1965 135 continetal overheating.

johnking · Aug 19, 2012

Hello all, I took my new to me tractor out to the farm this weekend to bush hog both high grass(Cut for hay 2 months ago) and 2 to 3 years of neglected pasture(3 ft high weeds). I replaced oil, oil filter, water temp gauge, oil pressure gauge and topped off the radiator with distilled water. I mowed for about 30 to 40 minutes and all was well. Oil pressure started at about 22 and decreased to about 18 and stayed steady for most of the day, air temp was 83 F. After stopping and checking fluids after 40 mins, I mowed 20 mins in the 2 yr growth and the temperature rose. I thought maybe I had overfilled the radiator so I took the cap off with a rag and began to mow again and the temp dropped and rose slowly again. I repeated the process twice more with the same results. I then took the rad cap off, put it back on and mowed the shortest grass on the property for approx 40 min without an increase in water temp but upon high weed reentry the temp climbed. After consulting the guys at my church the consensus was ,new thermostat needed or clean the radiator(which did accumulate some leaves). I also wonder if the guy I got it from replaced the old radiator cap with the correct new one. The current cap has 20 on the center of it. Does this mean 20lbs which I believe the Massey is a 7 lbs cap, if so should replacing this cap fix the problem? Any and all opinions welcome. Thanks

The kid · Aug 19, 2012

John, you mentioned several areas. Check to see if the radiator is clear of debre. Check to see if your fan belt is tight. Not banjo tight, but should be able to push it in with your finger about 1/4-1/2". You should not be able to move the fan blade. (engine off

)No more than that. Does your top hose get hot after first starting it up and running for ten minutes? Are you using straight water. You should have a 50/50 mix with antifreeze/coolant. Cooling system holds a little over two gallons. Are you losing water out the overflow? The overflow tube end would be wet. If you've replaced the water in it, you possibly could have some air trapped in the system. Is it blowing steam, when you say it's overheating? A frozen/stuck thermostat will defintely heat one up quick. Thermostat is rated at 160 degrees and you are correct on the 7# cap.

johnking · Aug 20, 2012

I will clean the radiator, it does have some debris. Fan belt is tight. I will check the top hose. I am going to drain and refill the rad so I know what the mix is, right now I am unsure.I am not loosing water out of the overflow(By overflow do you mean the small hole that is sealed by cap about and inch below the top of the rad opening?). It is not blowing steam but I always shut it down before it goes into the red on the gauge.

The kid · Aug 20, 2012

johnking said:
I will clean the radiator, it does have some debris. Fan belt is tight. I will check the top hose. I am going to drain and refill the rad so I know what the mix is, right now I am unsure.I am not loosing water out of the overflow(By overflow do you mean the small hole that is sealed by cap about and inch below the top of the rad opening?). It is not blowing steam but I always shut it down before it goes into the red on the gauge.

John, here's another thought. your radiator may be paritally clogged due to poor maintenance. impurities in water will leave traces behind and over a period of time could restrict the flow. with engine cold and cap removed. Start it up and look to see if water is moving inside the radiator. there are "DIY" methods on the net to clean the rad yourself.

one clue was it started to cool off once you cleared the high grass area. bush hogging requires a low range gear to keep the rpm's up so as to not overheat. it also will cut cleaner. Same principle as a power yard mower. if you don't feel confortable trying to clean the rad by yourself. take it to a rad shop and they will boil it out and probably get a new paint job too.

- robert

johnking · Aug 21, 2012

I rechecked the fan belt and it is looser than it should be. My plan for this week is to tighten fan belt, flush the rad with a flush treatment I got at auto zone, refill rad, replace rad cap with a 7lbs, clean the rad and drain my tranny oil and replace with NAPA universal tractor hydraulic oil. That should keep me busy. My wife is really wanting to bush hog.

texasjohn · Aug 21, 2012

All good advice and remedial actions/plans so far. When mowing high weeds, very fine material can and will get into the fins of the radiator...it may look like the radiator is clean of debris, however, you should take a water hose and run the water THRU the radiator, back to front, to push out any stuck debris.

if you do all of this and still have the overheating problem, The Kid is right, you need to get the inside of the radiator cleaned out at a shop (they are hard to find), or replace the radiator.