5093e Overheated - What to do now?

KY Gun Geek · Jul 27, 2015

Over heated a tractor today, need some advice on what to do next. Here's the story. I wasn't driving but was there when overheat condition was discovered:

Tractor was pulling a 15' batwing in a horse field (just grass, slight roll) but it had been mowing for an hour in 90 degree heat, so the tractor was good and hot. Tractor pulled up to gate (and me) and I immediately saw smoke/steam coming from left side.

We were slightly concerned that it might be a fire and the driver jumped out - tractor running. After some very quick triage (eyeballs) I figured out that a coolant hose was leaking - no idea how long it had been leaking, but the tractor seemed to be running fine. I climbed in the cab and checked the temp gauge which was pegged hot. We drove the tractor out of the field and then left it running a couple of minutes while we figured out what to do next. We usually let tractors cool a few minutes after running them hard, but given that the coolant was in the process of exiting the system I elected shut it down. After sitting 10 mins or so, I turned switch back on, and temp went to about half way into the red. Hose had stopped spewing coolant.

Turns out the steps had pinched a rubber hose that carried coolant to/from the cab heater core. Dunno the cause of that, but less concerned about that issue (long time rub or some trauma) than the possible damage to the engine.

So, what do I do next? Obvious step is repair/replace hose and coolant but, should I do anything special before I fire it up again? What kind of damage should I be looking for?

Thanks!

whis · Jul 27, 2015

check for leaks and get better steering wheel holder, he should have been checking gauges, won't know about damage till you run it. was there an alarm going off?

beenthere · Jul 27, 2015

I wouldn't do anything other than refill the coolant after fixing the hose. Doubt you did any damage, but should watch it carefully upon start-up for any spike in temp.
Check oil for any signs of coolant before and after start-up.

Let us know if anything out of the ordinary.

What is the condition of the radiator..? clean of debris?

hosspuller · Jul 27, 2015

The high heat was hard on the engine oil. Consider reducing the time to the next change.

foreman Etexas · Jul 27, 2015

I don't think should do anything more than what you mentioned(fix leak/coolant/oil)I doubt will see any issues but I wouldn't do it again to it. It should have had a light come on,I'm sure you said it but stress the importance of glancing at gauges often,could turn out costly

KY Gun Geek · Jul 27, 2015

beenthere said:
I wouldn't do anything other than refill the coolant after fixing the hose. Doubt you did any damage, but should watch it carefully upon start-up for any spike in temp.
Check oil for any signs of coolant before and after start-up.

Let us know if anything out of the ordinary.

What is the condition of the radiator..? clean of debris?

Radiator (and general state of the tractor) is clear. Thanks for the input. I think you are looking to see if there is a head or head gasket problem (my first suspect). Let you know some time tomorrow - we have lots of mowing to do...

KY Gun Geek · Jul 27, 2015

hosspuller said:
The high heat was hard on the engine oil. Consider reducing the time to the next change.

I am 10 hours out on the normal change interval. Change added to the list.

foreman Etexas · Jul 27, 2015

It happens I just had my New Holland break a belt but I caught it fairly quick still hit the red turned it off and had water boiling so it happens pretty quickly. Mine has been fine since.

KY Gun Geek · Jul 27, 2015

whis said:
check for leaks and get better steering wheel holder, he should have been checking gauges, won't know about damage till you run it. was there an alarm going off?

Sorry - I left out this part - the operator was my wife. There has already been a discussion, but, you guys can imagine how that ended up. To be fair, she is actually a pretty good equipment operator. You should see her pluck 1200# roll bales off of a flatbed trailer. However, there can be lapses...

There was no light/alarm - she didn't report one, and I didn't see one when I drove it out of the field. I'm not sure there is a light for temp. Will RRTFM (re-read the f'n manual, close kin to RTFM)