Bolens G174 heat warning light

[Rod in Forfar]

Since I bought the G174 three years ago the cooling system has never uttered a burp. It was as if the thing didn't have one. Then while I was picking up a little cherry tree in the woods with the dump box, the overheat light winked on faintly. I shut off and checked the coolant. All fine, and the engine wasn't hot to the touch.

Tinkering involved blowing out the radiator fins, removing the sender and cleaning it, cleaning the connection, draining the coolant and adding new, and a installing new fan belt.

Suspecting a head gasket I trailered it to a local machinery dealer. The mechanic who looked at it said it wasn't a head gasket and suggested the fan belt. At 32 years of age (original Mitsubishi belt) it was due for replacement. The water pump does not appear to leak, and I think the thermostat works, though I'm not sure.

So all is maintained on the cooling system, but the light still comes on faintly, more often than not. I suspect the sender is shot.

Advice? Source of sender?

Thanks,

Rod

 

[MBTRAC]

Where are you located?

 

[suntreemcanic]

Buy or borrow a temperature gun, point it at the area of the water coming out of the engine to the radiator and check the temperature. This can tell you what the real temperature of your engine is.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Where are you located?

Ontario, Canada.

 

[MBTRAC]

The Bolens G174 mechanicals are the same as an an Iseki TX2160/TX1500F - built in the same factory, same HP, gearbox, axles, diffs, pumps, linkage etc- the only major difference is some of the early series to maybe c.1981 use a K75 2cyl Mitsubishi engine whereas the later Iseki's mainly use a KB3 3cyl Mitsubishi.
Here's a list of parts suppliers in the USA which may assist (which I have copied from other sites) -unfortunately as I'm in Australia (where I use only Iseki dealers as there are no Bolens supplies) I have no recent experience with suppliers in the USA:-

A) ISEKI suppliers in the USA-
Sutton Tractor
6709 North I-35
Edmond, Oklahoma 73034
(405) 340-0268
Grey Market Tractor Parts
1-800-700-4739
Email: "mailto:suttontractor2@hotmail.com"

Rainbow Distributors Inc. (only distributor of new Iseki Equip. in USA))
1612 Kahai Street
Honolulu, Hawaii 96819
Phone: (808) 841-6203
Fax: (808) 847-1623
Email: "mailto:raindist@aol.com"
Website: "http://rainbowdistributors.com/Tractors/tractors.html"

Homestead Tractor
22311 Bear Valley Road
Apple Valley, California 92308
Telephone: 760-240-1062
Fax: 760-240-1126
Email: "mailto:hstractor@earthlink.net"

Sheaffer's Town & Country Tractors Inc.
320 Palmyra Road
Dixon, Illinois 61021
Telephone: 815-284-3226
Fax: 815-284-5050
Email: "mailto:sheaftractor@coiinc.com"

Southern Global Tractor
230 North Magnolia drive
Wiggins, MS 39577
Toll-free: 866-742-5748
Telephone: 601-928-7491
Fax: 601-528-9312
Email: "mailto:acker@ebicom.net"

Sonny's Farm & Home Supply
1733 N 200 W
Portland, Indiana 47371
Phone (260) 726-2808
Website: "http://sonnys_bolens.tripod.com/index.htm"

Valley Power Products, Inc.
3646-5 Aerial Way Drive,
Roanoke, Va. 24018
I can supply new and used parts for the Mitsubishi engines used on some of the models. I also sell manuals for the Bolens versions, from 15 to 27 hp. Call 800-609-5110, "mailto:vppinc@rev.net" or
We sell parts and manuals for Satoh/Mitsubishi tractors. 540-345-9650

Monarch Products
Glow plugs and spark plugs, with cross references by manufacturer, engine number, and tractor model.
1-888-800-9629
"http://www.sparkplugs.com"

B) Bolens suppliers in the USA

Bobby Bruneau at the Bolens Boneyard in Charleston S.C.
All Bolens parts but really strong in Large Frames.
(843) 889-8377

Bob Fenn at Horizon Equipment in Dunstable MA
Fast shipping on Bolens parts orders.
Very knowledgeable and willing to help.
rfenn@bolensman.com

Don & Pete Duff in Thurmond NC
Super Eaton Hydro knowledge and good with Wisconsin engines too.
336-874-7730
mrdadsr@aol.com

Richard Show (aka Blackjackjake) in PA
Good all around source for Bolens parts and attachments, VERY fair pricing.
rlshow4@comcast.net


Ray's Mower Shop in PA.
Good inventory of Bolens parts. Very knowledgeable.
Call Gloria or Noah at 610-367-2078
RMS1050@aol.com

Richter Power Supply in CA
Wisconsin Engine Parts
800-248-6476

Sweigard Bros. in Halifax, Pa
Bolens NOS parts inventory
swebros@aol.com
717-896-3414

Outdoor Distributors
Click on 溺TD parts, then enter the Bolens part number.
Lawn Mower Parts and lawn tractor parts and more Outdoor Distributors - Lawn Mower Parts

Plano Power in Plano, TX
Good source for Wisconsin parts.
(972) 423-5220
parts@planopower.com

Milaca Lawn and Garden in Milaca, MN
Very Good source for Kohler Parts and Parts Lists
http://www.milacalawn.com/parts.asp
Click on the 撤arts Look-UP box
then click on the Catalogs box and click on the drop-down list.

Jim Perlik for Bolens/Iseki Diesel Parts
jmperlik@yahoo.com

Sam's Bolens
Sam's Bolens

Wisconsin Engines Parts & Supplies
1000's of parts in stock!
wisconsinengines@earthlink.net
(814)766-3675

Trust this assists & if you need further details let me know - the Bolens/Iseki's are great little tractors & real easy to work on (IMO far better than Kubota's which I also own)

 

[NHmitch]

I have a TX1300F, and I briefly had an issue with the warnings light. I ended up replacing one of the lights, and my issue was coming from a power surge at the voltage regulator. The square box behind the dash where the back of the turn signal is located. It was allowing my tractor to charge at around 18volts, and wrecked my battery, blew my headlights, and my indicator bulbs. I have seen the temp indicators available on eBay if that is the issue. There is a guy in Oregon who I have bought parts from, and usually has parts for the engine that you have. I would give him a call: Small Import Tractor Supply

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Here's a list of parts suppliers in the USA which may assist (which I have copied from other sites) -unfortunately as I'm in Australia (where I use only Iseki dealers as there are no Bolens supplies) I have no recent experience with suppliers in the USA:-

Thank you for taking the trouble to compile this list. I'll save it and refer to it as needed in the future.

Rod

Walnut Diary | If Google has dropped you here, try typing "The Walnut Diary" and whatever you want to find. eg: "The Walnut Diary bass."

 

[Rod in Forfar]

Here's a list of parts suppliers in the USA which may assist.

I spent an amusing afternoon on my computer/phone, calling my way down the list. This thermo switch is unavailable in North America at the moment. In Japan they want $174 US for one. Ron in California was very helpful. He suggested a Yanmar thermo switch uses the same threads and runs at the same voltage, so it will work, and it's priced about $45. He ordered four and will send me one when they come in.

This gentleman seems very knowledgeable about the G174. He told me that he sold his G174 for a step-through Kubota and soon regretted it. But he did mention that, with loader, he got $8000 US for it on the sale.

The list above showed the business as

Homestead Tractor
22311 Bear Valley Road
Apple Valley, California 92308 Has stock for G174痴.

BUT while the telephone number located Ron, the emails were lost in space, and the company name seems to be Justtractorparts.

Telephone: 760-240-1062
Fax: 760-240-1126
Email: sales@justtractorparts.com

One other thing: during our conversation Ron told me that the sender on the KE75 fails because the ceramic inside the part that goes into the engine cracks. From that I can infer that one could almost cut the wire and rely on one's nose in the future, because there isn't necessarily anything wrong with the engine for the light to misbehave in this manner.

I'm still hoping to get a Yanmar sender and bolt it on, though.

 

[Ilikeurtractor]

You can also buy a temp gauge and adapt it to fit in the cylinder head. I believe the hole is a standard NPT, or at least an NPT will thread in and seal with one of the gauges I bought and used. The problem with the temp gauge is that you'll lose functionality of your warning light unless you get creative with a sensor that actuates off the electric temp gauge signal. I ran across a circuit board, I think from "Jegs Performance" or something like that, that you can tie-in to the gauge sending unit and adjust it to the temperature you'd like it to activate the light. Recently, I just extended the piping off the pump to install the gauge sensor and keep the original temp switch to activate the light. The circuit board didn't hold up the greatest on the tractor, but that's mostly due to the way I installed it.

 

[Rod in Forfar]

"Ron in California suggested a Yanmar thermo switch uses the same threads (NO!) and runs at the same voltage, so it will work (NOPE!), and it's priced about $45. He ordered four and will send me one when they come in."

The Yanmar thermo switch arrived today by Canada Post with about $17.00 due for brokerage fees. Fine.

I removed the old switch and squeezed the much larger Yanmar unit into the same space, taking some time to get the 27 mm wrench in around the fuel lines. It wouldn't tighten up to where anti-freeze didn't leak, so I eventually removed it to discover the Yanmar threads are coarse and the Iseki threads are fine. It wouldn't work. I took it out, screwed the old one back in, and grinned when the familiar light winked at me when I started up.

Lesson learned. A bad temp sender is better than a new one which makes the engine leak fluids.

Last weekend while waiting for the part I bought a 2005 Kubota B7510 with 210 hours, so I won't have to rely as heavily on the Bolens now.

I may have to post a change-of-address here for the Kubota forum, but so far I still prefer the sound and feel of the Bolens twin diesel. It's like a heartbeat. The Kubota? You strap yourself to the seat or slide out of it. The engine doesn't say anything to me, though it mows up a storm with a 5' belly mower. I seem to have a lot more arthritis since running it, but that may be the weather.