Major water leak Massey 165

Mike from Texas · Apr 1, 2023

I have had this Massey Fergusen 165 tractor for almost 20 years (bought from a tractor master) and never had any major problems. It was featured on the back cover of Farm and Ranch Living magazine, titled - Red, White and True, June/July 2016.

Stuck gears and some busted hoses have been my only issues - nothing more. Last week when I ran it to do some shredding, I noticed it started leaking water. I did not find any hose is broken or radiator leaks. The leak is coming from the top of the engine from what looks like the valve cover. (?) Today I tried copper/glass sealant in the radiator but no luck. This has become worse than it was when I first noticed it. I tried to include a video but that is not working as it is a format or size problem. We did have a bad freeze here in Texas a couple of months back. Maybe that caused this, but the leak is in an odd place looking like it is coming from the valve cover gasket.

I can send a video if you can email me. But it will not let me attach it here. The leak does not look low enough to be a head gasket. Any thoughts/help would be appreciated.

JWR · Apr 1, 2023

Sounds like a cracked head ? Was there plenty of antifreeze in it?

Mike from Texas · Apr 2, 2023

JWR said:
Sounds like a cracked head ? Was there plenty of antifreeze in it?

Thanks for the quick reply.

There was antifreeze but maybe not enough. I guess I will need to tear it down to see where it is cracked. Then try to get parts. I assume that much water coming out means the stop-leak products would not do me any good. Thoughts?

JWR · Apr 2, 2023

Oh yeah, with that much leakage stop-leak is not going to work. You might want to pull the valve cover and buy or borrow a radiator pressure testing kit. Most full-service tractor repair shops (and many auto shops too) have radiator pressure test kits with a variety of adapters for various size radiator cap holes. I bought a kit last year myself (around $50 on Amazon). By using that pump in the kit you can pressurize the coolant system and with the valve cover off you should be able to see exactly where the water is coming out without pulling the head. That will tell you what problem you have.

Mike from Texas · Apr 2, 2023

JWR said:
Oh yeah, with that much leakage stop-leak is not going to work. You might want to pull the valve cover and buy or borrow a radiator pressure testing kit. Most full-service tractor repair shops (and many auto shops too) have radiator pressure test kits with a variety of adapters for various size radiator cap holes. I bought a kit last year myself (around $50 on Amazon). By using that pump in the kit you can pressurize the coolant system and with the valve cover off you should be able to see exactly where the water is coming out without pulling the head. That will tell you what problem you have.

I will do that and go from there. I see what you mean - on Amazon. It will be a couple of weeks before I can get back to it (have a day for the tear-apart time). I will let you know how it goes. I appreciate the feedback/tips. Have a good weekend. Thanks again.

ruffdog · Apr 2, 2023

Check your oil level too. If it is overfilled, there may be water going into the crankcase.

Rockbadchild · Apr 2, 2023

hopefully its only a busted gasket...

JWR · Apr 2, 2023

Rockbadchild said:
hopefully its only a busted gasket...

Yes, but hard to picture how a blown head gasket puts a lot of water up under the rocker cover.

Mike from Texas · Apr 3, 2023

ruffdog said:
Check your oil level too. If it is overfilled, there may be water going into the crankcase.

It did not look full but there are what look like water beads on the stick, so I believe there is water in there too. I will be digging into it soon and deciding where to do from there. Expecting the worst and will be surprised if it good news as this plays out.

ruffdog · Apr 3, 2023

Mike from Texas said:
It did not look full but there are what look like water beads on the stick, so I believe there is water in there too. I will be digging into it soon and deciding where to do from there. Expecting the worst and will be surprised if it good news as this plays out.

If there is water in your crankcase, pulling your drain plug will show it as the water will be the first liquid to come out.