Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery...

[CADplans]

I have had the tractor 20 years (it is a total of 40 years old), and yesterday, for the second time ever,, the tractor overheated,,,

I have checked/maintained all the usual things,, I think,,,
Clean engine oil and filter
Clean hydraulic oil and filter earlier this summer,
No phantom hydraulic load from a valve being left engaged (I have done that before,, it makes noise),
Radiator clean, and full,
The flail mower turns as free as usual,

The grass is thick, but, not overly tall, I cut it 5-6 weeks ago,
I was not cutting lower than usual,

I had to cut in 3rd gear, rather than 4th gear, to keep it from overheating.

The temp gauge only moves about an additional 10% of the possible movement (it does not go "full over")

The overheating shows itself as the engine coughs and sputters,, making less power,,
I quickly disengage the mower, and let the tractor idle for 5-10 minutes,
yesterday, it was 93+ degrees when it happened,, so I just put the tractor away when it happened,,
It mowed fine this morning, when I finished up what I had left yesterday. I did stay in 3rd gear.

So could the high air temp have caused the overheating?
I never noticed the mid 90's or less temp causing a tractor to overheat before,,,

Is my 40 year old tractor "just old" and this type overheating going to be the new norm?
Could the new low sulfur fuel be causing the overheating, as compared to what the machine was designed for?

Any help would be appreciated,,, :thumbsup:

 

[searcyfarms]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

higher air temp/humidity will cause more heat issues - humidity/wet causes tougher grass - maybe the radiator needs blowing out from last mowing - gearing down will reduce heat in your diesel for sure as it keeps the loading down on the engine, if its a hill you can usually gear up going downhill, gear down going uphill to help with heating - flail mowers pull harder than typical rotary mowers - depending on weather you may have had more undergrowth this mowing - lots of variables - when is the last time you chemically flushed the cooling system? changed thermostat? replaced cooling fluid?

 

[CADplans]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

when is the last time you chemically flushed the cooling system? changed thermostat? replaced cooling fluid?

I have typically water flushed the cooling system every five years,, and I switched to Rotella ELC coolant last summer,,,

Hmmm ,, the coolant is different than the old "green" stuff,,,

I have never looked at the thermostat,, the engine warms up perfectly, so I never looked at that,,,

The undergrowth of the grass may be the answer,, we are on our second year of extra wet weather,,,

 

[Rmart30]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

if the thermostat hasnt been changed id do it first and do a flush on the cooling system and refill with new coolant. Also make sure the lower radiator hose isnt sucking closed under throttle. Some have a metal spring inside them to prevent it that and sometimes fall apart. Or, the hose gets old and soft and wont hold its open shape when it gets hot.
Ck and make sure fan belt is good and tight,

 

[searcyfarms]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

just changing fluid may have stirred things up, did you flush it chemically at that time, i would have changed the thermostat at that time but thats just me if you dont know when the last time it was changed, shouldnt be any difference in the cooling ability from ELC to standard, we have had an exceptionally wet year here as well and it has really been odd dealing with the different ways it has affected grass/crops etc.....

definitely wash out the radiator, definitely check belt and hose like Rmart says - Im over cautious, i wash out my radiator of my 5088 and A/C condensor every time i mow CRP for 8 hours - you get a lot of stuff sucked in with taller grasses, weeds and aroudn here we have a lot of cotton from trees and cat tails that will clog things up quickly, i dont like to worry about stuff when i am working, CRP is a booger to mow around here I like to get it before the ragweed opens up as well

 

[CADplans]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

The belt is in good shape, and tight,,
the lower hose is in good shape also, not spongy at all,,,

I may have to break down and buy a new thermostat,,,

 

[searcyfarms]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

dont rule out the mower either, it may have a bearing going or something in the driveline turning harder, hit some dirt/rock and dull blades on mower? i realize its a flail but they do get dull over time

 

[CADplans]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

dont rule out the mower either, it may have a bearing going or something in the driveline turning harder, hit some dirt/rock and dull blades on mower? i realize its a flail but they do get dull over time

The flail is 10+ (maybe 15) years old,, it could have issues,,

I had a 6.5 foot bush hog from my previous tractor,, the 584 thrashed that mower so hard, I had to get something bigger,,
the 390 mower was the bigger replacement,, So now I am guessing the 390 mower may be over 15 years old.

It has the original flails, but, I only cut 25-50 acres per year,,, the flails "look" almost like new,,,

 

[searcyfarms]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

WOW, 10 foot flail on a 52 PTO hp tractor is asking a LOT especially since 4L according to tractor data is right at 5mph im surprised it hasnt overheated before now

we run 2 to 3 mph tops iwth 100+ hp tractors in CRP on 15 foot batwings mowing at 10 to 12 inches and the 105 white overheats at 3mph and we have to gear down to 2.2 on it to get it to cool down

I think that lil 584 is running its heart out for you

 

[CalG]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

Are we all thinking that operation at full rated horse power under "normal" weather conditions were NOT part of the cooling system layout, in it's original design considerations?

May be. I know there is an aftermarket for "heavy duty, four row radiators". But HP is HP, and it comes with a heat burden. I'm thinking a radiator clean, inside and out, just might be the ticket. DO NOT USE A PRESSURE WASH! the fins get bent and impede air flow.

 

[genusCastor]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

With the extreme Texas heat (heat indexes beyond 110F) I'm not surprised when my tractor runs hot if it's during one of the heat waves. But I learned something one day...

In the past I would often clean the radiator protective screen on my Mahindra. The radiator fins themselves never looked dirty, but for some reason one time I blew some compressed air from the engine side and was surprised (shocked?) at the amount of dust that blew out the front. The fins had quite a bit of dust embedded but it didn't look like it from a visual inspection. Needless to say I noticed it ran cooler afterwards that day. So now this is a routine thing I do.

- djb

 

[Ford850]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

My first guess would be fine dust/dirt built up deep between the fines. But my GH mowers' radiators are both being taxed these past few weeks. They are both clean but when mowing my normal lawn areas, in the heat and humidity, they temp is up in the 'green' but close to the top. I don't know if I have ever seen it go that high, but has on both mowers this past month. My DX55 while running the rotary in heavy weeds and grass is requiring extra attention too, needing a pit stop hourly to blow the radiator clean so it has full capacity.

 

[D2Cat]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

Many folks think their radiator is clean because they blew off the chaff and everything visible. Really need to spray some "Purple Power" or similar cleaner on the fins and let it set for 10 minutes, then rinse off. When the material gets on the fins it requires soaking to get it ALL off.

 

[1010]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

Being an older tractor a water pump might not be a bad thing to replace, if you change the thermostat.. I have seen machines run hot that didn't have a 50/50 mixture too.. Almost pure AF probably.
I'm guessing the air cleaner is good too..

 

[CalG]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

The hot weather may have passed, so "fixing" the overheating issue may have passed with it. But.....

You might try a 90:10 water to anti-freeze ratio during these troubles. Water is about 20% better heat transfer medium than the anti-freeze is.

Just don't forget to switch to a stronger mix before freezing weather hits. (if it does where you are) If you don't see temps below about 25F, You should NEVER need to mix stronger than 80:20. There will be no corrosion issues at that ratio either.

 

[Oldpath05]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

If radiator is clean on out and inside then over heating would be caused by thermostat and or water pump. Sometime the radiator cap can be taken off and watch as the tractor warms up, should be able to see the coolant moving and as you rev the rpm's up the coolant should move faster and lowered as the thermostat opens.

 

[CADplans]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

WOW, 10 foot flail on a 52 PTO hp tractor is asking a LOT especially since 4L according to tractor data is right at 5mph im surprised it hasnt overheated before now

we run 2 to 3 mph tops iwth 100+ hp tractors in CRP on 15 foot batwings mowing at 10 to 12 inches and the 105 white overheats at 3mph and we have to gear down to 2.2 on it to get it to cool down

I think that lil 584 is running its heart out for you

The JD 390 flail mower is a 10+ year old mower that is 8 feet wide,,, yea, some times it pulls really hard,,

I would not doubt that the 584 is going more than 5 MPH in 4L,, the 4WD version seems to be geared faster than the 2WD version,,

We have clocked the tractor several times on paved road,, in high gear,, it travels considerably faster than specified!!

 

[RickB]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

Buildup on the inside of the radiator tubes will inhibit heat transfer before it inhibits coolant flow enough to notice.

 

[zzvyb6]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

Is the motor really overheating, or does it get vapor locked? Is a fuel filter clogged just enough or is the tank vacuum locked, After a few minutes all these symptoms would disappear. 10% over normal temperature seems like it should be OK.

 

[CADplans]

Re: Tractor OVERHEATING Mystery,,,

Is the motor really overheating, or does it get vapor locked? Is a fuel filter clogged just enough or is the tank vacuum locked, After a few minutes all these symptoms would disappear. 10% over normal temperature seems like it should be OK.

The engine overheated, it even forced a pint of antifreeze out of the overflow (onto the shop floor) as I drove into the shed.

I think I am going to have to believe I was just pushing the 584 a little too hard,,,
I have run a half dozen tractors near overheating conditions in the past, but, they were all big John Deere machines.
This IH is very different,, I guess all machines act a little different,,

It is supposed to rain a lot tomorrow, I think I may check a few more things so that I know I am not abusing the old girl,,,