Sick Kubota bx2670 with 500 hrs

[gogojuice]

So.. my little kubota bx is sick. It has been at the dealer for over 1 week with them looking at the problem (they are busy, so I'm not assuming they have been working on it for that time)

However, antifreeze is getting into the engine.

They said it might need a new head. I am not mechanical in anyway, but the tractor has been babied and well maintained.

While this is not the final diagnosis, is it normal with 500hrs for a new head to be needed?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[Paystar]

No not normal. Very rare, never see that very often with a Kubota engine. Every manufacturer can have a bad one though. As long as they fix it right you shouldn't see that again.

 

[nybirdman]

Bummer;is it still under warranty?Did it over-heat?Seems the BX cooing fans are easily broken and that may have caused your problem.

 

[diesel85]

The BX cooling fans that break are for the HST transmission off the main drive line shaft, not the radiator cooling system.

 

[Fallon]

Heads crack or head gaskets blow when the engine overheats mostly. It can be defective parts, but that's less likely at 500 hours. Over-reving or overloading can do it too, but that's not really tractor engines as they are way detuned & limited compared to a car or truck engine.

 

[eubie5]

This is absolutely not normal.
Are you the original owner?
Somehow, it has overheated

 

[gogojuice]

Thanks for confirming my suspicion (that it is not normal)

I am the original owner and the tractor has been well maintained, according to schedule.

I spoke with the dealer after seeing the comments. It appears that they have now done a compression test with the radiator to see if coolant is leaking into the head and it is not.

What is amazing is they are now believe there might have somehow been a bit of ice in the lines (not sure I used wintergas) and it caused it to stutter and blow white smoke.
In any event, they say their is nothing wrong.

I'll let you know what happens when I get it back.

Thanks for your comments to make me 2nd guess the dealer.

Cheers

 

[Paystar]

That seems to like a pretty drastic change in diagnosis. Make sure you get everything in writing from that dealer in case a major problem arises after your warranty is up.

Don't wanna make you nervous, but just want to make sure you protect yourself because this dealer doesn't sound very knowledgeable to me.

 

[JWR]

Thanks for confirming my suspicion (that it is not normal)

I am the original owner and the tractor has been well maintained, according to schedule.

I spoke with the dealer after seeing the comments. It appears that they have now done a compression test with the radiator to see if coolant is leaking into the head and it is not.

What is amazing is they are now believe there might have somehow been a bit of ice in the lines (not sure I used wintergas) and it caused it to stutter and blow white smoke.
In any event, they say their is nothing wrong.

I'll let you know what happens when I get it back.

Thanks for your comments to make me 2nd guess the dealer.

Cheers

Nothing wrong my butt !! That may not mean overall, may mean a result of that one particular test... also it may be less a matter of "second guessing the dealer" than it is fully understanding what he says. I always watch myself for that possibility!
1) When you say antifreeze is getting into the engine how did you find it and where did you see it ? What were the symptoms?
2) If the antifreeze was in the exhaust, crankcase or other typical places, my first guess is a blown head gasket (as others mentioned.) It is unclear to me at least what sort of compression test was done involving the radiator. I'm sure the dealer knows and will get to the bottom of it.

No point in speculating how the problem happened, though as others suggest it could be overheating for whatever reason OR some sort of manufacturing defect. At 500 hrs I'd think infant mortality is behind you BUT maybe the head was not quite torqued right, maybe the gasket had defects, maybe there was debris the wrong places, who knows.
This is pretty unusual for Kubota engines as they are nearly the gold standard for being well tested before leaving the factory and for being reliable in general. I've had a head gasket go on a 4cyl VW diesel back in the 1980 timeframe and that was with 40,000 miles on it ... but much has been done in the engine manufacturing business in the past 30+ years and VW and Kubota are totally different animals.
Ice in the lines ? Huh ? What lines ? Ice in the fuel lines has no relationship that I can imagine to "antifreeze in the engine"no matter what fuel you used or how it was treated or not treated. If someone meant ice in the radiator hoses (?) that might imply it lacked antifreeze... or adequate antifreeze. That of course COULD lead to cracked block or head , etc. but seems unlikely.

Oh well, I'll stop rambling out loud and wait for the "rest of the story." Good luck !