BX2200 overheats

joe_tiac · Jun 21, 2004

Thanks guys,

I blew out the radiator with a leaf blower - got all visible debris out of it. 'followed up with a quick bath with water hose.

I mowed for about an hour without it getting into red zone, but close. Then I let it idle for a few minutes and it cooled down immdiately. BTW, I did grease the center fitting on the deck.

I'm probably pushing the mower hard in hot weather - full pto speed, but sorta slow forward speed. Grass here is bahaia, which is pretty tough.

The post on removing the battery is probably appropriate too.

I agree, an air compressor should be standard equip, with tractors.

We also have a bigger tractor with a bush hog, which I'll use for the rest the pastures.

Thanks, Joe /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Tom_H · Jun 22, 2004

Joe,

I think there's still something wrong. I can take my BX2200 with 42" GearMore rough cutter on the 3ph and cut brush that's extremely thick and 6' tall, running the engine at 90% throttle all day in 113 degree heat. If everything is clean with unimpeded airflow, the temp. guage never goes past center vertical. You should not have to worry about being at less than 90% rpm or being in grass that's too dense (assuming blades are sharp), or operating in weather that's too hot.

Sometimes a problem can have one single cause. Other times, several little things can add up to make a problem. Cleaning your radiator seems to have helped, but I'd recommend looking for another factor that is still preventing optimum performance of the cooling system.

Tom

joe_tiac · Jun 22, 2004

'don't know what happened to the post I made last nite.

I blew out radiator fins with leaf blower - seemed to work. Then finished it off with water hose.

After about an hour it didn't get into red zone, but close.

I must be pushing it too hard because it cooled off quickly on idle with mower disengaged.

I think an air compressor is good advice too.

Thanks, Joe

joe_tiac · Jun 22, 2004

'ha,
'found my post on the second page - I'm a newbe.

You may be right. I had new blades. 'probably should have touched up the sharpening.

It is a 60'' deck, and I was running at 100% throttle.

I'll keep looking for something else. The fact that it cooled so quickly tells me that there's some drag that probably shouldn't be there.

Tnx, Joe

Junkman · Jun 22, 2004

If the engine over heats when using the tractor, but cools down quickly when it is at an idle, indicates a slipping fan belt. When the engine is at full throttle, the belt slips and doesn't circulate the coolant through the radiator, nor does it keep the fan spinning fast enough. Check the fan belt for a glaze or looseness. If this machine is new, have the dealer deal with it. If it is older and the belt is original, replace it with a new Kubota factory replacement. I know that you can purchase belts almost any where, but for the best performance, get the belt that is designed for the engine. Also clean the dirt off the blade of the fan while cleaning the radiator. If the radiator has a lot of dirt embedded in it, spray the radiator first with a solution of dish washing liquid and water. Flush with lots of clean water. This will emulsify the dirt and allow the passages to be cleaned properly with no harmful effects. A properly maintained cooling system should keep that tractor in the green even in 100 degree weather....

upgw · Jun 23, 2004

I mow a 4 foot tall field in mid-summer at 100% throttle with the 60 inch deck in 'top' position, she runs a needle's width above the center of the temp guage, any hotter and I know she needs to be cleaned out. See if you can turn your fan in either direction with the engine off, that belt is really tight on mine, make sure it's full of coolant. Shine a light through the radiator, make SURE it's clean. I guess it's possible the thermostat is stuck, but your symptoms really don't match that, unless is partially stuck.

- Patrick

Junkman · Jun 23, 2004

Patrick..... thermostats never get partially stuck... this is an old wives tale. They are either good or bad. Open or closed.... Rarely, you will have a thermostat that is intermittently "stuck" open or closed, but the incidents of this are so rare, that it isn't even considered any longer as a viable situation in diagnostics. If the thermostat was closed, it would over heat rapidly and not cool down quickly at all. In fact, you could hear the coolant boiling in the block if this were the case. Many people remove the thermostat thinking that it will allow the engine to run cooler. If the thermostat is removed, the engine might never come up to operating temperature and as a result there is sludge formation in the engine from cold oil. This was common in old automotive engines because many didn't have thermostats or if they did, they were removed in the spring along with the alcohol based coolant that was used in that era. Anti-freeze coolant as we know it today is only about 50 years old. Before that, cracked blocks from freezing were a common problem for auto owners that didn't maintain their vehicles properly. That meant checking every thing weekly!!!!

upgw · Jun 23, 2004

Junkman, Well, agreed, I've never seen that myself, only stuck all the way open, however, my old-timer 'source' begs to differ! ;-)

- Patrick

Junkman · Jun 23, 2004

Tell the old timer that I said a partially stuck open or closed thermostat is like being a little bit pregnant. It either is or it isn't... In 50+ years, I have never taken one out that was partially bad. Bad is bad, good is good, and there is no inbetween.... Just like pregnancy.. she either is or she isn't.... !!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

BIGUN · Jun 24, 2004

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If the engine over heats when using the tractor, but cools down quickly when it is at an idle, indicates a slipping fan belt. When the engine is at full throttle, the belt slips and doesn't circulate the coolant through the radiator, nor does it keep the fan spinning fast enough. Check the fan belt for a glaze or looseness. )</font>

I agree with Junkman. I had a ’69 Dodge Charger with a flex fan which required a lot of power to turn. When out on the highway the temp gauge would indicate just below HOT. As soon as I pulled into town and slowed down or came to an idle it would cool down to normal temp before I could get out and get the hood up.

A V-belt gets it’s “traction” on the sides, not the bottom. In this case the belt had worn so thin that even though it was tightened properly, it was bottoming out in the pulley instead of “getting traction” on the sides. When under heavy load at higher RPM it just slipped and the water pump turned too slow. The radiator was full of cool water, thanks to the highway speed air blowing through it, but the pump wasn’t pushing it through the engine. The new belt was visibly wider and cured the problem immediately.