Overheating Revisited

Judy_in_NC · Dec 18, 2004

Thanks again to all of you who have shared your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions for my 3510 that began to overheat after extensive bush hogging.

I just got my van back from the transmission repairman, so I am eager to tow my tractor home from the farm where I'll have electricity to be able to blow out the radiator from the back.

One further question - the back of the radiator is completely covered with a shroud that extends all the way to and around the fan. I don't see anyway without a lot of trouble to "blow" the radiator out from the back as you are completing a bush hogging job. It looks like it is going to take a few minutes time to remove the bolts necessary to move the shroud back to clean the radiator. (I've actually decided I'm going to completely take the radiator out and give it a throough cleaning because of my misguided attempts to clean it from the front - I figure I've likely got a good bit of material worked in those coils pretty good from trying to spray it out repeatedly from the front.)

Don't remember the member who posted and asked how I knew it was getting hot - it was strictly from the temp meter. And someone else asked - yes I did check the thermostat and removed it temporarily per the dealer's suggestion to see if it made a difference.

Thanks for any advice you might have about the cumbersome shroud behind the radiator.

Judy in NC

btolle · Dec 18, 2004

Use your compressor blow gun and see if you can use a length of copper tubing bent to a 90 degree angle to blow without taking the shroud off.

If you have a Harbor Freight handy get one of their 2' long angled blow guns, evey handy 2 Ft Telescoping Blow Gun , $9.99, handy for reaching down into those hard to get to places.

Bill Tolle

Bird · Dec 18, 2004

Judy, I use a 2' long blow gun much like Bill described, except mine does not telescope. With the angled end and a rubber tip, I always just reached between the fan blades, but not far enough to actually touch the radiator with the end of the nozzle.

Judy_in_NC · Dec 19, 2004

Okay, it sounds like I need to get one of those.

It still seems to me that just working through the fan opening, there would be a lot of radiator area that would go uncleaned and cause you to be working the radiator at a much reduced capacity if you had been doing the sort of bush hogging that I did (that had a lot of VERY find seed material - it was much like the lint you'd get off a dryer screen) Don't know if you fellows will know what that is like.

I guess it's just something I'm going to have to experience using to be able to understand how well it works. Thanks again for the advice.

Judy in NC

RanchMan · Dec 19, 2004

( It looks like it is going to take a few minutes time to remove the bolts necessary to move the shroud back to clean the radiator. )

I don't go this far when I clean my 4110. I use a blowgun similar to mentioned above (except less fancy - same rubber tip and about 2' long though). I simply take off the side panels off the engine compartment which allows me to get the angle I need to position the blowgun tip inside the shroud. I can reach about 90% of the radiator directly using this method.

Total time to take the sides off, clean, and put them back on is somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes.

It does sound like an good cleaning with the radiator off may be in order if you blew things deeper in to it initially. From there out, just remove the sides and use your compressor & blow gun from the back side and you should be good. If you decide use a fine screen in front of the radiator to keep junk out in the future, just remember it will need to be cleaned out periodically too.

Judy_in_NC · Dec 19, 2004

I simply take off the side panels off the engine compartment which allows me to get the angle I need to position the blowgun tip inside the shroud.

Do you mean by this the red panel on the exterior of the tractor? That seems like it would aid things quite a bit.

I defnitely like the screen idea, though the two bolt on screens that came with the tractor did catch quite a bit of this fine debri - obviously not enough of it. Do you just use the flexible type window screening (or do you use the actual wire window screen)?

Do any of you know if you can get those blow gun tips at any local type stores (Tractor Supply, Lowes, etc)? versus ordering one?

Thanks

Judy in NC

shvl73 · Dec 19, 2004

You should be able to find one locally if you have some of the national chain type stores.
The bulk of the debris will be concentrated opposite the fan blades, since that is where it is drawn in. It shouldn't be neccessary to remove the fan shroud to blow it out. I think you'll find the long tip blow gun very handy to have.

Inspector507 · Dec 19, 2004

Tractor Supply does not have the 2' long one on their website, but it doesn't mean you can't one there. They do have one like shown in the attached pic. It might work better than the typical blow nozzle, but not as well as the 2' one would.

edit.........

Northern Tool has both the extendable one and the fixed 2' one. AND there are 7 retail stores in NC. None in Ohio yet /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Bird · Dec 19, 2004

I got mine at Northern Tool; they had them up to 4' long.

RanchMan · Dec 20, 2004

( I simply take off the side panels off the engine compartment which allows me to get the angle I need to position the blowgun tip inside the shroud.

Do you mean by this the red panel on the exterior of the tractor? That seems like it would aid things quite a bit. )

Yep - that's it. They're real easy to take on and off. A little more challenging if you have the FEL attached, but just because it requires a little more maneuvering around the FEL arms.