Kubota 3910 ran out of water and will not run

[tacticalturnip]

The water pump had the leak, not the radiator. So tractor kept overheating. I also think dad (98 yo last year) was putting straight water in the radiator. By the time I found out and checked it out, head was cracked.

Straight water, in Maryland? Oh no!

 

[JWR]

Off on this side thing about buckeye farmer's Dad's tractor: This makes no sense. A leaking water pump does not cause overheating per se. Maybe the water pump was not pumping? Stop-a-leak does not cause overheating either. Putting straight water not mixed with antifreeze does not cause leaks nor overheating either one. Some places in MD got into hard freezes last winter but some did not. Besides that, freezing is very unlikely to crack the head and more likely to crack the block if it did anything. Very likely it was the overheating that cracked the head . How many rabbits are we chasing here anyway, and why ?

 

[workinonit]

I don't think he's saying any of that caused the damage but that the stop leak didn't stop the water pump from leaking and because of that it ran out of water and caused the damage....I think. I just think the straight water thing is because many people didn't live in the south 50 years ago and think you can't use straight water in a cooling system.

 

[5030]

In reality water with no AF added is a better conductor of heat.

 

[etpm]

The water pump had the leak, not the radiator. So tractor kept overheating. I also think dad (98 yo last year) was putting straight water in the radiator. By the time I found out and checked it out, head was cracked.

Oh, I get it. The tractor kept running out of water. Thanks for the clarification. I once had an overheating problem from a leaking water pump. It happened in the winter which turned out to be lucky for me. The heater in my van quit working but the temp. gauge showed normal operating temp. So I pulled over and waited for the engine to cool some so I could check things out. Sure enough there was no coolant visible in the radiator when I removed the cap. Lotsa steam though. I then waited about 30 minutes more to make sure the engine was plenty cool and stopped at the first gas station I saw. I put in a lot of water. Upon starting the engine I saw water coming out of the little hole in the water pump housing which I think is there to show that the seal has failed. Luckily I was close enough to home that I was able to drive there. If it had been warmer weather I wouldn't have known about the low coolant. I lucked out that the heater didn't work because there was no liquid flowing through the heater core.
Eric

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Off on this side thing about buckeye farmer's Dad's tractor: This makes no sense. A leaking water pump does not cause overheating per se. Maybe the water pump was not pumping? ?

Can’t pump what ain’t there.

But I told the tell to give the OP an idea of the repair cost.

 

[AnotherBueller]

... and I believe the 'Amazon' leak down / compression tester has the correct adapter. The adapters fit just about everything including my MF 2660, my BX2200, my kids BX, etc. No reason in the world to believe it lacks an adapter to fit the L3901 radiator.

A leak down tester tests the compression between two adjoining cylinders. Not for cooling system leaks.

 

[Rockbadchild]

well it won’t be op’s neighbour priority but he will certainly need a water pump, she certainly toast.

 

[JWR]

A leak down tester tests the compression between two adjoining cylinders. Not for cooling system leaks.

I'm not sure what you are saying. On the contrary from what you seem to say, the standard ordinary cooling system pressure test kit pressurizes the radiator and thus the entire cooling system using a hand pump. The gauge that comes with it shows you the internal pressure as you pump it up and then later as you monitor the pressure over time. It is the easiest and quickest way to see if there are leaks in the cooling system. In potential blown head gasket cases (or heaven forbid worse things like a cracked head or block) if the pressure is coming down rather than steady you know you have a cooling system leak. That tells you to go find where the leak is -- be it a blown head gasket or worse. None of this is "testing compression" exactly but if the reason you lost compression in one or more cylinders is a blown head gasket or cracked head or block this is part of tracking that down.

 

[JWR]

well it won’t be op’s neighbour priority but he will certainly need a water pump, she certainly toast.

I have not seen anything in this thread to suggest the OP's neighbor has a bad water pump. Someone else told a side story about his aging father's tractor with a dripping water pump. I think you have that and the OP situation confused.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I have not seen anything in this thread to suggest the OP's neighbor has a bad water pump. Someone else told a side story about his aging father's tractor with a dripping water pump. I think you have that and the OP situation confused.

no I am not and he will … water pump can’t run dry and if it turns for extended period of time without water it will overheat and melt the seals and compromise the bearing … so after the engin issues get figured out mine as well to be prepared to rebuilt the water pump.

 

[JWR]

no I am not and he will … water pump can’t run dry and if it turns for extended period of time without water it will overheat and melt the seals and compromise the bearing … so after the engin issues get figured out mine as well to be prepared to rebuilt the water pump.

The water pump, if it is bad as you predict, is by far the least of the OP's neighbor's worries.

 

[Rockbadchild]

The water pump, if it is bad as you predict, is by far the least of the OP's neighbor's worries.

They can blow up pretty quickly if run dry … I am just pointing out one more thing to check or take account of … I also said it won’t be his priority obviously he has to figure out the extent of the engin damages fist but i would hate to see the engine fix without looking at the water pump and blowing the engine for good or again …

 

[Rockbadchild]

In reality water with no AF added is a better conductor of heat.

yes concentrate AF is not good ... since on the subject of Antifreeze I just learn about diesel Antifreeze and its added additives to reduce cavitation... I was not aware of this. Initially when I got told I though it was a joke so I researching it and its true ... Not sure how important it is but worth knowing for sure.

 

[5030]

yes concentrate AF is not good ... since on the subject of Antifreeze I just learn about diesel Antifreeze and its added additives to reduce cavitation... I was not aware of this. Initially when I got told I though it was a joke so I researching it and its true ... Not sure how important it is but worth knowing for sure.

Only applies to a wet linered diesel engine. Parent bore or dry liners where the coolant don't touch the liner don't count and most cavitation supplements are additives, not in the AF. I use DCA4 myself.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Only applies to a wet linered diesel engine. Parent bore or dry liners where the coolant don't touch the liner don't count and most cavitation supplements are additives, not in the AF. I use DCA4 myself.

If I understand correctly it depends whether or not there is cooling cavity (bore) directly around the piston cylinder or not and these cavitation (bubbles) happens in these location ? ... the owner manual must specified whether or not these additives are required for each engine ?

but you can buy AF with the additive already in because some specified diesels engine AF and are more expensive then the traditional ones ... but yourself use normal AF and add the additive using DCA4 afterwards ?

 

[5030]

I add DCA4 with the antifreeze and I test the PH of the coolant regularly with a Fleet Guard PH test kit and if the PH isn't within the specified range, I add additional DCA4, which is a buffered solution to the coolant to bring it within the required range. Other nice thing about DCA4 is even in a parent bore (dry liner) engine, keeping the PH within specified range means your cooling system and radiator don't get internally clogged.

My Kubota's both run conventional ethylene glycol (green) coolant but I'll add DCA4 to them to keep the PH within the required range. I only own one wet linered engine and that is the 3406 Cat diesel in my farm truck. I change the coolant in both my Kubota's every other year anyway.

DCA4 is available online or at most any truck dealership's parts counter. It's a Cummins part but is used in all heavy duty diesel engines.

The Fleet Gard PH test kit isn't a cheap date but is a requirement for me. You can also use a Brix Refractometer to ascertain the PH level if you want to go that route.

One thing you NEVER want to do is mix extended life coolant with conventional ethylene glycol as it will turn to goo inside the engine.

 

[5030]

If I understand correctly it depends whether or not there is cooling cavity (bore) directly around the piston cylinder or not and these cavitation (bubbles) happens in these location ? ... the owner manual must specified whether or not these additives are required for each engine ?

but you can buy AF with the additive already in because some specified diesels engine AF and are more expensive then the traditional ones ... but yourself use normal AF and add the additive using DCA4 afterwards ?

That is correct. if the liners are exposed DIRECTLY to the coolant (wet linered engine), then cavitation can occur and once it starts it keeps right on going until the liner gets a hole in it and then it's rebuild time. Like I said, I still use it (DCA4) to keep the PH of the coolant withing the required range because it prevents things like solder bloom inside the radiators and keeps the coolant passages in the engines clean as well.

Coolant wears out and the additives decrease with each heat and cool cycle.

 

[crashz]

You are right on the coolant 5030, but cavitation can happen in all diesels. The thin liners are most susceptible to cavitation erosion, but so are the blocks of engines without liners. The international 6.9 and 7.3 engines (IDI and PS) are know to spring leaks if the coolant is neglected.

Don't know where the OP went, but I'm curious is the owner is going to fix or scrap the tractor. I wonder what a long block for it would even cost?

 

[5030]

The international 6.9 and 7.3 engines (IDI and PS) are know to spring leaks if the coolant is neglected.

I know and I own a 7.3 PS and it gets DCA4 and it's PH checked regularly. In fact Fords recommends it in the owners manual (which I have) as I bought the truck new in '97.