99 problems and my tractor is every one of them

   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them #1  

coopdaloop

New member
Joined
Sep 16, 2023
Messages
17
Tractor
Kioti Dk4210
In need of some warranty and mechanical insight and advice.

I should preface this first with an apology for the long winded and colossal amount of particulars. Also some base knowledge; the tractor in mention is a kioti DK4210 with approx 67 hours on the helm and owned for just over one year, has been looked after with meticulous care and attention. This occurred in Canada with all monetary values in Canadian dollars.

One day in July, upon completing my pre use inspection as indicated in the manual, which includes but is not limited to a coolant check on the reservoir, I was rough cutting the pasture field and the aforementioned tractor signalled for a re gen on the indicator cluster. I Initiated re gen cycle which lasted for about 40 minutes, during this time I was monitoring the temperature and rpm, both of which never deviated over normal peramiters.

Once re gen was complete, I continued rough cutting and after about 10 minutes the tractor called for another re gen , which I found suspicious thus prompting me to call kioti authorized service center (the dealership purchased from). Communicated my concerns to the service manager, who advised it was most likely sensor and to proceed driving as normal . As instructed I begin rough cutting once again, and the re gen light turned off. After 10 minutes in the field the re gen lights up once more and the tractor goes into limp mode and powers down with an F20 code. Called dealership and arranged inspection and pickup of tractor.

After several weeks, received phone call from service manager, he deemed the problem to be melted injector harness to which he failed to order the proper replacement but claiming correct component was on the way. After replacing they proceeded to force a re gen without acknowledging me or yet informing me what the F20 code signifies. They ran the tractor for an undetermined about of time. After they determined cylinder 2 had a knock, which I had never heard when tractor was in my possession. Dealership then called manufacturer as per standard operating procedures.

After 6 weeks of the original issue, I was informed that kioti would not honor the warranty due to radiator leak attributable to suspected damage to radiator from object.

Indications of these suspicions;
-Small crack in cowling
-dent on exhaust guard
-broken connection on plastic radiator mount


When tractor was in my hands the temperature never deviated from normal, never coolant on ground, reservoir was always full. Dealership claimed thermostat sensor would not operate effectively with zero coolant near temp sensor. As far as I know, if there was steam or lack of coolant then the gauge would act erratically . They gave me an estimated cost of repair to be just over $20,000. Simply the labour cost on the diagnosis of the issue is $5,700, due to their lack of knowledge or understanding. Called another kioti authorized service centre to which their estimate of repairs was$ 11,343 and change. Breakdown of cost as follows; diesel engine $7,610, 16 hours of labor(supposed standard of time according to their service book for this repair) at a rate of $119/hour. Remaining costs are associated parts. Not including transportation costs to new service centre.

Also worthy of note is within the last week the service manager whom I dealt with from the initial issue has since been relocated to field duties and new manager has been appointed. It's been just over two months since problem began.

I suppose I'm looking for insight on;
- how to properly gauge coolant level, as even the shop failed to notice coolant leak until after they forced the re gen. Neither the dealership nor the kioti manufacturer have provided any advice on this.
- why is there no guard to protect this area
- why did safety features fail to shut down before damage
- if anyone knows what the F20 code signifies, after extensive searches I've turned up with no answers due proprietary rights of kioti.
- new manager requested meeting on Tuesday, any advice for my meeting and how to proceed going forward
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them #2  
according to michigan iron (a kioti dealership) the code means this

The codes listed refer to 'DPF" overload faults. This is generally caused by cancelling (2) Automatic Regen Cycles by reducing the engine rpm below 1700 during an automatic regen cycle. The dealer will need to do a "Forced Manual Regen" to be able to clear the DPF Filter and the error codes. These errors will put the tractor in "limp mode" to protect the engine.
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them #3  
Sorry to hear of your troubles. I have never owned a tractor that is capable of automatically shutting down during an overheating event. I have read that a coolant sensor not submerged in liquid doesn't report temperature correctly, potentially destroying the engine before the operator is even aware that there's a problem. Depending on where the temp sensor is located, and where / how the coolant leak occurred, I can see a bad outcome.

All tractors have vulnerabilities somewhere. I added some steel plates underneath my current machine where the hydraulic lines were unreasonably exposed. That said, sticks and debris have a way of finding the worst possible place to get into. Just this morning I pulled a wedged 1" branch out of the engine bay of my ZD1211 mower... Had to cut the stupid thing out.

If the radiator was damaged and had sufficiently low coolant to overheat, I can see any manufacturer denying a warranty claim. Why the huge difference in repair estimates is beyond me.
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them
  • Thread Starter
#4  
Sorry to hear of your troubles. I have never owned a tractor that is capable of automatically shutting down during an overheating event. I have read that a coolant sensor not submerged in liquid doesn't report temperature correctly, potentially destroying the engine before the operator is even aware that there's a problem. Depending on where the temp sensor is located, and where / how the coolant leak occurred, I can see a bad outcome.

All tractors have vulnerabilities somewhere. I added some steel plates underneath my current machine where the hydraulic lines were unreasonably exposed. That said, sticks and debris have a way of finding the worst possible place to get into. Just this morning I pulled a wedged 1" branch out of the engine bay of my ZD1211 mower... Had to cut the stupid thing out.

If the radiator was damaged and had sufficiently low coolant to overheat, I can see any manufacturer denying a warranty claim. Why the huge difference in repair estimates is beyond me.
Thank you for your response.I suppose I'm more interested in the fact the engine didn't have a knock before submitting to dealer. Also of equal interest is the dealer didn't detect that there was a coolant leak prior to force regening the tractor for x amount time. Possibly being a large contributor to said damage. In line with this I haven't received a answer on how to detect this issue going forward. I should note no object was ever found or detected during inspection as well as to my recollection of operating tractor. Of equal note is the alternative dealer believes that gauge would be acting erratically in said instance. And this dealer believes the other dealership is passing the buck.
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them
  • Thread Starter
#5  
according to michigan iron (a kioti dealership) the code means this

The codes listed refer to 'DPF" overload faults. This is generally caused by cancelling (2) Automatic Regen Cycles by reducing the engine rpm below 1700 during an automatic regen cycle. The dealer will need to do a "Forced Manual Regen" to be able to clear the DPF Filter and the error codes. These errors will put the tractor in "limp mode" to protect the engine.
Thank you I will utilize that for further investigation in the matter. Have a wonderful day!
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them #6  
I don't know where to direct you, but I'd try to get in touch with the Kioti regional rep.
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them
  • Thread Starter
#7  
I don't know where to direct you, but I'd try to get in touch with the Kioti regional rep.
Thanks for the response. I called kioti directly was told all communication goes through dealer. Was also told by dealer I was not allowed to talk to rep that handled root cause analysis.
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them #8  
I stay away from def.
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them #9  
Thanks for the response. I called kioti directly was told all communication goes through dealer. Was also told by dealer I was not allowed to talk to rep that handled root cause analysis.

That smells like a load of ********.

You could always take it to social media. 🤷‍♂️
 
   / 99 problems and my tractor is every one of them
  • Thread Starter
#10  
Good point! These are my first steps leading to that. Looking at consensus from various people from the heavy duty/ tractor industry.
 

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