Intermittent coolant leak- what's this? (Picture)

pretendfarmer · Apr 19, 2014

The people at Hoye are nice, and I have no problems with them personally. Notice that I did not name names, nor would I. That said, I've dealt with them twice in my life, and both times they've dropped the ball. What's a guy to think? The fact that others have had superior service doesn't really help me out, does it? I'm sure they'll make it right, but it doesn't change anything for me. Do you think I should sit here and sing their praises and pretend everything is just great? I would have appreciated that service manual for the job I am doing. You guys aren't looking at this from my point of view at all. You're simply sticking up for old blog buddies now, and ganging up on me. Enjoy, I'm out.

HoyeTractor · Apr 21, 2014

Hi Pretendfarmer,
I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Everyone here does our best to limit errors but, obviously, errors do happen. The person you talked to was not able to see your order when you called us to add the gasket & manual since you had just placed it online. Internet orders are only imported a few times per day. He made himself a note but unfortunately he got busy and forgot to get it added when the order was imported later in the day. It was our mistake and we will certainly get you the parts that you need assuming that you still want them. Just give us a call or email and we will sort out the details.

I always welcome any valid criticism. It is the only way we can know where we need to improve. If anyone ever has a problem please do not hesitate to contact me direct or post here. I will do my best to fix what is wrong.

Barry72 · Apr 21, 2014

my gray market tractor I have had for 6 yrs and had little trouble out of it with the proper maint. I would buy another one any day . much better to spend 7 grand than 16 grand. I have bought ALL my parts from hoye and had nothing but great luck with arron and his staff, great bunch of guys

pretendfarmer · Apr 23, 2014

Pretty simple job to remove the radiator aside from everything being rusted/corroded. One of the bolts on the fan shroud snapped as I tried to back it out. I am going to replace all of the 10mm bolts I took out as they are all rusty and decrepit. I used PB Blaster to free a few. The positive battery cable was impossible to remove from the battery due to corrosion. I ended up just cutting the cable in the interest of time and I will replace the whole thing. I need to drill out the bolt in order to get the end off of the battery. I don't have any needle nose vice-grips small enough to get a hold of any portion it is so degraded.

The upper and lower radiator hoses are still good, albeit old, so I am wondering if I should just re-use them and save the new ones for the future. There was damage to the lower radiator drain tube which was causing my intermittent leak- rust or something. I am going to get some engine degreaser and clean her up before I put everything back together. I am a perfectionist so I can't just hurry through this to get her running. A lot of the frustration comes from the fact that my shop is not built yet so I am working outdoors in heavy rain at times. I have rain gear, but trying to keep the tools dry, standing in mud, etc. is a challenge. If I had a shop right now I would actually enjoy spending some time getting her back into shape. I hope that someday I can actually learn to love this tractor instead of resent it like I have recently.

winston1 · Apr 23, 2014

there will be a better day. :thumbsup:

Barry72 · Apr 23, 2014

pretendfarmer said:
Pretty simple job to remove the radiator aside from everything being rusted/corroded. One of the bolts on the fan shroud snapped as I tried to back it out. I am going to replace all of the 10mm bolts I took out as they are all rusty and decrepit. I used PB Blaster to free a few. The positive battery cable was impossible to remove from the battery due to corrosion. I ended up just cutting the cable in the interest of time and I will replace the whole thing. I need to drill out the bolt in order to get the end off of the battery. I don't have any needle nose vice-grips small enough to get a hold of any portion it is so degraded.

The upper and lower radiator hoses are still good, albeit old, so I am wondering if I should just re-use them and save the new ones for the future. There was damage to the lower radiator drain tube which was causing my intermittent leak- rust or something. I am going to get some engine degreaser and clean her up before I put everything back together. I am a perfectionist so I can't just hurry through this to get her running. A lot of the frustration comes from the fact that my shop is not built yet so I am working outdoors in heavy rain at times. I have rain gear, but trying to keep the tools dry, standing in mud, etc. is a challenge. If I had a shop right now I would actually enjoy spending some time getting her back into shape. I hope that someday I can actually learn to love this tractor instead of resent it like I have recently.

once you get most of the needed repairs out of the way you can enjoy the rest. yes new hoses at this stage of the game is worth it. one less thing to worry about later

Looking4new · Apr 23, 2014

Best that you scrap the old hoses. When you put everything back together you might invest in a tub of 'never seize' for the threads.

Neat 1500 · Apr 24, 2014

Keep persisting. If you get half the good service i have gotten from mine you will be happy. They are a well engineered and rugged machine built for many years service, some are just neglected beyond simple repair. Once fixed it will serve you well.

pretendfarmer · Apr 25, 2014

When it rains, it pours. I couldn't get the terminal end off the battery with it in the tractor because it was so corroded, so I figured I would just cut the cable and replace it since it was really rusty over by the starter solenoid anyway. I took the terminal end off the battery today, which was much easier on a makeshift bench. I had sprayed PB Blaster all over the rusted nut at the starter solenoid, but it WOULD NOT BUDGE. With all my might I was trying to break it free and the whole end of the starter solenoid just crumbled. It was terribly disappointing. I now need a starter solenoid which is probably another week since there seems to be no parts local. Not sure if I should just buy a whole starter with solenoid, but I almost feel like this tractor has had the last laugh at this point. It's been down more than it has worked.

I had taken a picture to post here but Windows 8 has a fun new error message for me and my Samsung Galaxy S3 phone which says "USB device not recognized". I have spent hours trying to remedy it to no avail. My brand new, expensive laptop computer hinges are separating from the body and it needs to sent away for several weeks under warranty. Everything is breaking.