Temperature Gauge is Running Hot after 30 Minutes

[aczlan]

I am back with the same problem: My MX5000 is overheating after about 20 minutes of bushhogging
Fan belt is OK.
Radiator is clean, clean, clean.
I changed the coolant in May.
Radiator gets hot, so the thermostat isn't stuck shut.
Bushhog gear box doesn't get hot and is full of gear oil.
I am stuck. Anyone have any good ideas so that I don't have to turn my paycheck over to the dealer?
Would changing the transmission oil help? It was replaced at 50 hours, and I now have 370 hours.

If you shine a flashlight into the radiator, can you see light through it? If not, you probbaly have dirt in the radiator fins which is plugging things up. We have had that on our BX2660 and it was a pain to diagnose.

Aaron Z

 

[JeremyL]

It gets so hot that the needle approaches the red zone. That is when I quit working. I haven't let it get in to the red. I know it is hot, and not just a gauge malfunction; I can feel the heat.
And, yes, I keep the radiator screen and cowling vents clear of debris. I wish it was that simple.
Thanks.

 

[94BULLITT]

You never should trust an electric gauge. You should see how hot it is getting before you do any work to it. Something easy to check is the belt make sure it is tight.

 

[JeremyL]

I talked with the dealer's service guy and he, like you 94Bullitt, doesn't trust the gauge. He offered to lend me his snazzy laser thermometer so that I can read the temperature of the top radiator hose when I get it hot.

I changed the hydraulic fluid since it was about time to do that anyway, but the service guy was right, that had no effect on the engine temperature. Today I will put in the new belt just to rule that one out too. Otherwise I will bite the bullet and take it in the the dea$er.

 

[94BULLITT]

I talked with the dealer's service guy and he, like you 94Bullitt, doesn't trust the gauge. He offered to lend me his snazzy laser thermometer so that I can read the temperature of the top radiator hose when I get it hot.

I changed the hydraulic fluid since it was about time to do that anyway, but the service guy was right, that had no effect on the engine temperature. Today I will put in the new belt just to rule that one out too. Otherwise I will bite the bullet and take it in the the dea$er.

Keep us posted.

 

[JeremyL]

It WAS the Belt! Give a prize to everyone who named that part.

I have been keeping the belt tensioned, and had bought a new one to have on hand in case the old one broke (always at an inopportune time). I decided to put on the new one while I was working on things, and not wait for the old one to break. I noticed that the new belt was visibally wider than the old one, and double checked the part number to be sure the dealer gave me the right belt. Put it on, without scraping any knuckles, went to do some test bushhogging, and the temperature never got above just over the lowest operating range. Ran it for 3 hours and it never got any hotter.

Problem solved. The lesson is that just because the belt is turning and the fan is turning doesn't mean that it isn't the belt. The old belt had some cracks on the inside, was smooth but not really "glazed," and was worn down enough to not be doing the job.

I am very relieved to have the problem solved for the cost of a $15 belt, and no trip to the dealer.

Thanks everyone!

 

[94BULLITT]

Don't forget to check the tension of the belt after it runs a little. Once they slip they become glazed and do not hold right.

 

[JeremyL]

Thanks 94Bullitt. And I like your "suicide doors" description.

We have a Bullitt county in Kentucky.

 

[94BULLITT]

Thanks 94Bullitt. And I like your "suicide doors" description.

We have a Bullitt county in Kentucky.

Lol thanks.