Beware John Deere 4*20 series owners--antifreeze leak

[Agent Blue]

Had my '08 4720 in this summer for the front gasket leak/replacement. Got lucky and had it done under warranty; only had about 170 hours on it.

What if it is a continueing problem ? Has John deere come out to say what the fix is ? Will they warranty the repair for any specified period of time ? A two grand repair isn't something I want to look forward to after buying their defect they won't admit to. If this condition is wide spread and the company does not recall this repair I don't have much faith in their engineering requirements. Is Yanmar responsible for this or is it to John Deere's specifications ? I don't believe this is going away and there are more in the pipe line. One thing we know for sure..... the repair shops will be smileing. I believe the sealant will be implicated as the cause.

 

[kford13]

My dealer simply said that it should not be leaking and took care of the warranty claim, I didnt even have to ask about it. They told me that it was a gasket and sealant replacement. No problems since, however I've not gotten alot of seat time either.

 

[D4120]

Let's hope it's not a ongoing problem. I did call JD customer service and their response was we haven't had any complaints on this issue or non listed. Based on the number of responses on this site, it appears to be an issue. Here's the number for anyone who may want to call, 800-537-8233. I'm picking mine up on Friday and will quiz the service manager at that time about the nature of this repair. I think they only cover service work for 90 days. I'm curious about the old gasket/sealant vs. the replacement. Let's hope they didn't use the same $&#@ stuff. Agreed on it being an issue in the line, there will be others. Mine is an '06 and I have been please with the performance; however, this is like a kick in the sack..... A $1500 coolant leak that requires the ENTIRE front end of the tractor be removed. Maybe JD needs to revisit their engineers on this one. Just spoke with the service manager at my local shop, he claims they have not seen many of these. They did have a skid steer with the same issue a couple of years ago and it has the same engine. Who knows, I'm eating this one......

 

[Cidertom]

Re "we haven't had any complaints..." Bogus answer. There is a DTAC case on this with the fix process. Mine is out of warranty; dealer offered to split the cost with me. I and my son are going to do it this winter. Since he has done several at his job as a JD Mechanic, I figure he knows what needs to be done. he says about $35 in parts, dinner, two cases of beer. Since it is a known problem that is a bad choice of sealant at the factory I think JD should have just fixed it. Good news is: Son says no repeat customers, the fix holds

 

[Agent Blue]

Cidertom that is good news. I had a hard time believing the expansion rates between the block and cover caused this problem. Many gaskets are being replaced by liquid " gasket maker " these days. I don't know if this is good or bad but I believe in gasket material. Who knows how much of that " goop " could end up internally to cause another problem.
I am sure dealers get reinbursed for warranty repairs and the company knows what is going on. They will silently fix the problem and not look back.

 

[Cigar Face]

IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANY VEHICLE AND TO BLAME IT ON AN ALUMINUM HEAD MATED TO AN IRON BLOCK IS REDICULOUS. i WASNT AWARE THEY WERE STILL MAKING IRON HEAD ON ANYTHING. sO, USE SOME BARS STOP LEAK (AND GET YOU SEVERAL YEARS ,IN MY OWN EXPERIENCE) OR FIX IT YOURSELF OR THE DEALER AND SUCK IT UP). iT CAN CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME. JUST CONSIDER YOURSELF THE UNLUCKY LOTTERY WINNER. nOBODY OWES ANYBODY ANYTHING UNLESS YOUR UNDER WARRANTY. P.OOP HAPPENS

 

[D4120]

What is a DTAC? When I spoke with the service manager yesterday and voiced my complaint, he said: "we are gonna take care of you". Not really sure what to make of that, even if they would split the cost, that would show acceptance of responsibility. I'm prepared to pay for it, but it's a d a m n e d expensive water leak. Glad to know the repair is worthy and hopefully we won't be down this road again.

 

[sunnyside360]

I had a 2007 4320 with the exact same antifreeze issue. It happened after about 2 years and 200 hours. Deere warranty covered the cost for repairs. From my experience, John Deere has always been very good about fixing equipment while under warranty. In a case like yours (expired warranty) you might get some help for a known defect if you are tactful and persistent enough. Good luck.

 

[gogreen]

Sorry, I hadnt checked this for few days. So far, I haven't done anything else yet, still sitting in the building leaking. I am going to go back to my dealer and see if they might adjust the labor rate to help me out. They did say the shop is like 3 weeks behind, so you kind of get the feeling that it doesn't matter if I take them the work or not. I am still considering doing it myself, just trying to make sure I am not overlooking any complicated steps. For one, the fuel lift pump in also part of the timing cover, so I want to know what I am getting into as far as removing that and getting it back together. I will google the 4120 leak to take look at the pictures right now. Thanks for all the information.

 

[gogreen]

Well, I just looked at that picture. Leaning a lot more to just taking it to the dealer. I could see me having parts all over the shop floor for weeks trying to get it back together. haha