How big should the battery be

[Hooked_on_HP]

How big should the battery be in my 1900. The one it has now is 13" wide and 9" tall and sits 3"in front of the radiator. The core of the radiator is 16"wide and 13"tall. The battery blocks off most of the radiator. Could this be blocking enough air to make it run hot on 90+ days. I thought of taking the battery out while it was running to see if it helped but was afraid of hurting the alternator.
Bill

 

[RickB]

IIRC, the 1900 takes a group 27 battery, which is about the size you describe. 3" between the rad and battery is sufficient for proper airflow, all else proper. You might remove the hood, battery and radiator shroud, or remove the radiator altogether so as to be able to really clean the dirt and debris from the core. The backside can collect quite a bit in the corners of the shroud. It might not have had a proper cleaning in most of the last 25 years. Also check the inside of the core for mineral buildup in the tubes impeding coolant flow. Next step would be a new thermostat and/or radiator cap.

 

[Soundguy]

And don't run it without the battery in it.. alt's HATE that!!!

do, as rick says, and see if the core is internally plugged up or the fins are filled with debri externally..

pull bottom hose and collect coolant.. put a 1/2" garden hos ein top.. see if the rad will flow the flow o fthe garden hose... it should do a pretty good job of it without overflowing... if it overflows... rads plugged..

soundguy

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

I replaced the thermostat tonight when I got home. As I was letting it warm up with the cap off I noticed there was verry little circulation in the radiator. I let it get to operating temp to make shure the thermostat was open and stil there was little circulation. I will try soundguy's trick with the garden hose to see if it is the radiator or the water pump.
Bill

 

[Soundguy]

To check the water pump. remove top hose from rad, and remove thermostat ( usually somewhere under cap/nozzle for top hose.. aim hose into bucket.. start tractor.. water pump should pump water from rad into bucket.

soundguy

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Tonight I drained all the antifreeze. I disconected both radiator hoses and put the garden hose in and turned it on. The water came out the bottom as fast as it went in the top. I don't see any build up on the cores so I will assume the radiator is ok. Then I removed the thermostat and hooked up the lower radiator hose and filled the radiator with water. The upper hose was still connected to the thermostat housing but not to the radiator.I put the end of the upper hose in a bucket and started the tractor. It took about 10 seconds to pump all the water out of the radiator. Next I hooked the upper hose back up to the radiator and filled it with water and started it up.Without the thermostat the water was flowing like a river through the radiator.It seems the water pump is ok. I removed the battery and took a close look at the radiator like Rick suggested. I didn't see any dirt or anything plugging it but I cleaned it good any way. I reinstalled the thermostat, filled it with antifreeze and warmed it up. Coolant was circulating good through the radiator. I didn't get to work it hard to see if it still gets hot. It takes about an hour of heavy mowing for it to get hot. The temp slowly creeps up. I did check the temp with a IR gun when the guage was showing hot and it was 205 at the thermostat housing. So far I havent found any thing to indicate that I fixed the problem. What else could make it run hot.I have already checked for a leaky head gasket.
Bill

 

[RickB]

If it doesn't get any hotter than 205 at the thermostat housing, I'd not worry.

 

[mattman]

What is the ratio of antifreeze you are putting in?? Water carries heat away faster than a high antifreeze ratio. Antifreeze is oily and holds heat. I feel a 50/50 mixture works well.

 

[Hooked_on_HP]

Rick, It gets 205 at the thermostat housing,but if I ckeck toward the bottom of #1 cyl it reads 215. It has never got this warm in previous years. I am running a 1' wider mower than before. Is the temp. sending unit NPT thread. If it is I will put a autometer temp guage in with numbers on it. What temp is considered to hot to operate . All the trucks at work are programed for the fan to come on at 205 and to shut down at 220.
Bill

 

[RickB]

Rick, It gets 205 at the thermostat housing,but if I ckeck toward the bottom of #1 cyl it reads 215. It has never got this warm in previous years. I am running a 1' wider mower than before. Is the temp. sending unit NPT thread. If it is I will put a autometer temp guage in with numbers on it. What temp is considered to hot to operate . All the trucks at work are programed for the fan to come on at 205 and to shut down at 220.
Bill

The temp sender thread is most likely to be British Standard Pipe Tapered. The pitch is different than NPT. You are near the upper edge of my comfort zone so far as temps go, but I'd not worry much if it doesn't go higher. Remember IR thermometers are not dead nuts accurate, nor is your temp sender/gauge (probably). I love my IR thermometer, but the color and texture of the surface being measured can and does affect the readings. My bottom line on this is, if it's not boiling fluid from the overflow, it's not overheating. Up to that point, hotter is more efficient. Remember, you have a pressurized system with antifreeze and the boiling point is raised accordingly.