I haven't long owned my international 444. I recently bought a topper to top my field. I was running for about 15/20minutes on Tuesday before my core plug blew out. I put the core plug back in with engine sealer and tried topping the field again today. But again I was running for 15/20minutes and noticed water/steam coming out of the radiator cap. So I stopped the tractor as I did not want to do any further damage. I've flushed the radiator out with a hose. The radiator seems to be clear. Any advice on what my problem could be? Thanks in advance
intenational 444 overheating problem
- Thread starter mcarr444
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bobmisi
Silver Member
I had the same symtoms and it turned out to be one of the cylinder liners moved up a bit and caused my problems that were similar to what you are describing. Hope that your problem is less than that, but just trying to give you one possible cause.
LD1
Epic Contributor
What is a topper? and what is topping a field?
Use compressed air to clear the radiator. Water just dont do a good job. And make sure the coolant level is okay and you have proper mix of antifreeze/water.
Also, make sure the fan is turning and the belt is in good condition
Use compressed air to clear the radiator. Water just dont do a good job. And make sure the coolant level is okay and you have proper mix of antifreeze/water.
Also, make sure the fan is turning and the belt is in good condition
LD1
Epic Contributor
IF it is indeed a mower or bushhog, those certainly put a load on an engine. The core plug is another name for what some call freeze plugs
Yes a topper is a grass mower. The tractor only seems to be overheating when I'm running high revs to drive the topper. It seems fine when a bit less is being asked of it. i.e pulling the trailer. But as I bought the tractor to top my field I could do with getting to the bottom of the overheating I'm experiencing when running the topper. Thanks for the replys
prs
Platinum Member
Water pump not up to snuff? Head passages restricted with boiler scale? Flush again with citric acid radiator/cooling system product (Prestone Super Flush), follow the directions with product. Evans NPG+ is a coolant that resists boiling much better, but $ and a bit of trouble to install and can be inconvenient if you need to top-up because it needs to be topped-up with more pure Evans.
IH 424 was my second tractor years ago. I always wondered what the number system for IH is; i.e., what is the feature difference between 424 and 444????
prs
IH 424 was my second tractor years ago. I always wondered what the number system for IH is; i.e., what is the feature difference between 424 and 444????
prs
Cheers for the advice guys, I bought a thermostat to try that as it seemed the one that was already there was not working, to find that some tattle had taken it out!!! So it seems to me that someone has tried to cover up a bigger problem. I'm guessing its a head problem with the removal of the thermostat. Any thoughts on the reasoning behind removing the thermostat by the previous owner?????? Also anyone recommend any places in the uk where I can buy parts for my 444????? Thanks in advance
GManBart
Elite Member
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Lots of people feel that there is no need for running a thermostat in a tractor and remove them. I don't necessarily agree, but it's a commonly held belief. Use compressed air and really make sure you blow the radiator fins clear (from both directions). It doesn't take all that much to plug up the passages, and sometimes they're blocked too far in to see without really getting close and using a light from the far side. Once some/all of the fins are plugged you'll get overheating pretty easily.
You say lots of people remove the thermostats, what is the thinking behind removing the thermostat?? I will try the compressed air too see if that helps thanks
LD1
Epic Contributor
It elimates a restriction and let's the tractor run cooler.
Downside is they operate most efficiently when warm. Without a t-stat that may never happen.
Downside is they operate most efficiently when warm. Without a t-stat that may never happen.
GManBart
Elite Member
- Joined
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- 4,976
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- Detroit, Michigan
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 241, Kubota SVL90-2
I think what they're thinking is that the cooler the engine runs, the better, but that's not entirely true. When you take the thermostat out the engine runs as cool as possible, because the coolant is flowing constantly, with no restriction. The problem is, that may not be warm enough to get the oil hot enough to boil off the normal contaminants that are the byproduct of combustion. It's probably okay if you're using the machine hard, but for partial load work, probably not.
prs
Platinum Member
The thermostat was most likely removed in an attempt to fix the over heating problem, or maybe the original thermostat failed on closed mode. If over hearing with the thermo out, as you found, then you know there is another problem and a new thermo will not fix that. It may be as simple as a matted radiator grid, a failing water pump, or restricted water passages in the head. Matted radiator can be soaked with hydrogen peroxide and left to soften for a half hour before gently rinsing the crud away. Water pumps are not so hard to replace and some can be repaired. Clogged passages MUST be cleared! Heads warp, gaskets blow, pre-ignition robs powder and damages rod bearings and wrist pins. Commercial prepared organic acid flush agents are effective in most cases, follow the directions.
prs
prs
I've fitted the tractor with a new thermostat and flushed the radiator out 2/3 times with a garden hose. And I managed to top my field the other day with no overheating much to my surprise. As the tractor was running for 2/3 hours constant! All be it not running the tractor hard. So I don't know if my problem is solved or just waiting for a more stressful job to re surface. Thanks again your advice is very helpfull
DennisFolsom
Gold Member
Good to see you are making progress. Now that you've worked it some, I would flush it another time or two with some kind of "radiator flush" product.
Remember that you might be stirring up some dust, chaff, etc. while mowing. You may need to blow out the air passages in your radiator occasionally.
Remember that you might be stirring up some dust, chaff, etc. while mowing. You may need to blow out the air passages in your radiator occasionally.
tjcarguy
Bronze Member
Petrol or Diesel ? I have had similar overheating issues simply by driving my tractor down the road at elevated engine speeds for 1/2 hour . Hope yours is working better now .---Trevor
Mine is a diesel Trevor. Seems to be working fine after the engine flush. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
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