Mowing Temperature toooo high

[Ranchofla]

So summer is here in North Florida and I have been mowing for about two months. While doing this the other day it was in the 90's and the water temperature got a little higher than I like it to be so I did the following.

1. Verified that the mesh screen was clean in front of the radiator
2. changed the coolant (probably had never been changed)
3. Sprayed the front of the radiator with a focused spray noozle
4. verified the belt is tight
5. verified the overflow was at the right level after the coolant change.

Still runs too hot in my opinion. I am using a 4' Kioti FINISH MOWER and it takes about 30 minutes to get that hot.




Suggestions?

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[JimRB]

Did it do the same thing after you changed your water thermostat?

 

[ruffdog]

You must verify that the radiator fins are clear. Use a light behind and look through the fins and it should be 100% clear and open.

 

[Ranchofla]

Did it do the same thing after you changed your water thermostat?

I have not replaced the thermostat, took it out when flushing the block, but put it back.

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[Ranchofla]

You must verify that the radiator fins are clear. Use a light behind and look through the fins and it should be 100% clear and open.

I will do that, also considered using high pressure water (not a power washer just a small noozle on a stick to fit between fan and radiator) from the back to push any stuff out the way it came in.

Thanks

Rancho
CK20 HST

 

[EddieWalker]

I use a flexible hose on the end of my air nozzle so I can get it into every corner of my radiator. The amount of dirt that comes out is amazing!!!!

Just to add to my previous statement, I found that the flexible lines for a grease gun works perfect on the end of my air nozzle. Of course it's a brand new line that I have never used, so it's perfectly clean.

 

[Mike Gibson]

Using water is not a good idea unless you can verify the water has completely dried before using the tractor again. Also if you don't happen to get all the dirt out you will now have a concrete like mixture. If it's not dry and
you add dust to water in your radiator you end up with a plugged radiator and water wont wash it out and a pressure washer will destroy it. A pressure washer will blow the fins shut as you sweep across it in most cases. I would use compressed air which is what we use on tractors, wheat trucks, combines and other pieces of farm equipment.

 

[oosik]

If you should ever use a piece of equipment to clean out the radiator( high pressure water or air ) and the process DOES close off the fins. Any company selling air conditioners or the like will have "fin combs" that will open things back up.

I worked for a company making LARGE, GIGANTIC air handling units. We installed radiators ( 12' tall by up to 20' long ) in the cooling part of the air handlers. One of the final tasks was finding the appropriate "fin comb" and going over each radiator( front & back ) and straightening out any bent fins.

Shipping, handling & installation would usually bend some of the radiator fins and they always had to be inspected and straightened out.

 

[Scook222]

If the radiator is clean, I would either take the thermostat out completely or replace it. Do you have an infrared thermometer? If so I would take temps of the radiator and block when it shows it that hot and see what the temperature is. It could be the sensor for the temp gauge has gone bad and giving you incorrect readings.

 

[xcgreene]

You can test that thermostat on your stove top. Put some water in a pot, get a thermometer in there, put the thermostat in there and turn the heat on. Watch for what temperature it starts to open. 195deg F is a pretty common rating, but look for a temp stamping on it. If it does not start to open when it says it should, its bad.

Or just replace it. They are pretty cheap.