolant level since it sat? My thought is that there could be a safety switch that prevents the engine from starting if the coolant level is below a certain threshold.

I agree with some previous comments where it sounds like there may be enough fuel/oil sitting on top of the pistons to hydrolock the engine, which is what would prevent it from turning over. Also as previously stated, the cure for this is to remove the injectors and turn the engine over. I believe removing the injectors is quite a job on these newer common-rain injection Mahindra's. That may be a false statement, though.

 

[5030]

Sounds to me like it hydro locked and you starting it probably bent a connecting rod.

 

[ultrarunner]

If possible you could try an old trick slowly hand cranking feeling for resistance.

Brother Granaded his Hemi when rain water got in to the cylinder and he started the motor not knowing…

 

[Woodstock Walt]

I have a short video I will try and upload showing the tractor die.

Another thought after rereading the OP- did you immediately shut the engine down when the tractor tipped over? Or did it run on its side for an extended period of time? Did you take a video of it running on it's side?

Because if that is the case, than the engine almost surely hydrolocked on it's own oil while it was running on its side, which would most likely cause serious damage. Bent rods/valves potentially.

 

[oldnslo]

This may be dumb question but with indirect injection does removing the injectors help with releasing compression? My understanding is that the injectors are in the intake pre combustion chamber not directly into the cylinder.

Agree on need to figure out a way to turn engine over slowly by hand to confirm not hydro- locked.

 

[Woodstock Walt]

This may be dumb question but with indirect injection does removing the injectors help with releasing compression? My understanding is that the injectors are in the intake pre combustion chamber not directly into the cylinder.

Agree on need to figure out a way to turn engine over slowly by hand to confirm not hydro- locked.

Not a dumb question. The Mahindra MCRD engines are direct injection, so removing the injector would have the same effect as removing the spark plug from a gasoline engine to clear the cylinders.

 

[ruffdog]

Hmm...greenish gray fluid sounds like the stuff that comes out of an engine when coolant is mixed in the oil and ran for a while.

I'm wondering if a bunch of engine oil went through the breather hose and filled the intake (air box or intake tract) and was sucked in during start up. The hydro lock concern is a real possibility though.

 

[oldnslo]

Not a dumb question. The Mahindra MCRD engines are direct injection, so removing the injector would have the same effect as removing the spark plug from a gasoline engine to clear the cylinders.

Thanks Walt
That does make it easier to check for liquids in the cylinders

 

[5030]

We all assume we can fix anything but in this case, if it was mine, I'd take it to a Mahindra dealer and let him fix it. Easy to get in way over your head, real quick and it takes specialized tools to tear it down you don't have. It's not a Crescent wrench job by a long shot.

I doubt you bent any valves but I bet you bent a connecting rod at least.

My 2 cents.