power loss / overheating / pulled thermostat to replace, flushed anti-freeze - none came out from block... water pump?

[martin_montreal]

2nd final update: flushing with water 3 - 4 times and finally some kind of blockage came out eventually clear water. Closed it up, added 50:50 coolant and it ran at normal operating temperature. Might return the gauge and infrared gun I bought tbd. I don't see big bubbles in the radiator nor did or do I see smoke. When warm and restarting, there is a minor delay and a little black smoke so I will buy a rad pressure testing kit to check if head gasket or head was affected or not. Thx for the input.

UPDATE: Fluid is out. That is NOT the drain bolt. On a BX2200, it is located on the Right Side of the (905) engine under the block heater connecting point. Need to find a thermostat. Wondering if this is dealer only or if it and the gasket cross reference with any others?

BX2200, 2001... bought it >10 years ago. Anti-freeze has never been changed since I got it; I should have but missed this on my regular maintenance which I otherwise do twice a year; fuel filters, oil & filter winter / summer, hydraulic fluid and filter sometimes, the screen and rad area (which I did after this occured and yes it was blocked but please read on ...

At first I didn't notice the temperature gauge rising below red but past half so I changed the fuel pump... (suspect for other reasons I won't elaborate on here); tractor got hot, lost power and finally stalled - happened twice before and after that repair. It started and ran after cooling. I will have to worry about damage or not later but suspect it's okay. For now I need to focus on this current repair. Per the heading, I pulled the hose to the thermostat to bring to the parts counter (to be sure...) and fluid was present. I then flushed the fluid from the base of the rad and a couple of litres / quarts emptied. When I opened the bolt to the engine, Nothing came out. It wasn't nasty looking btw, green.

I will still change the thermostat and gasket since they're out but I gather it's the water pump that I need to change which I gather is a bit of a pain. Is there a test i can do to diagnose further from here? Thanks!

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

Did you poke a wire or something in the bolt hole to be sure it wasn't blocked by gunk?

 

[martin_montreal]

Did you poke a wire or something in the bolt hole to be sure it wasn't blocked by gunk?

I sprayed a little compressed air in but not too aggressively as I wanted to research and post before doing anything. Thanks!

 

[jaxs]

I can't tell you exactly what is wrong and what to do but I can tell you WHAT NOT TO DO. Stop running it to see how bad it's going to overheat. That isn't specific to a BX2200,that applies to ANY AND ALL diesel engines. Overheating to point of stall more often than not causes catastrophic damage. At this point I would run water through engine and radiator to make certain it flows freely,install new t-stat,fill with water,start engine,watch heat guage and kill engine at first sign of overheat. If it overheats,your next question should be "how do I test for blown head gasket,cracked head and block"?

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

^^^^^this for sure! Make sure the water is flowing through the block first.

 

[4570Man]

I didn’t fully understand your test procedure but if the thermostat isn’t hot enough to open very little if any water will exit the upper hose with the engine running. And clean the radiator.

 

[martin_montreal]

I can't tell you exactly what is wrong and what to do but I can tell you WHAT NOT TO DO. Stop running it to see how bad it's going to overheat. That isn't specific to a BX2200,that applies to ANY AND ALL diesel engines. Overheating to point of stall more often than not causes catastrophic damage. At this point I would run water through engine and radiator to make certain it flows freely,install new t-stat,fill with water,start engine,watch heat guage and kill engine at first sign of overheat. If it overheats,your next question should be "how do I test for blown head gasket,cracked head and block"?

Yes; I did not realize it was overheating. I misdiagnosed it at first per the post and am aware of the potential repercussions. The dealer is 60 miles away. I will get a t-stat but am trying to figure out what else I should order and pickup when I am there; could the water pump be the cause. I will try to run some water through it and determine if it is blocked up somewhere.

 

[jaxs]

You must try and understand that a little info here without complete knowledge of how cooling system works can be more dangerous than no info at all leading to leaving it alone. 90% of bad water pumps leak giving clear indication of bad pump. It's possible but unlikely impeller came loose from driveshaft or fins wore/broke off. With system full and 1 gallon jug in arms reach for topping off, water circulation should be observed looking into radiator of idling engine after it warm's up. It's possible to have a blast of steam and hot water hit you in the face while looking into radiator so take precautions. Circulation in the form of bubbles can indicate combustion gas escaping into coolant. If exhuast gas is suspected,auto part house sells chemical that changes color if gas is present in coolant. Hauling tractor 60 miles to closest mechanic is the price you pay for living in the boonies where there's no traffic.

 

[martin_montreal]

You must try and understand that a little info here without complete knowledge of how cooling system works can be more dangerous than no info at all leading to leaving it alone. 90% of bad water pumps leak giving clear indication of bad pump. It's possible but unlikely impeller came loose from driveshaft or fins wore/broke off. With system full and 1 gallon jug in arms reach for topping off, water circulation should be observed looking into radiator of idling engine after it warm's up. It's possible to have a blast of steam and hot water hit you in the face while looking into radiator so take precautions. Circulation in the form of bubbles can indicate combustion gas escaping into coolant. If exhuast gas is suspected,auto part house sells chemical that changes color if gas is present in coolant. Hauling tractor 60 miles to closest mechanic is the price you pay for living in the boonies where there's no traffic.

Thermostat was stuck in the Open position but maybe something else was happening with it. Ordered one, with gasket, in stock luckily, Kubota only it seems, so will drive the 60 miles to pick it up. Bought Prestone anti-freeze, a universal temperature gauge to install as well as an infrared temperature sensor, will close it all up, check the oil again in the sunlight, run it with the rad cap open for bubbles, colours etc... will also check the rad cap at a shop. Ideas welcome. Thank you (ALL) for taking the time to write.

 

[jaxs]

Thermostat was stuck in the Open position but maybe something else was happening with it. Ordered one, with gasket, in stock luckily, Kubota only it seems, so will drive the 60 miles to pick it up. Bought Prestone anti-freeze, a universal temperature gauge to install as well as an infrared temperature sensor, will close it all up, check the oil again in the sunlight, run it with the rad cap open for bubbles, colours etc... will also check the rad cap at a shop. Ideas welcome. Thank you (ALL) for taking the time to write.

THAT doesn't sound encouraging but let's hope it's just a fluke. It's possible to design a t-stat spring to lose temper and collapse so that coolant is circulating to the max if coolant temperature far exceeds normal operating temperature. Please don't shoot the messenger but if the reason(s) don't soon reveal, you probably should start looking for a trustworthy diesel mechanic. My reason for caution is because if problem turn's out to be cracked head or blown gasket,a hydro-loc could occur, turning an expensive repair into an even more expensive repair or total engine replacement. Sadly,dealership doesn't always translate to best qualified mechanics so vet them same as you would private shops. In the world of tractors 20 years old is considered modern and expected to perform several more years before needing major repairs. It would be a service to other owners here if you keep them posted on outcome of this.