NH T1520 ENGINE SEIZED

[GLENN AUKER]

I was just helping my friend who has a 2009 NH T1520 with 900hr. To make a long story short- the remains of one of the main engine bearings is in the bottom of the oil pan. After inquiring how the tractor was being used when it stopped I found out that the owners son had the throttle totally maxed out and stepped into the house for a few minutes. When he came back out it wasn't running! My question is this (since I sold the tractor to him!) should the tractor have been able to sustain this? Thanks in advance for any input. I do understand that it is not a good a good practice to race the engine like that.....

 

[RickB]

There's more to that story. A guy has to work pretty hard to grenade one of those engines.

I'd want to know a lot more about the owner's maintenance efforts and less about what the son did or didn't do.

 

[oosik]

I agree with RickB. There is something leading up to the failure. Running at max rpm for a few minutes will not grenade a properly maintained engine.

 

[GLENN AUKER]

I bought it at an auction and sold it to this individual in November 2015. I don't have any of the service records, but the machine did appear to be well maintained and likely was garaged. The oil was very clean when I delivered the tractor to him, but when I drained it today it was quite dark.

 

[RickB]

Saw a TC33 get so hot once it seized. Cooled off, cleaned radiator, changed oil. Started & ran OK; passed a PTO dynamometer test. Still running several years later. ***Not recommended practice.***

 

[Kozzy49]

Generally speaking, running the tractor at full throttle should not have caused a problem. If you think about it if you run a chop mill off the PTO the tractor would running at about the same speed. As to the oil going black, that is not necessarily an indication of poor maintenance. Many diesel engines can blacken the oil with only a few hours operation.

It could be there was a problem with the bottom end which is why the unit was in an auction. Many years ago I worked in the farm equipment industry and it was common practice to put the "lemon" units to auction because they had a known problem that was to costly to repair.

 

[GLENN AUKER]

It was my understanding the tractor came from a farm that was selling out, but you never know at an auction! I will try to research maintenance records with the dealer that sold it originally. I guess I will have to open it up and see what's inside. So far I just dropped the pan a few inches, reached inside and pulled out some nasty looking pieces of bearing. Any good parts sources for these? Used engines? I can't believe it - this was the nicest tractor I've sold yet.

 

[RickB]

Records aren't gonna matter much. All you need to know is right in front of you and however you decide to deal with it. Good luck to you and the tractor owner. Not many aftermarket engine parts sources for this unit.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree, I don't think throttle alone killed it.

I used to leave my 8n on my detached farm for a while while my trailer was being redone. Didn't want to risk a better one unatended

With spring rain, oftentimes thistle and ragweeds, etc, could get 6-7' at the tops. I'd run that 8n with a 5' mower in 1st gear, standing on the runninboards, with the throttle jimmied open with a coat hanger over to the governor. Bid run 15 minutes, then stop to an idle and clean the 3" of fluff off the grill and then keep going.


Max rpm alone didn't kill that tractor. Something else was wrong and high throttle was a catalyst.

 

[Kozzy49]

Depending on how mechanically inclined you are, replacing the bearings in a engine does not require a total tear-down. Unfortunately you probably have one mangled main and it probably cannot be cleaned up with emery paper which will require removing the crankshaft which will require removing the engine and removal of the front cover and flywheel. Once that is taken care of you can remove the crankshaft and take it to a machine shop to be reground. Labour is the biggest thing on this type of repair.

 

[GLENN AUKER]

Thanks so much everyone for your help. Yes, I realize records won't do anything now- I was just trying to figure out if there was a problem I should have been aware of when I sold it... It is valuable to me to hear a number of you saying the same thing- it should have been able to take the high rpm. I was just measuring the bearings I pulled out and comparing them to the factory specs. It appears to be a rod bearing- all hammered flat. I do wonder why the engine would not rotate more than a half inch or so. Guess I won't know till I open it up. I do hope the comment about mostly labor is true! I've had enough bad experiences to know the budget for a job is not what you estimate up front. A JD 4310 I had with bearing problems ended up with a cracked crank and a used engine was the most economical way out. As far as being mechanically inclined- some people think I am, but I do wonder sometimes when I'm in the middle of a project. Just finishing up a JD 790 that was broken in half. Anybody know how demand is for 790? I will try to post an update when I get the NH opened up. It will likely be a few weeks though. Too many projects!

 

[GManBart]

Generally speaking, max RPM with no load is simply called "high idle" for a diesel.

 

[GLENN AUKER]

Update on the t1520- One of the rods were broken and the crank stopped so fast that all the flywheel bolts snapped off. I'm thinking the rod bearing might have spun and that's what started the problems. I had the crank ground and it checked out fine otherwise. Got most of my parts from Weaver Compact Tractors. Aftermarket parts at a fraction of the cost! I just need to assemble the engine now and hopefully it's good to go. I did buy the tractor back.

 

[grm61]

That is odd...sounds more like a hydrolock issue....I think there is more to the story, we are being fed bits and pieces, leaking head gasket, or injector, ...partial hydrolock..bent rod, then blows up

Diesel engines have a governor for a reason..to keep them from blowing up

 

[grm61]

Update on the t1520- One of the rods were broken and the crank stopped so fast that all the flywheel bolts snapped off. I'm thinking the rod bearing might have spun and that's what started the problems. I had the crank ground and it checked out fine otherwise. Got most of my parts from Weaver Compact Tractors. Aftermarket parts at a fraction of the cost! I just need to assemble the engine now and hopefully it's good to go. I did buy the tractor back.

Just re reading your post if the flywheel bolts were tight....Iam thinking ma bee not??? in any case Iwould be hard pressed to believe their was no twist in that crank.....sounds like a can of worms...don't punch yourself in the nads trying to save a buck:drink:

 

[GLENN AUKER]

Just re reading your post if the flywheel bolts were tight....Iam thinking ma bee not??? in any case Iwould be hard pressed to believe their was no twist in that crank.....sounds like a can of worms...don't punch yourself in the nads trying to save a buck:drink:

The rod got wedged between the crank and the block- that.s what made it stop so fast. The machine shop said it checked out fine and they were aware of what the crank had been through- hopefully they are right. A new crank is 2k....