Big Motor Trouble

[joeboy]

Recently bought a new diesel powered front mount mower with cab & heat.
With less than 30 hrs. the lift assembly cut the hose to the heater and drained the system while using.
Of course the motor stalled and upon leaving it cool and refilling it with coolant
nothing but black smoke poured out of the exhaust and no power.
The dealer says he will make it right, however I feel as though the machine has now been molested and will be thrown back together just to get it out.
I need some advice as to how to handle this.
Thanks

 

[Soundguy]

overheating engines eat rings fast.

black smoke is unburnt fuel.

engines that sieze generally wipe the bearings if oil related...I'd want new bearings and all the journals inspected. since yours was a water loos.. I'd look at pistons and cyls.. might be scoring.

if that engine is sleaved, new liners, possible pistons and rings should make her better, still won't hurt to look at main and rod journals .. etc.

see where this is going... ie.. near full rebuild.

soundguy

 

[Stimw]

Black smoke, no power - might be a turbo stuck. That's how they will act also.

 

[Soundguy]

turbo shouldn't have stalled it out though.

soundguy

 

[MikesTractor]

overheating engines eat rings fast.

black smoke is unburnt fuel.

engines that sieze generally wipe the bearings if oil related...I'd want new bearings and all the journals inspected. since yours was a water loos.. I'd look at pistons and cyls.. might be scoring.

if that engine is sleaved, new liners, possible pistons and rings should make her better, still won't hurt to look at main and rod journals .. etc.

see where this is going... ie.. near full rebuild.

soundguy

I agree completely.

If an engine rebuild is needed, and is done correctly, the machine will be as good as it was the day you got it.

Mike

 

[westcliffe01]

What was the purchase price ?

I still am floored that this kind of equipment isn't protected against low coolant and low oil/ oil pressure related damage. This kind of protection probably would run less than $120 to retrofit and the OE would pay much less than that with their purchasing power.

When considering engine damage due to loss of coolant, one has to imagine where the water will be lost first. Generally the cylinder head is the first to loose coolant, since gravity takes it down and away (assuming in line engine with vertical cylinders). Loose coolant to the head and you overheat the valve stem seals pretty quick. If not replaced you may burn oil later even if the bottom end is good.

Head bolts will typically stretch from the expansion of the head and often the head will warp. Usually, the heard bolts should be re-torqued as soon as the engine has cooled and before running it again, but that is too late now. It often will prevent a blown head gasket, but not always.

Sorry about the tough luck. Think about adding some systems to shut down the engine if something like this happens again (before damage is done).

 

[Jimmy Joe]

Not trying to put blame on anyone, but I was always curious if a situation like this ever came up with a piece of equipment I owned. They put a temp gauge and maybe a light on the dash. But if a person doesn't check it often he would not catch it in time to prevent damage. So will the dealer say it is the operators fault, even though it sounds like there was an equipment problem that cut the hose. I find myself concentrating on the job I'm doing and forgetting to check the gauges often enough. A alarm of some kind, such as a buzzer or beeper would be nice. The oil light on my lawnmower is barely noticeable on a sunny day, besides that I am looking where I'm going, not at the dashboard.
Then again if you are warming up an engine or running an implement, such as a wood splitter and are not in the seat a buzzer would not be heard. So maybe some kind of automatic shut down device is what is needed. But if there is a malfunction in the shut down device it could cause a lot of headaches too, like when brake and seat switches malfunction. I was driving a semi once and had a heater hose wear through, my first sign of overheating was when the radiator cooling fan kicked in. The gauges should be checked often but I'm probably as bad at it as anyone.

 

[zzvyb6]

My JD front ,ower has an overheat alarm and I know it works, even with ear muffs on. When crawling thru high hay gone to seed, the radiator screen can fill with chaff and seeds.

 

[mattman]

I would want a crate motor put back in mine. I would not go for the rebuild at such low hours. You are in a bad situation in my opinion, you don't want to seem like a jerk, but you don't want to get the short end of the stick.

My stance would be a completly new engine being installed no exceptions. Who knows what all went to heck when it got hot. They do a rebuild then 200 hrs from now something else shows up wrong that is a heat related failure. I would be scared of what they missed during the rebuild or did not do thinking it was ok.

my 2 cents

 

[Eagleview]

It obviously needs a piston kit etc to bring it back to original if it did in fact seize , but it mustn't have been damaged too badly . If it still starts , it still has pretty good compression . Are you sure it did not shut itself down to prevent damage ? The black smoke could be caused by something else .